COVID-19 outbreak began in China in 2019 and the pandemic has spread to several countries across the world. The disease is caused by Severe Acute Respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 that belongs to the family of coronavirus.
COVID-19 reports are increasing on a daily basis, and on suspecting the possibilities of widespread uncontrolled outbreak, WHO declared the disease as a pandemic in March 2020.
What Are The Symptoms Of COVID-19?
The symptoms may surface any time within the 2-14 day period after exposure and they include:
- Cough
- Troubles in breathing
- Fever
- Sore throat
- Aches
- Runny nose
- Fatigue
Risk Group
The symptoms might be severe in some while some may show mild symptoms. In some cases, people might not show symptoms at all in the initial period of the infection. The disease can spread to 4 people from 1 infected individual, and the high spread rate reveals the fatalities of the disease.
People belonging to the older age group, or suffer from chronic medical conditions like diabetes, heart or lung diseases etc are at higher risk of developing serious illness that might result in their death.
Causes
Further studies are required to determine how contagious the novel coronavirus is. When someone with the infection sneezes or coughs, the droplets are released into the air and the infection spreads via the droplets.
The virus enters our body through the eyes, nose and mouth. If a person touches a surface that has the virus and then touches their nose, eyes or mouth, the virus enters their body leading to infection. To avoid possible infection, avoid touching your face and buy face mask that can cover your nose and mouth well to prevent the infection.
Prevention
To avoid COVID-19, WHO has recommended the following precautions.
- Avoid mass gatherings
- Avoid close contact with symptomatic individuals
- Keep at least 1 meter distance between yourself and others
- If your hands aren’t clean, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
- While coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue
- Disinfect the surfaces that you touch on a daily basis
- If you are sick, stay at home and avoid going to school, office or public places
Proper care has to be taken to prevent the spread of the disease, especially with the high spread rate associated with the disease. Follow all medical guidelines thoroughly to keep yourself and your community safe from the infection.