A Threat to Human Existence: COVID-19

Sometimes, a can of worms is opened just to make humanity realize that even if it’s the worst time, we’ll get through it, if we think as ‘we’, not ‘me’!

With the burgeon outbreak of the COVID-19  pandemic, the daily lives of people are somehow put at a halt. Or we can say that the race of homo-sapiens has taken a new path where staying locked in, doing absolutely nothing has become the heroic action which will ultimately lead to survival. 

Isn’t that a little ironic?

I believe most of you would say YES!

What urged me to write today was the observance, the inspection of the fact that even after being around a well-educated group of people, we still suffer with a tendency to ignore the slightest yet dominant things. Masses still lack the proper awareness of the key points of the rampant. So today I will be writing about the basics of COVID-19 you all know but have somehow forgotten or ignored.

Ready??

Well.... first of all what would your answer be if I ask you to tell me the difference between coronavirus and COVID-19?

In thoughts, are you?

For those of you who say ‘it’s almost the same’, I would say ‘not exactly!’

How many of you can relate to the line “AIDS is a disease caused by HIV virus.”? 

Now just replace AIDS with “COVID-19” and HIV with “coronavirus”.

Corona virus is the name of the virus causing COVID-19.

BINGO!! So here we are clear with the slight difference.

Coronaviruses are family of viruses which caused diseases in animals which have now moved on to a disease in humans.

You might be familiar to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) which spread in 2002-2003 and had 8,000 cases out of which 800 died. It was a one caused by strain of coronavirus. Another one being Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) which spread in 2012 with 2,500 cases and 900 deaths.

These two caused severe health issues to ones suffering and thus vast spread was prevented. But if we talk about COVID-19, the symptoms are slight and more like flu or common cold; people move around making it spread further and ultimately causing this situation where it is difficult to control it. So, it’s spectrum is broad.

As of now, around 20% cases have been classed as ‘severe’ while the death rate varies between  0.7% and 3.4% depending upon the place and medical facilities. 

HOW DID THE RAMPANT EMERGE?

The emergence is believed to be in late 2019 in a ‘wet market’  of Wuhan in China where animal meat is sold, both dead and alive. Though the intermediate animal source is not yet identified, the original host is said to be the bats who may have infected living chickens or any other animal.

As per the rumours and the belief of many, the virus has come out of some Chinese experimental lab;  but it is regarded as untrue by the scientists as they say that the virus has a genetic code linked to bats. 

To know more about the wet markets refer: https://g.co/kgs/Yhw5uq

HOW WOULD YOU KNOW IF YOU'RE SUFFERING: SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19

Initial symptoms include:

Fever

Dry cough

Tiredness

General feeling of being unwell

Travel exposure

However, they can be further accompanied by lost of taste and smell and stomach problems.

This video shows day to day symptoms of coronavirus, refer for further information: https://youtu.be/U8r3oTVMtQ0

HOW IT SPREADS?

The spread of COVID-19 is like flu or common cold i.e. via ‘droplets’, which land on the surface where an infected person may cough or sneeze, and is picked by the hands of others and spread further when mouths, eyes or nose are brought in contact.

The chart shows how the COVID-19 spread in UK took place

IS THERE A CURE?

There is no specific cure claimed yet. Doctors trialling existing drugs (of Ebola, HIV, Malaria) found them useful initially, however, they did not prove to be of much use for long!

NO CURE? HOW SHOULD I PREVENT?

 Public health measures are everyday preventive actions that include:

 ✓ staying home when sick

 ✓ covering mouth and nose with flexed elbow or tissue when coughing or sneezing. Dispose of used tissue immediately

 ✓ washing hands often with soap and water

 ✓ cleaning frequently touched surfaces and objects. 

These are the few tips given by UNICEF to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

For further knowledge or questions check out the official WHO site:

 https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

Now, since we're well introduced to the problem we're suffering from, it's time for us to fight it. This is a war for the existence of humans on this very planet and we must win it. It is a battle where our competitor is a virus. 

No matter which country we belong to or what is our race, we as humans are a team and it's us who'll ace!   

Your worthy suggestions are most welcomed down in the comments section. Please share to spread awareness!