Coronavirus and COVID-19: What You Should Know

 What Is COVID-19?

 A coronavirus is a kind of common virus that causes an infection in your

nose, sinuses, or upper throat. Most coronaviruses aren't dangerous.

 In early 2020, after a December 2019 outbreak  in China, the World Health

Organization identified SARS-CoV-2 as a new type of coronavirus. The outbreak
quickly spread around the world.

 COVID-19 is a disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 that can trigger what doctors call a
respiratory tract infection. It can affect your upper respiratory tract (sinuses, nose,
and throat) or lower respiratory tract (windpipe and  lungs).

 It spreads the same way other coronaviruses do, mainly through person-to-person
contact. Infections range from mild to deadly.

 SARS-CoV-2 is one of seven types of coronavirus, including the ones that cause
severe diseases like Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and sudden acute
respiratory syndrome (SARS). The other coronaviruses cause most of the colds that
affect us during the year but aren’t a serious threat for otherwise healthy people.

 Is there more than one strain of SARS-CoV-2?

 An early Chinese study of 103 COVID-19 cases found two strains, which they named
L and S. The S type is older, but the L type was more common in early stages of the
outbreak. They think one may cause more cases of the disease than the other, but
they’re still working on what it all means. 

 It is also  normal for a virus to change, or mutate, as it infects people and this virus
has done so. There are several variants which are now spreading, some proving to
be more contagious as well as more deadly than the original virus. 

 How long will the coronavirus last?

 There's no way to tell how long the pandemic will continue. There are many factors,
including the public’s efforts to slow the spread, researchers’ work to learn more
about the virus, their search for a treatment, and the success of the vaccines.
 Symptoms of COVID-19

 The main symptoms include:

 Fever 
 Coughing
 Shortness of breath
 Trouble breathing
 Fatigue
 Chills, sometimes with shaking
 Body aches
 Headache
 Sore throat
 Congestion/runny nose
 Loss of smell or taste
 Nausea
 Diarrhea

 The virus can lead to pneumonia, respiratory failure, heart problems, liver
problems,  septic shock, and death. Many COVID-19 complications may be caused
by a condition known as cytokine release syndrome or a cytokine storm. This is
when an infection triggers your immune system to flood your bloodstream with
inflammatory proteins called cytokines. They can kill tissue and damage your
organs. In some cases, lung transplants have been needed.

 If you notice the following severe symptoms in yourself or a loved one, get medical
help right away:
 Trouble breathing  or shortness of breath
 Ongoing  chest pain  or pressure
 Confusion
 Can’t wake up fully
 Bluish lips or face

 Strokes have also been reported in some people who have COVID-19. Remember FAST:
 Face.  Is one side of the person’s face numb or drooping? Is their smile lopsided?
 Arms.  Is one arm weak or numb? If they try to raise both arms, does one arm sag?
 Speech.  Can they speak clearly? Ask them to repeat a sentence.
 Time.  Every minute counts when someone shows signs of a stroke. Call 911 right away.

 If you’re infected, symptoms can show up in as few as 2 days or as many as 14. It

varies from person to person.
 According to researchers in China, these were the most common symptoms among
people who had COVID-19:
 Fever 99%
 Fatigue 70%
 Cough 59%
 Lack of appetite 40%
 Body aches 35%
 Shortness of breath 31%
 Mucus/phlegm 27%

 Some people who are hospitalized for COVID-19 have also have dangerous blood
clots, including in their legs, lungs, and arteries.

 What to do if you think you have it

 If you live in or have traveled to an area where COVID-19 is spreading:

 If you don’t feel well, stay home.  Even if you have mild symptoms like a headache
and runny nose, stay in until you’re better. This lets doctors focus on people who are
more seriously ill and protects health care workers and people you might meet
along the way. You might hear this called self-quarantine. Try to stay in a separate
room away from other people in your home. Use a separate bathroom if you can.
 Call the doctor if you have trouble breathing. You need to get medical help as soon
as possible. Calling ahead (rather than showing up) will let the doctor direct you to
the proper place, which may not be your doctor’s office. If you don’t have a regular
doctor, call your local board of health. They can tell you where to go for testing and
treatment.
 Follow your doctor’s advice and keep up with the news on COVID-19. Between your
doctor and health care authorities, you’ll get the care you need and information on
how to prevent the virus from spreading.

