Article on COVID-19 class 11
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Introduction to COVID-19
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic[1]. A global coordinated effort is needed to stop the further spread of the virus. A pandemic is defined as “occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population.”[2] The last pandemic reported in the world was the H1N1 flu pandemic in 2009.
On 31 December 2019, a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause, in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province in China, was reported to the World Health Organisation. In January 2020, a previously unknown new virus was identified[3][4], subsequently named the 2019 novel coronavirus, and samples obtained from cases and analysis of the virus’ genetics indicated that this was the cause of the outbreak. This novel coronavirus was named Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) by WHO in February 2020.[5] The virus is referred to as SARS-CoV-2 and the associated disease is COVID-19
As of 4:22pm CET, 9 December 2020, there have been 67,780,361 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 1,551,214 deaths, reported to WHO.s
What is Coronavirus?
Coronavirus are a family of viruses that cause illness such as respiratory diseases or gastrointestinal diseases. Respiratory diseases can range from the common cold to more severe diseases e,g.
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV)
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV)[11].
A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been identified in humans previously. Once scientists determine exactly what coronavirus it is, they give it a name (as in the case of COVID-19, the virus causing it is SARS-CoV-2).
Coronaviruses got their name from the way that they look under a microscope. The virus consists of a core of genetic material surrounded by an envelope with protein spikes. This gives it the appearance of a crown. The word Corona means “crown” in Latin.
Coronaviruses are zoonotic[12], meaning that the viruses are transmitted between animals and humans. It has been determined that MERS-CoV was transmitted from dromedary camels to humans and SARS-CoV from civet cats to humans[11]. The source of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) is yet to be determined, but investigations are ongoing to identify the zoonotic source to the outbreak
Clinical Presentation
Typically Coronaviruses present with respiratory symptoms. Among those who will become infected, some will show no symptoms. Those who do develop symptoms may have a mild to moderate, but self-limiting disease with symptoms similar to the seasonal flu[14]. Symptoms may include:
- Respiratory symptoms
- Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Breathing difficulties
- Fatigue
- Sore throat
A minority group of people will present with more severe symptoms and will need to be hospitalised, most often with pneumonia, and in some instances, the illness can include ARDS, sepsis and septic shock[14][15]. Emergency warning signs where immediate medical attention should be sought[16] include:
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion or inability to arouse
Bluish lips or face
High-Risk Populations
The virus that causes COVID-19 infects people of all ages. However, evidence to date suggests that two groups of people are at a higher risk of getting severe COVID-19 disease
- Older people (people over 70 years of age)
- People with serious chronic illnesses such as:
- Diabetes
- Cardiovascular disease
- Chronic respiratory disease
- Cancer
- Hypertension
- Chronic liver disease
The WHO has issued and published advice for these high-risk groups and community support. This is to ensure that these high-risk populations are protected from COVID-19 without being isolated, stigmatised, left in positions of increased vulnerability or unable to have access to basic provisions and social care.
WHO advice for high-risk populations[17]:
- When having visitors at your home, extend “1-meter greetings”, like a wave, nod or bow.
- Request that visitors and those who live with you, wash their hands.
- Clean and disinfect surfaces in your home (especially those that people touch a lot) on a regular basis.
- Limit shared spaces if someone you live with is not feeling well (especially with possible COVID-19 symptoms).
- If you show signs and symptoms of COVID-19 illness, contact your healthcare provider by telephone, before visiting your healthcare facility.
- Have an action plan in preparation for an outbreak of COVID-19 in your community.
- When you are in public, practice the same preventative guidelines as you would at home.
- Keep updated on COVID-19 through obtaining information from reliable sources.
In December 2019, a novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in the outbreak of a respiratory illness known as COVID-19. Karger Publishers supports research in this area by providing free access to relevant articles (listed below) and works with international organisations to support the sharing of relevant research and data, including supporting the WHO and the initiative from the White House Office of Science and Technology to make all relevant research and data immediately available in one place via PubMed Central (PMC). In addition, to enable fast access to research articles, we have signed the consensus statement by Wellcome about Sharing research data and findings relevant to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak