CoronaVirus has spread like a wildfire in approximately 140 countries across the globe now and the need of the hour is to protect oneself, friends & family. Amidst the viral panic, we try to answer some questions for you.
Coronavirus is an extremely common reason behind colds and other upper respiratory infections. COVID-19, short for “coronavirus disease 2019,” is the official name given by the World Health Organization to the illness caused by this newly identified coronavirus.
Some individuals infected with the virus have no symptoms. When the virus does cause symptoms, the most common ones include low-grade fever, body aches, coughing, nasal congestion, runny nose, and sore throat. But COVID-19 can sometimes give rise to more severe symptoms like high fever, severe cough, and shortness of breath, which frequently indicates pneumonia.
Since this coronavirus has just been discovered, the time from experience of symptom onset (known since the incubation period) for most of us has yet to be determined. Found on current information, symptoms could appear three days to 13 days later. Recently published research found that typically, the incubation period is about five days.
Coronavirus is a disease that is thought to spread from person to person. This may happen between folks who are in close connection with one another. Droplets that are produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes may land in the mouths or noses of folks who are nearby, or possibly be inhaled to their lungs.
Coronavirus also can spread from connection with infected surfaces or objects. For instance, an individual will get COVID-19 by touching a floor or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes.
The following actions help prevent the spread of COVID-19, as well as other coronaviruses and influenza:
Try to plan in advance for a possible outbreak to avoid last minute panic.
Like, if you have an outbreak in your community, you might not be able to go to a shop, or stores might be out of supplies, therefore it is going to be important for you to have extra supplies on hand.
Talk to family members and loved ones about how they’d be looked after if they got sick, or what you will need to care for them in your home.
Consider everything you might do if your child’s school or daycare shuts down, or if you want to or are asked to work from home.
Stay up to date with reliable news resources, like the website of the local health department. If your town or neighborhood has a website or social media page, consider joining it to keep up with neighbors, information, and resources.
Try to stock at the least a 30-day supply of required prescriptions. Ensure you also store over-the-counter medications and other health supplies on hand.
Consider keeping a two-week to 30-day supply of nonperishable food at home. These items can also come in handy in other types of emergencies, such as power outages or snowstorms.
First call your doctor or pediatrician for advice. If you do not have a health care provider and you are apprehensive that you or your youngster may have COVID-19, contact your local board of health. They are able to direct you to the very best place for evaluation and treatment in your area.
It’s best to not seek medical care in an emergency department until you have outward indications of severe illness. Severe symptoms include high or really low body temperature, shortness of breath, confusion, or feeling you could pass out.
Call the emergency department ahead of time to inform the medical staff that you are coming, to allow them to be prepared for your arrival.
Click here to know the emergency contact or testing centre in your state.
You should take many of the same precautions as you would if you were caring for someone with the flu:
Community spread (community transmission): occurs when people have been infected without any knowledge of contact with someone who has the same infection.
Contact tracing: a process that begins with identifying everyone a person diagnosed with a given illness (in this case COVID-19) has been in contact with since they became contagious. The contacts are notified that they are at risk, and may include those who share the person’s home, as well as people who were in the same place around the same time as the person with COVID-19 — a school, office, restaurant, or doctor’s office, for example. Contacts may be quarantined or asked to isolate themselves if they start to experience symptoms, and are more likely to be tested for coronavirus if they begin to experience symptoms.
Containment: refers to limiting the spread of an illness. Because no vaccines exist to prevent COVID-19 and no specific therapies exist to treat it, containment is done using public health interventions. These may include identifying and isolating those who are ill, and tracking down anyone they have had contact with and possibly placing them under quarantine.
Epidemic: a disease outbreak in a community or region
Flattening the curve: describes the epidemic curve, a statistical chart used to visualize the number of new cases over a given time frame during a disease outbreak. Flattening the curve is shorthand for implementing mitigation strategies to slow things down, in order that fewer new cases develop over an extended amount of time. This increases the chances that hospitals and other healthcare facilities will soon be equipped to take care of any influx of patients.
Incubation period: the period of time between exposure to an infection and when symptoms begin
Isolation: the separation of people with a contagious disease from people who are not sick
Mitigation: identifies steps taken to limit the impact of an illness. Because no vaccines exist to avoid COVID-19 and no specific therapies exist to treat it, mitigation strategies may include frequent and thorough handwashing, not touching see your face, staying from folks who are sick, social distancing, avoiding large gatherings, and regularly cleaning frequently touched surfaces and objects in the home, in schools, at the office, and in other settings.
Pandemic: a disease outbreak affecting large populations or a whole region, country, or continent
Presumptive positive test result: a test for the virus that triggers COVID-19, performed with a local or state health laboratory, is considered “presumptive” before result is confirmed by the CDC. While awaiting confirmation, people who have a presumptive positive test result will be considered to be infected.
Quarantine: separates and restricts the movement of individuals who have a contagious disease, have symptoms which are in keeping with the condition, or were subjected to a contagious disease, to see when they become sick.
Social distancing: refers to actions taken to prevent or slow down the spread of a contagious disease. For a person, it refers to maintaining enough distance between yourself and another individual to lessen the risk of breathing in droplets which are produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. In a residential area, social distancing measures may include limiting or cancelling large gatherings of people.
Click here to know the emergency contact or testing centre in your state.
Track realtime global data on COVID-19 here.
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