The Legitimate Desk
Covid-19 has spread to nearly every country in the world since it first emerged in China at the beginning of the year. More than 665,000 people are known to be infected and more than 30,800 deaths have been recorded across the world.
- The new coronavirus disease outbreak, initially identified in China, is continuing to grow.
- The disease is called COVID-19 and is caused by infection from the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which is one of multiple coronaviruses that can infect humans.
- Other examples include SARS, MERS, and even the common cold.
What is a Coronavirus?
Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause infection in animals. Seven, including the new virus, have made the jump to humans, but most just cause cold-like symptoms.
Covid-19 is closely related to severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) which swept around the world in 2002 to 2003. That virus infected around 8,000 people and killed about 800 but it soon ran itself out, largely because most of those infected were seriously ill so it was easier to control.
Another coronavirus is Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers), cases of which have been occurring sporadically since it first emerged in 2012 – there have been around 2,500 cases and nearly 900 deaths.
Covid-19 is different from these two other coronaviruses in that the spectrum of disease is broad, with around 80 percent of cases leading to a mild infection. There may also be many people carrying the disease and displaying no symptoms, making it even harder to control.
So far, around 20 percent of Covid-19 cases have been classed as “severe” and the current death rate varies between 0.7 percent and 3.4 percent depending on the location and, crucially, access to good hospital care.
Scientists in China believe that Covid-19 has mutated into two strains, one more aggressive than the other, which could make developing a vaccine more complicated.
How did the outbreak start?
The source of the coronavirus is believed to be a “wet market” in Wuhan which sold both dead and live animals including fish and birds.
Such markets pose a heightened risk of viruses jumping from animals to humans because hygiene standards are difficult to maintain if live animals are being kept and butchered on-site. Typically, they are also densely packed allowing the disease to spread from species to species.
The animal source of Covid-19 has not yet been identified, but the original host is thought to be bats. Bats were not sold at the Wuhan market but may have infected live chickens or other animals sold there.
Bats are host to a wide range of zoonotic viruses including Ebola, HIV, and rabies.
How big could the pandemic get?
The disease has already taken hold in Europe, the United States, and South East Asia and is beginning to wreak havoc in Africa and South America. The World Health Organization is particularly concerned with the ability of the poorest countries in the world to control the disease.
Who started the coronavirus?
Various crazy conspiracy theories have been circulating that the virus somehow escaped from a Chinese lab, either by accident or design. However, this is categorically untrue and scientists studying its genetic code have linked it to bats. It probably then jumped to another animal, which passed it on to humans.
The number of diseases crossing from animals to humans is growing, and teams of virus hunters are tracking them down.
According to WHO
Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment. Older people and those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness.
The best way to prevent and slow down transmission is to be well informed about the COVID-19 virus, the disease it causes, and how it spreads. Protect yourself and others from infection by washing your hands or using an alcohol-based rub frequently and not touching your face.
The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes, so it’s important that you also practice respiratory etiquette (for example, by coughing into a flexed elbow).
At this time, there are no specific vaccines or treatments for COVID-19. However, there are many ongoing clinical trials evaluating potential treatments. WHO will continue to provide updated information as soon as clinical findings become available?
WHO mentions the following Symptoms regarding COVID19:
The COVID-19 virus affects different people in different ways. COVID-19 is a respiratory disease and most infected people will develop mild to moderate symptoms and recover without requiring special treatment. People who have underlying medical conditions and those over 60 years old have a higher risk of developing severe disease and death.
Common symptoms include:
- Fever
- Tiredness
- Dry cough.
Other symptoms include:
- Shortness of breath
- Aches and pains
- Sore throat
- And very few people will report diarrhea, nausea or a runny nose.
People with mild symptoms who are otherwise healthy should self-isolate and contact their medical provider or a COVID-19 information line for advice on testing and referral. People with fever, cough or difficulty breathing should call their doctor and seek medical attention.
Some top politicians, celebrities and sportspeople who have been infected with COVID19
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau
Prince Charles
Boris Johnson
Kanika Kapoor
Idris Elba
