Table of Contents
What is Covid-19?
It is created by a member of the coronavirus family that has never been found before. Like other coronaviruses, it has developed from animals. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced it a pandemic. Read below the coronavirus symptoms and causes.
What are the coronavirus symptoms?
According to the WHO, the most widespread symptoms of Covid-19 are restlessness, tiredness and a dry cough. Some patients may also have a runny nose, sore throat, nasal congestion and pains and cramps or diarrhoea. About 80% of people who understand Covid-19 experience a mild case – about as severe as a regular cold – and recover without requiring any special treatment.
As this is viral pneumonia, medicines are of no use. The antiviral drugs we have upon flu will not work, and there is currently no vaccine. Recovery depends on the energy of the immune system.
In the UK, the National Health Service (NHS) has identified the traits to look for as enduring either:
- a high temperature – you know how to effect on your chest or back
- a new constant cough – this means you’ve begun coughing repeatedly
About one in six people, the WHO says, become severely ill. The elderly and people with underlying pathological problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, or persistent respiratory conditions, are at a more prominent risk of serious illness from Covid-19. Be careful in checking for coronavirus symptoms, you may get confused with pneumonia symptoms.
Coronavirus symptoms: Should I go to the doctor if I have a fever or a cough?
No. In the UK, the NHS advice is immediate that anyone with signs should stay at home for at least 7 days. If you live with other people, they should stay at home for at least 14 days, to circumvent spreading the disease outside the home. This appeals to everyone, regardless of whether they have travelled abroad.
Many countries have required travel bans and lockdown requirements to try and stop the spread of the virus. You should check with your regional authorities for the most advanced advice on exploring medical assistance.
Why is this more critical than normal influenza, and how concerned are the experts?
We don’t yet understand how dangerous the new coronavirus is, and we won’t know until more data comes in, but views of the death rate have ranged from well under 1% in the young to over 3% among those who are retired or have underlying health conditions. Seasonal flu typically has a mortality rate below 1% and is estimated to cause about 400,000 deaths each year.
Another key unknown is how infectious the coronavirus is. A crucial distinction is that unlike flu, there is no vaccine for the new coronavirus, which suggests it is more challenging for vulnerable members of the population – elderly people or those with breathing respiratory or immune problems – to defend themselves. Hand-washing and avoiding other people if you experience unwell are important.
Have there been other coronaviruses?
Severe critical respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers) are both effected by coronaviruses that came from animals. In 2002, Sars reached virtually unchecked to 37 countries, causing global panic, affecting more than 8,000 people and destroying more than 750. Mers seems to be less easily transferred from human to human, but has more elevated lethality, killing 35% of about 2,500 people who have been affected. People searching for What is coronavirus must consider news on the basis of genuinity.