 Causes of the New Coronavirus

 Researchers aren’t sure what caused it and investigations as to its origin are ongoing. .
There’s more than one type of coronavirus. They’re common in people and in animals
including bats, camels, cats, and cattle. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is
similar to MERS and SARS. They all came from bats.
 Coronavirus Risk Factors

 Anyone can get COVID-19, and most infections are mild. The older you are, the
higher your risk of severe illness.

 You also a have higher chance of serious illness if you have one of these health
conditions:
 Chronic kidney disease
 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
 A weakened immune system because of an organ transplant
 Obesity
 Serious heart conditions such as heart failure or coronary artery disease
 Sickle cell disease
 Type 2 diabetes

 Conditions that could lead to severe COVID-19 illness include:

 Moderate to severe asthma
 Diseases that affect your blood vessels and blood flow to your brain
 Cystic fibrosis
 High blood pressure
 A weakened immune system because of a blood or bone marrow transplant, HIV, or
medications like corticosteroids
 Dementia
 Liver disease
 Pregnancy
 Damaged or scarred lung tissue (pulmonary fibrosis)
 Smoking
 Thalassemia
 Type 1 diabetes
 Depression
 Anxiety
 Schizophrenia

 Some children and teens who are in the hospital with COVID-19 have an
inflammatory condition that doctors are calling multisystem inflammatory
syndrome in children. Doctors think it may be linked to the virus. It causes symptoms
similar to those of toxic shock and of Kawasaki disease, a condition that causes
inflammation in kids’ blood vessels.
 Coronavirus Transmission

 How does the coronavirus spread?

 SARS-CoV-2, the virus, mainly  spreads from person to person.

 Most of the time, it spreads when a sick person coughs or sneezes. They can spray
aerosol droplets 6 feet away or even further. If you breathe them in or swallow
them, the virus can get into your body. Some people who have the virus don't have
symptoms, but they can still spread the virus.

 While less likely, you can also get the virus from touching a surface or object the virus is
on, then touching your mouth, nose, or possibly your eyes. Most viruses can live for
several hours on a surface that they land on. A study shows that SARS-CoV-2 can last for
several hours on various types of surfaces:
 Copper (pennies, teakettles, cookware): 4 hours
 Cardboard (shipping boxes): up to 24 hours
 Plastic (milk containers, detergent bottles, subway and bus seats, elevator buttons):2 to 3 days
 Stainless steel (refrigerators, pots and pans, sinks, some water bottles): 2 to 3 days

 That’s why it’s important to wash or sanitize your hands regularly and disinfect surfaces
to get rid of the virus.

 Some dogs and cats have tested positive for the virus. A few have shown signs of illness.
There’s no evidence that humans can catch this coronavirus from an animal, but it
appears it can be passed from humans to animals.

 What is community spread?

 Doctors and health officials use this term when they don’t know the source of the
infection. With COVID-19, it usually refers to someone who gets the virus even
though they haven’t been out of the country or haven’t been exposed to someone
who’s traveled abroad or who has COVID-19.

 In February 2020, the CDC confirmed a COVID-19 infection in California in a person

who had not traveled to an affected area or been exposed to someone with the
disease. This marked the first instance of community spread in the U.S. It’s likely
that person was exposed to someone who was infected but didn’t know it. This type
of occurrence has been happening with the variants as well.

 Can coronavirus be transmitted through groceries, packages, or food?

 You’re much more likely to get COVID-19 from another person than from packages,
groceries, or food. If you’re in a  high-risk group, stay home and use a delivery
service or have a friend shop for you. Have them leave the items outside your front
door, if you can. If you do your own shopping, wear a cloth face mask and try to
stay at least 6 feet away from other shoppers.

 Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds before and after bringing things into your
home. The coronavirus can linger on hard surfaces, so clean and disinfect countertops
and anything else your bags have touched. You can wipe down plastic, metal, or glass
packaging with soap and water if you want.

 There’s no evidence that anyone has gotten COVID-19 from food or food containers.

 Coronavirus Diagnosis

 Call your doctor or local health department if you think you’ve been exposed and have
symptoms like:
 Fever of 100 F or higher
 Cough
 Trouble breathing

 Testing facilities readily available in most areas. While some require an appointment,

others are simply drive-up. There are also some home testing kits now available.

 A swab test is the most common method. It looks for signs of the virus in your upper
respiratory tract. The person giving the test puts a swab up your nose to get a sample
from the back of your nose and throat. That sample usually goes to a lab that looks for
viral material, but some areas may have rapid tests that give results in as little as 15
minutes.

 If there are signs of the virus, the test is positive. A negative test could mean there is no
virus or there wasn’t enough to measure. That can happen early in an infection. It
usually takes 24 hours to get results, but the tests must be collected, stored, shipped to a
lab, and processed.

