The world is fighting with a great pandemic.
The name coronavirus specifically COVID-19 is spreading its terror throughout the world.
What is this virus?, How can we stop it and How it has affected us, were some questions that must’ve occurred in your mind when you heard about it.
We did some research and found some answers that we blended in this post.
So, What is coronavirus?
Coronaviruses are a group of related viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds.
In humans, coronaviruses cause respiratory tract infections that can be mild, such as some cases of the common cold, and others that can be lethal, such as SARS, MERS, and COVID-19.
The virus is named after its shape which takes the form of a crown with protrusions (something sticking out) around it and hence is known as coronavirus.
The thing to keep in mind is that: The virus is SARS 2 that causes the disease COVID-19 that everyone is simply calling coronavirus.
Types
There are 7 major types in total.
- 229E (alpha coronavirus) (HCoV-229E)
- NL63 (alpha coronavirus) (HCoV-NL63)
- OC43 (beta coronavirus) (HCoV-OC43)
- HKU1 (beta coronavirus) (HCoV-HKU1)
- ERS-CoV (the beta coronavirus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS)
- SARS-CoV (the beta coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS)
- SARS-CoV-2 (the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19).
Comment or reach us out if you want to learn about them too.Currently we are discussing SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).
Viruses can make more of itself only when they enter inside of a living cell. Viruses may survive on surfaces like toys, clothes, plastics, metals, etc.
It is not certain how long the virus that causes COVID-19 survives on surfaces, but it seems to behave like other coronaviruses.
Studies suggest that coronaviruses (including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days.
It can also spread in hot weather.
How coronavirus started?
Image credit : Aljazeera
It started appearing last year in December in Wuhan, Several unusual cases of pneumonia was alerted to WHO on the 31st of December by China.
On January 5, Chinese officials made statements that this was caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus - an illness that was originated in China and killed more than 770 people worldwide back in the year 2002-2003.
On January 7, WHO announced that they had identified a new virus. The novel virus was named 2019-nCoV and was identified as belonging to the coronavirus family that also includes SARS and the common cold.
The source of the coronavirus is believed to be a "wet market" in Wuhan which sold both dead and live animals including fish and birds.
Such markets pose a heightened risk of viruses jumping from animals to humans.
The animal source of COVID-19 has not yet been identified, but the original host is thought to be bats. Bats were not sold at the Wuhan market but may have infected live chickens or other animals sold there.
Bats are host to a wide range of zoonotic viruses including Ebola, HIV and rabies.
How coronavirus spread.
Its main way of spreading is by droplet infection.
The COVID-19 virus spread primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes, so it’s important that you practice respiratory etiquettes (like by coughing into flexed elbow).
Some are suggesting that it may be the biological weapon created by china to dominate over the world economy, but speculating won’t help anyone.
What does coronavirus do to the body?
First off you need to know what the virus means?
So, What is a virus?
A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism.
When not inside an infected cell or in the process of infecting a cell, viruses exist in the form of independent particles, or virions, consisting of:
- The genetic material, i.e. long molecules of DNA or RNA that is responsible for the structure of the proteins by which the virus acts.
- A protein coat called the capsid, which surrounds and protects the genetic material.
- An outside envelope of lipids (lipid is a biomolecule that is soluble in nonpolar solvents.
And in some cases viruses also have
Source - Wikipedia
Now you can understand
What SARS 2 virus does to the human body?
The lungs are filled with billions of cells called epithelial cells. The corona connects to favorable receptors on the cell membrane and then injects the genetic material carried by it.
After creating more of the coronavirus the cell gets destroyed.
The body starts to fill with billions of viruses in about 10 days. These viruses cause confusion among the immune cells.
The immune cells try to destroy the coronaviruses but also destroys a lot of friendly cells in the body.
With the destruction of a lot of epithelial cells, the protective layer that protects from the germs and mucus is gone and slowly bronchioles and alveoli in the lungs gets inflamed.
The alveoli get filled with fluid making it difficult to body to get the oxygen it needs.
This may cause pneumonia that causes difficulty breathing and may cause chest pains coughing fever and chills confusion headaches muscle pain and fatigue.
Respiratory failure may occur when breathing becomes so difficult that you may need a machine called ventilators to breathe.
Symptoms of coronavirus
The symptoms of coronavirus are similar to that of the common cold.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are dry cough, tiredness and fever. Some people may develop severe forms of pneumonia.
The best way to confirm if you have the virus-producing COVID- 19 is through laboratory tests, and you can’t be sure about confirming the virus via some breathing exercises.
Most people who catch COVID-19 can recover and eliminate the virus from their bodies. If you catch the disease make sure you treat your symptoms if you have cough fever and difficulty breathing seek medical care early but if possible call your health facility by telephone first.
You can recover from coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Catching the new coronavirus doesn’t mean you will have it for life.
Almost all the major countries are affected by coronavirus. Spreading from Wuhan, About 1,132,733 cases have appeared worldwide with total deaths of 60,353 in the past 2-3 months. The numbers are increasing every day.
| Country | Total cases | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| China | 81,639 | 3,326 |
| Italy | 119,827 | 14,681 |
| The United States of America | 277,533 | 7,403 |
| Spain | 124,736 | 11,744 |
| Germany | 91,159 | 1,275 |
| Iran | 55,743 | 3,452 |
| France | 82,165 | 6,507 |
| India | 3,082 | 86 |
The cases are rising day by day consider checking live updates.
India is also facing horror caused by a coronavirus, with 86* confirmed deaths due to this disease.
On 24 March, the Government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a nationwide lockdown for 21 days, limiting movement of the entire 1.3 billion population of India as a preventive measure against the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in India.
The death rate due to coronavirus has spiked.
Prevention
You can protect yourself and help prevent spreading the virus to others if you avoid touching your eyes mouth and nose.
Clean your hands frequently and thoroughly using soap. Using alcohol-based sanitizers, and maintaining social distancing for a certain time.
Image credit : Aljazeera
The cure for coronavirus is not yet found. It’s a race against time.
Looking at facts, the Ebola virus vaccine broke record being ready in five years. The hope here is to develop a new vaccine for coronavirus in 12 to 18 months only.
People of all ages can be infected by the new coronavirus. Older people and people with preexisting medical conditions are more vulnerable to be the victim of the virus.
Although WHO advised people of all ages to take protective measures. We hope you and your loved ones are safe. This is a period where humanity is facing a great challenge, but this too shall pass. Until then don’t take any unnecessary measures that may risk your lives.
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