COVID-19 : What you should know

An overview about everything you need to know about the pandemic

Introduction to Covid-19

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a

pandemic. A global coordinated effort is needed to stop the further spread of the virus. A pandemic is defined as “occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population.” The last pandemic reported in the world was the H1N1 flu pandemic in 2009.

On 31 December 2019, a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause, in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province in China, was reported to the World Health Organisation. In January 2020, a previously unknown new virus was identified, subsequently named the 2019 novel coronavirus, and samples obtained from cases and analysis of the virus’ genetics indicated that this was the cause of the outbreak. This novel corona virus was named Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) by WHO in February 2020.The virus is referred to as SARS-CoV-2 and the associated disease is COVID-19.

What is Coronavirus?

Coronavirus are a family of viruses that cause illness such as respiratory diseases or gastrointestinal diseases. Respiratory diseases can range from the common cold to more severe diseases such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and the

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV)

A novel corona virus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been identified in humans previously. Once scientists determine exactly what corona virus it is, they give it a name (as in the case of COVID-19, the virus causing it is SARS-CoV-2).

Coronaviruses got their name from the way that they look under a microscope. The virus consists of a core of genetic material surrounded by an envelope with protein spikes. This gives it the

appearance of a crown. The word Corona means “crown” in Latin.

Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning that the viruses are transmitted between animals and humans. It has been determined that MERS-CoV was transmitted from dromedary camels to humans and SARS-CoV from civet cats to humans. The source of the SARS- CoV-2 (COVID-19) is yet to be determined, but investigations are ongoing to identify the zoonotic source to the outbreak.

Symptoms of COVID-19

Signs and symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may appear two to 14 days after exposure. This time after exposure and before having symptoms is called the incubation period.

Common symptoms include:

• Fever

• Cough

• Tiredness

Other symptoms can include:

• Shortness of breath

• Muscle aches

• Sore throat

• Chest pain

This list is not all inclusive. Other less common symptoms have been reported, such as rash, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Children have similar symptoms to adults and generally have mild illness.The severity of COVID-19 symptoms can range from very mild to severe. Some people may have only a few symptoms, and some people may have no symptoms at all. People who are older or who have existing chronic medical conditions, such as heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, severe obesity, chronic kidney or liver disease, or who have compromised immune systems may be at higher risk of serious illness. This is similar to what is seen with other respiratory

illnesses, such as influenza.Some people may experience worsened symptoms, such as worsened shortness of breath and pneumonia, about a week after symptoms start.

Effect of Coronavirus on the Human Body

The novel coronavirus enters the body through the eyes, nose, or mouth. The virus then travels down toward the lungs and inflames the lining of the airways.This inflammation irritates the surrounding nerves, causing a cough.The virus can then spread to the lungs and cause infection and damage, which can reduce the oxygen supply to the bloodstream.If oxygen levels in the bloodstream decrease, the heart has to work harder to supply organs and the rest of the body with enough oxygen to function. Meanwhile, the immune system is working to fight off the infection, and in doing so it can cause inflammation throughout the body. This inflammation can cause blood pressure to drop, which also causes the heart to work harder to supply oxygen to the organs.An infection in the lungs, or pneumonia, causes the lungs to become inflamed and fill with fluid. This makes it more difficult to breathe.Pneumonia can progress to lung failure, in which case the person may need a ventilator to help them breathe.In people with existing damage to the heart or lungs, these complications can be life threatening. Older adults may also have a higher risk of severe complications, due to less elasticity in lung tissue and less robust immune function.

COVID-19 can also cause serious and sometimes fatal complications, including:

• pneumonia

• arrhythmia

• multiple organ failure

• sepsis

• respiratory distress syndrome

• heart failure

Treatment for COVID-19

Unfortunately, as of now, there are currently neither specific vaccine nor medicines to treat Covid-19 specifically. Treatments are currently under investigation. However, if you are admitted to hospital due to Covid-19, medical officers will try to focus on reducing the symptoms as the virus runs its course, which is also the same method used on SARS and MERS patients.

There are a few therapies used by medical officers to treat the symptoms includes:

• Breathing support (medical ventilator)

• Antiviral as well as retroviral medications

• Blood plasma transfusions

• Steroids to reduce lung swelling

If the patient feel sick and weak, they should rest, eat nutritious food and drink plenty of water. Cleanliness must be maintained at all times in order to prevent other people from

infected from you. If you are self-isolating, stay in separate room from family members and avoid any physical contact at all costs for at least until two weeks after you are well again. Everyone should keep a healthy and clean lifestyle at home.

COVID-19 Transmission

It is clear by now how easy the Covid-19 being transmitted from human to human and how sustainably the transmissions are going. Usually, the incubation period for Covid-19 is 5-6 days on average, although there are some reported cases with 14 days of incubation period. Incubation period means that the time between exposure to the virus becoming infected and symptom onset. Even during this pre-symptomatic period, some people may infect others so transmission may occur even before the patient develop symptoms.

This was studied and documented through contact tracing efforts as well as thorough investigation of confirmed cases clusters. It is important to recognize that pre-symptomatic transmission still requires the virus to be spread via infectious droplets or through touching contaminated surfaces. There is also asymptomatic transmission, which is when a person who carries the virus without even showing any symptoms, transmits the virus. This has been proven by tracing the contact of the person infected and deep investigation.

Prevention Measures for COVID-19

As we know, Covid-19 spreads fast and easily among humans. So in order to prevent the transmission of the virus from the person carrying or infected by the virus, we need to take extra

steps to maintain our health. First of all, we need to always keep our hands sanitised and our bodies clean. Whenever you go out and touched things that may have been touched by

other people in public, keep your hands clean by using alcohol-based sanitiser in order to kill the virus quickly. We can also wash our hands with soap for at least 20 seconds.

Next, practice respiratory hygiene by wearing face masks. Whenever you sneeze, the masks will absorb the fluid coming out of your face. Face masks also prevent other peoples sneeze from getting into our body. Even if you are not wearing a mask, practice safe way to sneeze or cough in public by releasing your cough into your bent elbow or tissue. Maintain social distancing by approximately 1 to 2 metres from other people. This is because if a person sneezes or

coughs, the fluid released will travel as far as 1 meters. This fluid is dangerous if the person carries any type of virus.

As for medical officers and frontliners, a further step needs tobe taken such as wearing a Personal Protective Equipment. This will reduce the rate of transmission greatly as they must

be in contact with Covid-19 patients directly.