 The FDA is granting emergency use authorizations for tests that include home nasal
swab tests which you collect yourself and express ship back to the lab for analysis. The
agency has also approved several at-home rapid tests. you have to get these through a
prescription so the results will be registered. You can receive those results within a few
minutes.

 A swab test can only tell whether you have the virus in your body at that moment. But
you may also consider taking an antibody test which can show whether you’ve ever
been exposed to the virus, even if you didn’t have symptoms. This is important in
 officials’ efforts to learn how widespread COVID-19 is. In time, it might also help them
figure out who’s immune to the virus.

 The FDA is working with laboratories across the country to develop more tests.

 Coronavirus Prevention

 Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is a key part of prevention. But you should also
take these steps:
 Cover your nose and mouth in public.  If you have COVID-19, you can spread it even
if you don’t feel sick. Wear a cloth face covering to protect others. This isn’t a
replacement for social distancing. You still need to keep a 6-foot distance between
yourself and those around you. Don’t use a face mask meant for health care
workers. And don’t put a face covering on anyone who is:
o Under 2 years old
o Having  trouble breathing
o Unconscious or can’t remove the mask on their own for other reasons
 Wash your hands  often with soap and water or clean them with an alcohol-based
sanitizer.  This kills viruses on your hands.
 Don’t touch your face. Coronaviruses can live on surfaces you touch for several
hours. If they get on your hands and you touch your eyes, nose, or mouth, they can
get into your body.
 Practice social distancing.  Because you can have and spread the virus without
knowing it, you should stay home as much as possible. If you do have to go out, stay
at least 6 feet away from others.
 Clean and disinfect. You can clean first with soap and water, but disinfect surfaces
you touch often, like tables, doorknobs, light switches, toilets, faucets, and sinks.
Use a mix of household bleach and water (1/3 cup bleach per gallon of water, or 4
teaspoons bleach per quart of water) or a household cleaner that’s approved to
treat SARS-CoV-2. You can check the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
website  to see if yours made the list. Wear gloves when you clean and throw them
away when you’re done.

 There’s no proof that herbal therapies and teas can  prevent infection.

 COVID-19 preparation tips

 In addition to practicing the prevention tips listed above, you can:

 Meet as a household or larger family to talk about who needs what.
 If you have people at a higher risk, ask their doctor what to do.
 Talk to your neighbors about emergency planning. Join your neighborhood chat
group or website to stay in touch.
 Find community aid organizations that can help with health care, food delivery, and
other supplies.
 Make an emergency contact list. Include family, friends, neighbors, carpool drivers,
doctors, teachers, employers, and the local health department.
 Choose a room (or rooms) where you can keep someone who’s sick or who’s been
exposed separate from the rest of you.
 Talk to your child’s school about keeping up with assignments.
 Set yourself up to work from home if your office is closed.
 Reach out to friends or family if you live alone. Make plans for them to check on you
by phone, email, or video chat.

Can a  face mask  protect you from infection?

 The CDC recommends that if you are not vaccinated, you should wear a cloth face
mask  if you go out in public. If you are at home with someone who has been
infected or exposed, you should wear it as well. A mask is an added layer of
protection for everyone, on top of social distancing efforts. You can spread the virus
when you talk or cough, even if you don’t know that you have it or if you aren’t
showing signs of infection.

 The CDC advises that surgical masks and N95 masks should be reserved for health
care workers and first responders.

 Is it safe to travel during a pandemic?

 Crowded places can raise your chances of getting COVID-19. The CDC recommends
against international or cruise ship travel during the pandemic. Restrictions are
being eased for those who are vaccinated, and some areas are using “vaccine
passports” as a way to open up to vaccinated travelers.

 How can you help stop the spread of the coronavirus?

 Because the virus spreads from person to person, it’s important to limit your contact
with other people as much as possible. and avoid large gatherings. Many states and
cities have eased restrictions but this doesn’t mean the virus is gone. Continue to follow
safety practices such as wearing a cloth face mask in public places and washing your
hands.

 How can you help stop the spread of the coronavirus?

 Because the virus spreads from person to person, it’s important to limit your contact
with other people as much as possible. and avoid large gatherings. Many states and
cities have eased restrictions but this doesn’t mean the virus is gone. Continue to follow
safety practices such as wearing a cloth face mask in public places and washing your
hands.

Is there a cure for the new coronavirus?

 There’s no cure yet, but researchers are working hard to find one.