Coronavirus

It's a virus called a coronavirus. It was first seen in a city called Wuhan in China.

It's called a coronavirus because, under the microscope, it looks like lots of little
crowns.

Most cases have been in Wuhan but the virus has also spread to other Chinese
cities where transport systems, schools and workplaces have been closed down to
try to stop the virus spreading.

There have been some cases in other countries, including Japan, Australia, France,
Germany and the United States.

How does coronavirus affect people?

The coronavirus can affect people's breathing and lungs. It can spread from person
to person by coughing and sneezing.

What are signs people have coronavirus?

The main symptoms are:

 Difficulty breathing, Fever, Coughing

However, it can lead to more serious illnesses which can lead to death in
vulnerable people - the very young, the very old, and weaker people.

What's being done about it?

The World Health Organization's (WHO) emergency committee has declared a

global emergency.

The WHO is working to find out more about the virus and try to stop it spreading
further.

Some countries have banned travel to and from China to try to contain the virus.

UK citizens in Wuhan have been flown back to Britain to be cared for.

But the UK is "extremely well-prepared and used to managing infections", the

government says.

How is the coronavirus treated?

Because it's new, there's currently no vaccine or medicine available yet to treat it -
although lots of scientists are working to develop one.
The only way to prevent it spreading is to stop contact with people who have the
virus.

China is also building new hospitals to treat patients. Also, people with the virus are
being put into quarantine - that's when a person is kept in a closed-off area for
some time.

Italy has the most cases in Europe and about 50,000 people living in small towns in
one part of the country have been told not to leave their homes for two weeks.

People who have recently returned to Britain from there have to stay indoors and
keep away from other people until they are better.

There is still a lot that experts don't know about the virus.

Coronavirus isn't that rare in animals and experts are still trying to work out how
dangerous this outbreak actually is.

But scientists all agree that stopping it quickly is important to try to prevent a really
big problem.

1. What shape is the corona virus?

2. How can you spread the virus?

3. Which people might die from the virus?

4. Does the British government think they can stop the virus from spreading in
the UK?

5. What is quarantine?

6. What have people in Italy been told?

Vocabulary:

Workplaces- locais de trabalho Spread-espalhar

Most cases – na maioria dos To affect- afetar

casos
Lungs-pulmoes Currently-actualmente agora

Serious illness-doenca grave Vaccine- vacina

Vulnerable people- pessoas Develop-desenvolve

vuneraveis

Prevent- Evita
Weaker-mais fraco

Closed off area- area fechada

Banned- bannido de

Keep away- mantenha-se

Contain-conter afastado

Managing-estao gerenciado Experts- especialistas

Treat- tratar alguem Outbreak-surto

Stomach arm leg shoulder toes fingers ears eyes mouth nose
hand back bottom knee foot hair head chin waist chest
Eyebrows belly button neck thigh wrist elbow eyelashes
buttocks calf toenail armpit groin(man) breast(woman) chest
throat waist backbone thumb forearm ankle chin heel