Coronaviruses are a type of virus among several kinds, and some could develop serious illness. A recently identified type of coronavirus has caused a recent massive outbreak of respiratory illness now called COVID-19.
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What Is Coronavirus? How deadly is the new coronavirus
How this new coronavirus spread?
Up to then, researchers understand that these new coronaviruses are spreading via the droplets released into the air by an infected person, who coughs or sneezes without using a mask. These droplets cannot travel more than a few feet, usually they fall to the ground (or onto surfaces) within few seconds after the sneezing. When a person nearby the affected one, these droplets can be transferd to them easily, this shall continue like a chain reaction. This is why people shoud keep social and physical distancing is effective in preventing the spread.
How this new coronavirus spread to humans?
COVID-19 first appeared in Wuhan, a city in China, in December 2019. Although health officials are still tracing the exact source of this new coronavirus, early hypotheses thought it may be linked to a seafood market in Wuhan, China. Some people who visited the market developed viral pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus. A study that came out on Jan. 25, 2020, notes that the individual with the first reported case became ill on Dec. 1, 2019, and had no link to the seafood market. Investigations are ongoing as to how this Coronavirus originated and spread.
Incubation period for COVID-19?
It appears that symptoms are showing up in people within 14 days of exposure to the virus.
What are symptoms of COVID-19?
COVID-19 symptoms include:
- Fever
- Headache
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Muscle aches
- Unexplained loss of taste or smell
- Shortness of breath
- Diarrhea
- In rare cases, COVID-19 can lead to severe respiratory problems, kidney failure or death.
If you have a fever or any kind of respiratory difficulty such as coughing or shortness of breath, call your doctor or a health care provider and explain your symptoms over the phone before going to the doctor's office, urgent care facility or emergency room.
