5 Real Facts About COVID-19

The covid-19 ( ‘ disease coronavirus 2019 ‘) is an infectious disease caused by the “new coronavirus (2019-nCoV)” , also called “SARS-CoV-2 ‘-. It is a new strain of coronavirus never before known to mankind. ^[one]

It was first reported in China 31 of December of 2019 ( the date that marked the beginning of the pandemic of 2019-2020). ^[2]

It produces flu-like symptoms, including fever , cough , dyspnea , myalgia, and fatigue . It can produce pneumonia , acute respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis, and septic shock that can lead to death. There is no specific treatment; The main therapeutic measures are to relieve symptoms and maintain vital functions.

The first cases were identified in the city of Wuján , with 11 million inhabitants, one of the megalopolises of the People’s Republic of China . This is why it is also known as “Wuhan virus”.

Experts highlight that its high speed of propagation and the mortality rate in less than a month is alarming, reason why the Chinese Government and international health authorities declared a world alert situation with the aim of neutralizing it. The November to March of 2020 , the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak as a pandemic . ^[3]

Although China was initially the epicenter of the outbreak and the most affected country, the coronavirus spread to other countries in Southeast Asia , Europe , America and Africa .

Summary

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• 1 Name of the disease
• 2 Correct writing
• 3 Description
• 4 History
• 5 Diagnosis
• 6 Symptoms
• 7 Incubation period
• 8 Propagation
  • 1 Airborne transmission
  • 2 Contact with a person without symptoms
  • 3 Contact with the feces of an infected person
• 9 Prevention
  • 1 Use of antibiotics
  • 2 Vaccine, medication or treatment
  • 3 Use of masks
  • 4 Contact with animals
• 10 Pandemic
• 11 Consequences
  • 1 Confirmed cases of infected, deceased and recovered worldwide
• 12 See also
• 13 Sources

Disease name

The disease receives several names:

• the ‘ covid-19‘: term from the English acronym ‘ COVID-19 ‘: ‘ coronavirus disease of 2019 ‘, which means ‘ coronavirus disease 2019 ‘; ^[4]
• ” coronavirus disease“;
• ” coronavirus pneumonia” (a widely used but incorrect name, since people with covid-19 do not necessarily develop pneumonia ).

Correct writing

The Royal Spanish Academy states that it can be written in two ways: “covid-19” or “COVID-19” but not “Covid-19”: ^[5]

If in a general text you want to lexicalize this name by passing it to lowercase, it is appropriate not to leave the initial capital letter because it is a common name of disease: “covid-19”. The script is part of the established name and nothing prevents its preservation, because, as the Academic Spelling explains , “in those lexical pieces made up of a combination of segments of numbers and letters, these segments have traditionally been separated with hyphens”. On the other hand, the Covid-19 spelling is not adequate, in which the initial capital letter is maintained as if it were a proper name.

It should be noted that this “covid-19” identification applies to the disease, not to the virus, which the International Committee on Virus Taxonomy has officially renamed SARS-CoV-2 (although it is common to continue using the name provisional 2019-nCoV).

Description

The coronavirus is a family of 39 viruses that cause diseases ranging from the common cold to more serious illnesses such as respiratory syndrome Middle East (MERS-CoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV).

Some cause disease in people, while others (like MERS) infect animals like camelids, and others (like SARS) affect cats and bats .

A new coronavirus is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. Coronaviruses are zoonotic, which means they are transmitted between animals and people.

History

The December to December of 2019 appeared an outbreak in patients Wuhan (China) associated with a new coronavirus, which by convention is called “2019-nCov.” Its complete genome (extracted from five patients) shows that its sequence shares 79.5% with that of the SARSr-CoV virus and 96.0% with the consensus genome of bat coronaviruses. ^[6]

The 31 of December of 2019 the Chinese authorities reported 27 cases of pneumonia of unknown origin, seven of them seriously. Those affected were apparently linked to one of the markets in the city of Wuján , a large metropolis with 11 million inhabitants. The cause of the condition was identified on January 7 , 2020 as a new coronavirus . China reported days later that the pathogen could be transmitted from person to person.

The first investigations showed empathy with a snake virus. The reason is that the first analysis of the 2019-nCoV genome seemed to indicate a closer relationship with snake coronaviruses than with bats . However, this analysis used rapid DNA sequencing with many errors; As new samples have been sequenced with higher quality, it has been confirmed that it is a mutation of a bat coronavirus of the SARSr-CoV species.

Most relevant to the sequenced genome is that the 2019-nCoV membrane protein S, which endows coronaviruses with their characteristic ‘corona’, is very similar to that of SARS-CoV, suggesting that it couples to the membrane of the host cell by a very similar mechanism, the angiotensin II converting enzyme (ACE2). Great news from a biomedical point of view because this facilitates the development of vaccines and future treatments against this new coronavirus.

Diagnosis

China shared with the World Health Organization (WHO) the genetic sequence of the virus on January 12 , 2020 , five days after its identification. This allowed the creation of a specific diagnostic protocol that all member countries have. Without analysis, it is practically impossible to distinguish it from another type of pneumonia , or even from the flu . Large hospitals have a technology, called PCR, that allows confirming the virus infection in a few hours, although in Spain official confirmations depend on the National Center for Microbiology. ^[7]

Symptoms

The most common symptoms are fever , tiredness, and dry cough . Some patients may experience pain, nasal congestion , runny nose , sore throat, shortness of breath, and diarrhea . These symptoms are usually mild and appear gradually. Something alarming is that some infected people do not develop any symptoms.

