COVID-19: Everything you need to know about Coronavirus
By Zachary Bearnson
The COVID-19 virus, more commonly known as the Coronavirus 2019, is spreading across the World as well as the United States. The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention has released several recommendations for remaining healthy.
They recommend:
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe
They also have clarified the use of medical masks writing, “CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a facemask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19.” They do recommend that people that are showing symptoms wear masks to help prevent the spread of the virus.
The CDC also emphasizes the importance of regular hand washing. They recommend, “wash[ing] your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.” If no soap or water is available, they recommend using alcohol-based hand sanitizer but emphasize that it is not a replacement for regular hand washing. A list of further recommendations can be found here.
The COVID-19 virus has been spreading around the world from its origin point in the Wuhan province in China. Since the World Health Organization was first notified by Chinese health officials of a flu-like outbreak on Dec. 31 of last year, over 88,000 cases have been officially reported according to World Meters, an online database tracking the number of global confirmed cases.
COVID-19 and other coronaviruses like it “are a large family of viruses that are common in people and many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats,” according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention official website. Coronaviruses affect the respiratory system and can cause fever, a cough, and shortness of breath. These symptoms are consistent with other cold/flu viruses and have led to the spread of the disease.
There is currently no antiviral treatment for the virus. The CDC and World Health Organization recommend that anyone exhibiting symptoms should get tested. Symptom relief is currently the standard treatment, meaning that hospitals try to mitigate the effects of the symptoms.
The CDC warns against coming into close contact with potentially infected people, and some experts are concerned that the infection could spread faster due to the lack of sick days provided to American workers. The mild symptoms that most people have when they are infected are also predicted to contribute to the spread of the virus. Similar to the flu, if the symptoms are mild enough, many that are infected will continue to leave their homes.
The CDC has reported cases in 59 countries outside of China. The CDC is monitoring the outbreak worldwide, as well as within the country. Online database Pharmaceutical Technology has kept a timeline of events following the initial outbreak on Dec. 31. Nearly 114,000 cases have been officially diagnosed with over 80,000 reported in China and more than 3,500 confirmed cases in South Korea — the two highest patient counts internationally.
Of these cases, the fatality rate is about one percent with 3,001 confirmed patient deaths. The mortality rate differs based on patient age. Business Insider reports patients under 50 years to have a .4 percent chance of dying. Ages 50–59 is 1.3 percent, 60–69 is 3.6 and 70–79 is 8 percent. Patients over 80 years old have a 15 percent chance of dying from the virus. A majority of cases are mild (around 82 percent), meaning that the symptoms won’t affect daily tasks.
As of March 10, there are 755 confirmed cases of contracted COVID-19 in the United States. The first death related to the virus was reported in Seattle, Washington. As of Mar. 10 the death count in the United States reached 26. Cases have been identified in 37 states.
