The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic as the virus continued to spread across the world. pandemic (of a disease) prevalent over a whole country or the world.
More than 124,000 people in at least 114 countries have been infected with COVID-19, the medical term for the virus, according to WHO.
Coronaviruses have been known to cause respiratory tract infections, ranging in severity from mild (common cold) to lethal (SARS). The particular virus responsible for this current pandemic is a new virus and not a lot is known about it yet. So far, more people have recovered from this viral illness than have died which is reassuring, however given the rate at which it is spreading, there is cause for everyone to be aware and continue to practice caution.
The purpose of this post is to share some pertinent information and also explain why certain measures are necessary at this time.
How coronavirus is spread
Because it’s a new illness, we do not know exactly how coronavirus spreads from person to person.
Similar viruses are spread in cough droplets and this seems to be the likely case with this new virus.
It’s very unlikely it can be spread through things like packages or food.
Symptoms
Going by first hand accounts of people who have been infected, the most common symptoms appear to be a fever and a dry cough. Many also complain of severe fatigue, with no energy to carry out the simplest tasks. Shortly after the onset of fever and cough, many people complain of chest pain. Some have described it as a “lung pain” that makes it painful to breathe. The severity of symptoms also varies, some people end up with Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome and need to be put on a ventilator to help them breathe.
Testing
Unfortunately testing for this virus is not widely available and some schools of thought suggest that testing doesn’t offer much benefit. One rationale is that with the rate at which the disease is spreading, a person can test negative today and still catch the virus tomorrow. There is also the issue of cost.
The recommendation in some countries like the UK is that if you notice symptoms of cough and fever, it is best to self isolate for 2 weeks. If during this time the symptoms worsen, then seek medical help.
One major reason why people are being discouraged from rushing to hospital at the initial stages is that hospitals are a known hot bed for spread of infection. Also many of the patients in hospital are at higher risk of contracting infection due to their lowered immune status. So if everyone rushes to the hospitals, there is a higher risk of spread and as we have seen with this disease, fatality for those who have lowered immunity.
Treatment
Currently there is no specific treatment against this new virus. There has been some mention of a certain antimalarial having some effect against the virus, as well as some antiviral medications as well but the studies are still ongoing.
At this time, most of the treatment appears to be supportive. This means that treatment is given for present symptoms. So for example a patient with a fever would be given an anti pyretic like paracetamol for the fever. If they’re in pain they might be given some strong painkillers. If they develop difficulty breathing they might be put on a ventilator.
One of the early findings is that Ibuprofen appears to make patients feel worse so the advice is to avoid Ibuprofen (and other NSAIDS) and take paracetamol instead if you have a fever.
It is also not advisable to start taking antimalarials as these haven’t been thoroughly tested and licensed for use in treatment of this virus and abusing them will only cause more problems when the same drugs are needed to treat malaria.
Home remedies
Different foods/substances, ranging from ginger and honey to apple cider vinegar are being bandied as possible remedies to this virus. Again, none of this has been tested or proven and as such should not be taken as fact. There may be no harm in increasing your intake of whatever natural foods you like but this shouldn’t be done with the mindset that they will offer immunity from the virus. However it is always a good idea to do anything you can to boost your immunity at this time. This includes eating a healthy and nutritious balanced diet, getting enough sleep and trying to stay calm.
Risk factors
Initially the virus seemed to only affect people who were or had been in the Wuhan province where this virus was first recognized. This is no longer the case as there are now cases in over 152 countries and counting. It is safer to assume that we are ALL at risk of being exposed to this virus regardless of location.
The good news is that most of the people who have been affected so far have made a full recovery, some of them without needing serious medical intervention.
Most of the mortalities that have occurred as a result of this virus have been in the older population. This is not very surprising as older people tend to have other underlying medical problems (diabetes, heart disease and so on) and are more likely to have lowered immunity.
Other groups of people who have reduced immunity are young children, pregnant women and anyone with a long term medical condition (e.g sickle cell, diabetes, lupus, etc). Because this virus affects the respiratory system, people who have conditions such as asthma, COPD, bronchitis and so on are at a higher risk of serious lung complications if they contract the virus. This may also apply to smokers.
Asymptomatic carriers
Some early research finding suggest that there are people who have this virus but do not display any symptoms. This is of great concern because such people can still spread the virus unknowingly as they come in contact with people. And this is one of the reasons why it is now recommended to limit social interactions as much as possible.
Social distancing
The one thing that has been recommended to reduce the spread of this virus is social distancing. This means avoiding social activities such as going to the bar or cinema, events with large crowds or having unnecessary contact of any form with other people. Many governments have announced border closures, school closures, banned public congregations for this reason. While this may be highly inconvenient, it is the safe thing to do for now.
All around the world things are changing and are going to be changing for the forseeable future. It is a time of great uncertainty and fear and this is understandable. Do not forget to take all the breaks that you need in the coming weeks or months. Try to stick to the routines that you can, or create new ones for yourself and your family. It is okay to go out for some fresh air or take a walk around your compound. Things may become increasingly difficult for some people at this time so also remember to be kind.
Take care of yourselves. And each other.