Most people (about 80%) recover from the disease without the need for special treatment. About 1 in 6 people who get it develops a serious illness and have trouble breathing. People over the age of 60 and those with underlying medical conditions – such as high blood pressure , heart, kidney, or diabetes – are more likely to develop serious illness.

About 2% of people who have contracted the disease have died.

Incubation period

The incubation period is the time between infection by the virus and the appearance of symptoms of the disease.

Initially, most estimates of the incubation period ranged from 1 to 14 days, and were generally around 5 days. These estimates are updated as more data becomes available.

A team of Chinese doctors determined that the incubation period can last up to 24 days. However, they clarified that the average duration of the “invisible” phase of the disease is only three days in mild cases and two days in severe cases. They also indicated that the infrequency of prolonged incubation periods makes it unnecessary to extend the usual two-week quarantine. ^[9]

The time may vary depending on the conditions (for example, the type of surface, the temperature or the humidity of the environment).

Spread

Although China is the epicenter of the outbreak and the most affected country, the coronavirus has already spread to other countries in Southeast Asia , Europe and the Americas .

A person can get it from contact with someone who is infected with the virus. The disease can spread from person to person through droplets from the nose or mouth that are thrown out when an infected person coughs or exhales. These droplets fall on objects and surfaces around the person, so other people can get the virus if they touch these objects or surfaces and then touch their eyes, nose, or mouth. They can also be spread by inhaling gout that a person has spread by coughing or exhaling.

Important : stay more than 1 meter (3 feet) away from a person who is ill, to avoid droplets of saliva (which we all emit when speaking) from reaching the skin, ^[10] the mouth, nose and eyes of the healthy person.

Transmission through the air

Studies to date suggest that the virus is transmitted primarily by contact with respiratory secretions, rather than by air.

Contact with a person without symptoms

The risk of contracting the disease from someone who does not have any symptoms is relatively low. However, many people who get it only have mild symptoms, particularly in the early stages of the disease. Therefore, it is possible to get it from someone who, for example, only has a mild cough and does not feel sick.

Contact with the feces of an infected person

The risk of contracting the virus from contact with the feces of an infected person appears to be low. Although initial research suggests that the virus may be present in feces in some cases, spread via this route is not one of the characteristic features of the outbreak.

Important : However, it is a risk and therefore it is one more reason to wash your hands frequently, after going to the bathroom and before eating.

Prevention

If you think a surface may be infected, clean it with a common disinfectant to kill the virus and thereby protect yourself and others. Wash your hands with an alcohol-based disinfectant or soap and water. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose.

Antibiotic use

The antibiotics are not effective against viruses, only against bacterial infections. COVID-19 is caused by a virus, so antibiotics do not work against it. Antibiotics should not be used as a means of preventing or treating the virus. They should only be used to treat a bacterial coinfection following a doctor’s instructions.

Vaccine, medication or treatment

To date (April 2020), there is no specific vaccine or antiviral medication to prevent or treat the COVID 19 pandemic. However, those affected must receive health care to alleviate symptoms. People with severe cases of the disease should be hospitalized. Most patients recover with the help of support measures.

Prevention is based on preventing virus carriers from transmitting it. An increasing number of countries have established airport controls.

Use of masks

People who do not show respiratory symptoms such as cough, and are not in a crowded place, do not need to wear a medical mask. The WHO recommended the use of masks for people who have symptoms of COVID-19 and for those who care for people who have symptoms such as cough or fever.

The use of masks is crucial for health workers and caregivers (whether at home or in a healthcare facility). The WHO advised to make rational use of medical masks to avoid unnecessary waste of valuable resources and their improper use.

Use a mask only if you have respiratory symptoms (cough or sneeze), if you are a suspected case of COVID-19 infection with mild symptoms, or if you are caring for someone who is a suspected case of infection.

Contact with animals

Coronaviruses are an extensive family of viruses that are common among bats and other animals, and people are rarely infected by these viruses, which can then spread to other people. For example, SARS-CoV was associated with civets and MERS-CoV is transmitted through dromedaries .

The possible animal origin of COVID-19 has not yet been confirmed. As a protection measure, when visiting live animal markets or other similar situations, avoid direct contact with animals and surfaces that are in contact with them.

Pandemic

The November to March of 2020 , after the high cases of infection of the new coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a pandemic. ^[eleven]

Consequences

Outside of China, the disease is transmitted in at least 210 nations. ^[12]

Countries such as South Korea, Italy made a difference, with a complex situation, as did Iran, Japan, France, Spain, Germany and the United States. ^[13]

Cases are reported in all the countries of the Americas (35), as well as in the 15 overseas territories. The United States also stood out in the region in terms of the number of reported cases, followed by Canada, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and Panama. ^[14]

Confirmed cases of infected, deceased and recovered worldwide

According to the World-o-Meters website (which is updated in real time with official data from the countries and from the WHO ), ^[15] until May 16, 2020 at 1:32 p.m. (Cuba time) , the global data were as follows: ^[12]