This virus emerged at the beginning of the year and it has already claimed thousands of lives. The virus was first discovered in China at the beginning of the year and currently, it has infected 598,094 people. The virus originates from a coronavirus family that affects humans but unfortunately, it has found a way into the human body. As per now, all people worldwide are urged to follow all the control measures to help combat this pandemic. The mortality rate of this virus is of concern because other than its high rate of spread it causes serious illness to the infected people. This has caused many countries around the world to enforce health measures to ensure the epidemic is contained.
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The most typical symptoms of this virus include:
- Fever and fatigue.This virus causes the patient’s body temperature to shot up to such that they feel very hot when they touch their chests or back. The patient will feel fatigued due to the extra amount of energy their body is using to combat the virus. This leaves the patient feeling exhausted and tired.
- Nasal congestions and running nose.The coronavirus makes the patient’s nasal tract inflamed and swollen due to the production of extra mucus that blocks the passageways making it difficult to breathe.
- Body aches and pains.People who develop the coronavirus feel body aches and pains as their immune system is fighting off the virus. This results in inflammation which causes the body muscles to feel stiff and achy.
Other people may experience diarrhea and loss of sense of smell and taste. Currently, 80% of those infected with the virus have experienced a mild case and usually get well without any specialized treatment.
Another 15% was found to develop symptoms that were severe which caused them to have short-breathe and lung problems like pneumonia. The remaining 5% were very severe cases due to multiple organ failure including the respiratory system. It has been found that those who are a greater risk of becoming critically ill with the disease are the aged and those having hidden medical issues like diabetes, heart problems, cancer, and high blood pressure.
How to Prevent Covid-19 Infections
The most effective way of preventing the spread of the novel Covid-19 pandemic is by observing good hygiene. People are advised to regularly wash their hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer for at least 20 seconds. You should also avoid touching your face and lips and when a person is coughing or sneezing, they should use a handkerchief or tissue.
Those who show symptoms or have tested positive for the virus should be isolated or quarantined from the healthy ones. Currently, many countries have instituted partial or full lockdown in an attempt to curb its spread.
How Many People Have Been Affected?
Currently, there are more than 600,000 confirmed infected cases worldwide with over 28,000 deaths. An excess of 137,000 cases is reported to have completely recovered from the virus. No country has been hit the hardest than Italy which has more than 9,000 fatal cases followed by Spain with an excess of 5,000 deaths. However, it’s been discovered that many of the fatal cases had hidden medical conditions which were further complicated by the virus.
Hydroxychloroquine Treatment
This treatment is suited for malaria. Every person should avoid the use of this drug for the treatment of the Corona Virus. The effects of this drug on Coronavirus patients are serious with several deaths recorded already. Take this drug if only your doctor prescribes it.
- Wash your hands
- Use sanitizers to clean your hands as many times as possible
The cleaning process should take more than 20 seconds to ensure all the germs and viruses die. Whenever you leave your house clean your hands and make sure you do the same when you get back. People are urged to keep a convenient distance to regulate spread from infected to healthy people.
People with symptoms similar to Flu should be vigilant enough to ensure they do not pass down the disease to others. Constant sanitization and inter-personal space are the number one way of controlling the spread of this virus.
Due to this virus emerging during a flu season many people, doctors included, are having a hard time differentiating between the two as their symptoms overlap. However, one can tell them apart as people who develop flu experience the symptoms between 1 to 4 days while those with the coronavirus develop within 14 days.
Contagiousness
Compared to flu, the rate of Covid-19 infections is very high as each corona patient typically infects 3 to 4 healthy people. This rate of reproduction is twice that of flu as each patient will infect another 1.3 people.
Mortality
Coronavirus has so far caused 27,371 deaths worldwide representing a mortality rate of between 3 to 4%. On the other hand, the mortality rate of seasonal flu is typically below 0.1% making the coronavirus more deadly than flu.
Treatment
Because we have been encountering flu for a much longer time than the coronavirus, there are more options for treating it. People suffering from flu usually do not need extensive medical treatment as they are just prescribed antiviral drugs that work within 1 to 2 days. Currently, there exists no know drugs or vaccination that can successfully combat Covid-19 as scientists worldwide are still studying the virus and researching its medication.
Prevention
Flu is mainly prevented by vaccination. For each flu season, medical practitioners predict the strains that will cause much damage and prescribe the right vaccines. However, since Covid 19 is a recent infection, there are no vaccines available to treat it. The most effective ways of preventing Covid 19 include regularly washing the hands, covering the mouth when coughing, staying away from crowds and gatherings and lastly, quarantining those who feel ill.
