CORONAVIRUS.
COVID-19 stands for Coronavirus disease 2019, an infectious disease caused by the virus Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) previously referred to as the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019 nCoV). It is a new disease caused by a novel coronavirus that has not previously been seen in humans. The disease is the cause of the 2019-2020 outbreak that started in Wuhan city, Hubei Province, China in December, last year. So far, it has spread to 54 countries across the world with confirmed cases in all continents except Antarctica. The alarming rate of its spread has led to its declaration as a global state of emergency by public health authorities. On the 27th of February, the Ministry of Health, Nigeria recorded her first case of the COVID-19, an Italian who flew into Lagos state from Milan on the 25th of February. As at the time of publication of this article, media sources say he is stable and contacts are still being traced.
Times like this would ordinarily call for pandemonium, but it is instead a time to keep abreast of the necessary information needed to not only protect oneself from this potentially dangerous virus but to educate others too.
So, what do we really need to know about this virus?
The corona viruses are a large group of viruses from the family coronaviridae. Some strains of these viruses are not very deadly and are often responsible for mild infections such as the common cold. In some cases however, like with the COVID-19, they may be responsible for more severe infections like pneumonia and respiratory failure which could eventually lead to death. The prognosis may generally be worse in groups of people with significantly lower immunity such as young children, pregnant women and the elderly.
Coronaviruses are zoonotic, which means that they are transmitted between animals and people. They are highly contagious and can also be transmitted from person to person by contact with respiratory droplets from the airways of an infected individual. Incubation period is usually between 2-14days but may be as long as 27days.
The disease is largely a respiratory one, primarily attacking the lungs and presenting with symptoms such as dry cough, sneezing, sore throat, and breathing difficulties. Fever also occurs commonly and there have been reports of some gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
COVID-19 can be diagnosed using respiratory samples tested through reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and results are generally available within a few hours to days.
There is currently no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment and management of the illness mostly involves supportive care and treatment of symptoms.
Preventive measures that can be undertaken against infection with this virus include:
•regular hand washing with soap and water.
•use of hand sanitizers in overcrowded or public places especially when you come in contact with stair bannisters, lift buttons and door knobs.
•avoid touching of eyes, nose and mouth with hands that are unwashed.
•thorough cooking of animal products such as meat and eggs before consumption.
•do not share personal belongings or household items like utensils.
•avoid people showing symptoms of respiratory illnesses like coughing.
•standard infection control practices should be enhanced within hospitals and health care facilities.
It is worthy of note that COVID-19 has a low mortality/fatality rate.This is supported by the fact that out of the over 83,000 cases that have been recorded since its outbreak in Wuhan, only about 3,000 have been reported dead. The World Health Organization presented at a media briefing the following updates on how often the symptoms of COVID-19 are severe or fatal, using data from 44,000 people with a confirmed diagnosis.
Stages of severity with rough percentages of people affected.
•Mild disease from which a person can recover -More than 80%
•Severe disease, causing breathlessness and pneumonia- Around 14%
•Critical disease, including septic shock, respiratory failure and failure of more than one organ- About 5%
•Fatal disease- 2%
The above table is proof that there is not so much cause for alarm as most people who come down with the virus will very likely make a full recovery. The least we can do is to keep ourselves updated and observe proper hygiene practices.
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