The Disease That Stopped Life As We Know It: Covid-19
Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, I have heard and seen many different beliefs and practises. Here I will address some of these beliefs and provide fact instead of rumour.
So and So's got coronavirus...
Firstly, I think it is important to distinguish between Covid-19 and Coronavirus. The name of the disease that is at the centre of this pandemic is Coronavirus disease 2019, abbreviated to Covid-19. Covid-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered CORONAVIRUS. Coronavirus is a large family of viruses, some of which cause less-severe diseases than Covid-19, such as the common cold; others causes more serious diseases such as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The virus causing Covid-19 has been defined as SARS-CoV-2. Initial research into the SARS-Cov-2 virus indicates that it is a beta-coronavirus that is genetically similar to SARS-like coronaviruses obtained from bats in Asia.
This all started because that man ate a bat...
Covid-19 began in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China with a cluster of cases of pneumonia of which the cause was unknown. The world health organisation (WHO) was informed of this on December 31st 2019. The disease was defined as being caused by a novel coronavirus on January 12 2020.The SARS-Cov-2 virus has been found present in samples from Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan City, however some laboratory confirmed patients did not report visiting this market. No zoonotic (non-human animal) source has been identified yet, despite the rumours that the disease arose due to a man in china eating a bat.
Although the route of transmission of Covid-19 is yet to be identified, there is evidence to suggest human-to-human transmission. It is widely believed that transmission occurs largely through respiratory droplets and direct/indirect contact with infected secretions.
It's just a cold...
EMERGENCY Symptoms include:
- Fever (high temperature, particularly hot to touch on the chest or back)
- Cough (more than usual for an hour or more, or 3+ coughing episodes in 24 hours)
- Chest Tightness (persistant chest pain or pressure)
- Dyspnoea (difficult or laboured breathing)
- Confusion
- Difficulty waking
- Bluish face or lips
Other symptoms experienced include:
- Fatigue
- Sneezing
- Runny nose
- Sore throat
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Anosmia (loss of smell)
Many people that have tested positive for covid-19 have been asymptomatic (have not had any symptoms) or have had flu-like symptoms. So yes, in some people it may feel just like a cold, but IT IS NOT. A cold has never caused this many fatalities in such a short period of time. The nature of this virus means that the disease affects people differently and whether you feel poorly or not, you still have the same potential to be contagious.
It is possible for the disease to progress to pneumonia, multi-organ failure and death.
I can go out because I don't have it...
EVERYONE MUST STAY AT HOME TO HELP STOP THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS.
It's not really possible for anyone to declare that they don't have covid-19 unless they have been tested and the result was negative. This is because, as mentioned above, many people have been asymptomatic.
Additionally, even if you really don't have covid-19, by going out you are EXPOSING YOURSELF and may not be able to say the same thing when you return home.
Furthermore, there are ONLY 4 reasons why you should be leaving the house:
- Shopping for basic necessities (e.g. food and medicine), as infrequently as possible
- One form of exercise a day (e.g. walk, run, cycle) - this must be alone or with members of your household only
- ANY medical need or to provide care/help to a vulnerable person
- Travelling to and from work if you are a KEY WORKER, ONLY!! (e.g. NHS employee, carer, working in supermarkets, etc.)
I just won't go near anyone...
You should ensure that you are 2 meters apart from anyone outside of your household AT ALL TIMES.
Despite this, the virus does have the potential to live on surfaces, but the time period for survival in this instance is unknown. As it appears to behave similarly to other coronaviruses, studies suggest that the virus may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days.
Therefore, going out, even when staying away from others, has the potential to spread disease through anything you touch (e.g. items in the supermarket, trollies, baskets, cash, gates on walks/runs, doors/rials/buttons on public transport, etc.).
The situation began to rapidly escalate and upon writing this post (29th March 2020, just 3 months after the initial cases were reported), over 638,000 cases have been diagnosed across 208 countries and areas. There have been over 30,100 fatalities - 26,800 of these fatalities have been reported by countries outside of mainland China. An astounding 80% of these cases were reported 15 days prior to the 29th March.
I won't catch it, I only go out wearing a mask and gloves...
Masks are probably the most commonly purchased and worn accessory of 2020. However, there is no evidence to suggest that they prevent the spread of Covid-19 unless worn by those with symptoms, in order to prevent their own respiratory droplets landing on nearby surfaces. This is likely due to the fact that despite wearing a mask, respiratory droplets can also come into contact with hands, which may then come into contact with items such as food and thus be spread. Additionally, the purchasing and wearing of masks is affecting the ability of the NHS hospitals to stock such items, which are essential to their jobs.
Ahhh "but i'll wear gloves" you say... It is important to consider the quality of the gloves you wear to protect yourself from the spread of infection. Many materials may not keep all bacteria and viruses from penetrating to reach your hands. Additionally, even gloves used by NHS employees recommend washing your hands before putting gloves on and after taking gloves off. Gloves are also an unnecessary accessory as simply following the NHS hand-washing guidelines will suffice (see below). These guidelines can be followed using an alcohol gel or soap.
However, NOT ALL HAND SANITISERS ARE EQUALLY EFFECTIVE. Therefore, washing hands with soap and warm water remains the gold standard for preventing the spread of infectious disease. Warm water is preferable to washing with cold water as it removes oils from our hands that may harbour microbes.
There are 2 main types of hand sanitisers: alcohol-based (the most effective) and alcohol-free. Alcohol based contain varying amounts of alcohol - aim for between 60-95% alcohol (isopropyl, ethanol/ethyl or n-propanol).
In addition to this you should also avoid touching your face, eyes, mouth, etc. and should WASH YOUR HANDS AS SOON AS YOU GET HOME. In order to prevent spread you should also cover your mouth with a tissue, sleeve or your elbow when sneezing or coughing - if a tissue is used it should be disposed of in the bin immediately after use.
It's getting better in the UK now...
In the UK 22,141 people have tested positive for covid-19 (to date, 30.03.2020) and 1,408 of these have died. The risk for the UK has been raised to HIGH.
YES we have begun self-isolating, but we are still in the early stages and cannot yet declare that we are "over the worst of it". New cases are still being reported every day. I know it seems crazy and everyone is really bored right now, but failure to follow government guidelines at this time will simply prolong the period that it is necessary for the government to insist that you do follow their guidelines.
We NEED to continue to follow government advice to stop the spread of covid-19. We NEED to stop the spread of covid-19. For you. For your loved ones. For the vulnerable. For the key workers.
All information has been sources from NHS, WHO and Gov.uk and is correct to the best of my knowledge.
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