Corona virus is a large family of viruses that cause respiratory infections. These can range from the common cold to more serious diseases.
COVID-19 is a disease caused by a new form of corona virus. It was first reported in December 2019 in Wuhan City in China. Other corona virus include Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
What are symptoms of this virus?
Symptoms of COVID-19can range from mild illness to pneumonia. Some people may recover very easily and some people may get very sick quickly. People with corona virus may experience symptoms such as
- Fever
- Coughing
- Soar throat
- Shortness of breath
Other symptoms may include running nose, headache, muscle or joint pains, nausea, vomiting, loss of sense of smell, altered sense of taste , loss of appetite and fatigue. To stop the spread of this corona virus, people with these mild symptoms should get tested at local health emergency centres.
How corona virus spreads
The virus can get spread from person to person through:
- Close contact with an infectious person
- Contact from the infected person’s droplets of cough or sneeze.
- Touching the objects that are being touched by the infected person.
COVID-19 is a new disease, so is no existing immunity in our community. This means that COVID-19 could spread very widely and quickly.
Who is most at risk?
The following people are really at the high risk of getting infected with this virus:
- Travellers who have travelled overseas
- People who have been in close contact with the person tested corona positive.
- People in correctional and detention facilities
- People 65 and older with chronic medical conditions.
- People 70 years and older
- People with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems
- People with a disability.
At this stage the risk to children and babies and the role children play in the transmission of COVID-19, is still not very clear. Pregnant and lacting mothers are also at risk to get affected with corona virus. So better be very careful.
Protect yourself and others
You must do certain things to protect yourself and others from this virus. Follow the advice given below:
- Maintain a good hygiene
- Maintain a physical and social distance
- Avoid public gatherings
- Stay in isolation
- Wear three layered mask
- Avoid touching T-zone of your face
- Clean the surface that are being most used.
How to get tested?
If you have cold or flu like symptoms like cough, fever ,soar throat, shortness of breath or any mild symptoms, you should get tested for COVID-19 as soon as possible. You might contact your family doctor or rather can seek help from the local health care centres.
If your symptoms are severe, you should seek help urgently. If possible, call ahead so the medical facility can prepare.
We still need more analysis of the epidemiological data to understand the full extent of this transmission and how people are affected. Till then stay safe and stay at home. Do not go outside of our house until it is very urgent.
