Coronavirus

Anush Melkonyan, Mery Astryan Grade 9, DCS

How did the coronavirus outbreak start?

It’s not completely clear how the outbreak started, but it’s thought it’s likely to have begun in Wuhan, China at a local meat market which is known for selling wild animal meat. We don’t know for sure which animal sparked the outbreak yet, but it’s thought that the new virus could have originated in bats. Bats weren’t sold at the market, but they may have come into contact with other animals.

What is Coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that affect animals. Occasionally, coronaviruses have been known to move from animals to humans. The coronavirus we’re talking about today is a new virus, which causes an illness called COVID-19.

As we haven’t encountered this virus before, scientists are still working hard to discover exactly how it spreads.&nbsp;

These droplets can live on surfaces and spread when someone touches them with their hands.&nbsp;

Similar viruses, like colds and the flu, spread through water droplets in coughs and sneezes.&nbsp;

People become infected when they then touch&nbsp;their mouths, noses or eyes with &nbsp;their hands.

If you can’t wash your hands with soap and water, then use&nbsp;hand-sanitiser.

Wash your hands&nbsp;more regularly, for at least&nbsp;20 seconds.

&nbsp;Avoid contact with&nbsp;people who feel unwell, or if you feel poorly, let a trusted adult know.

Avoid touching your face, especially your&nbsp;eyes, nose and mouse.

Try to avoid hand-to-hand&nbsp;contact with others outside of your immediate family.

COVID-19 transmission and protective measures:

• Clean your hands often • Wear a mask • Cough or sneeze in your bent elbow - not your hands! • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth • Limit social gatherings and time spent in crowded places • Avoid close contact with someone who is sick • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces • Measure the temperature to be safe • Keep your distance

Every day, the number of people infected with the virus increases by about 1/3.

When coughing from an infected patient, the smallest drops of saliva fly off, each of which may contain billions (!) of virus particles.

In the air, the coronavirus remains viable (that is, it can infect healthy people) for three hours.

Over 2 million years of evolution, our immune system has learned to deal with most known infections, but the new coronavirus catches it by surprise, thus it’s so hard to cope with and quite easy to get infected.

In South Korea, the virus was controlled until the number of cases reached 30. But the woman, codenamed "Patient 31", immediately infected about 1,200 people.

For 10,300 Italians recovered from Covid-19, more than 8,000 died. Another 62 thousand people are still ill (data as of March 27).

If the virus was already dangerous when it came into contact with humans, it means that it can still walk somewhere in the animal kingdom and sooner or later infect people again.

Loss of sense of taste and/or smell is not a common symptom: it does not necessarily happen in all Covid-19 cases, however, sometimes it can be the only symptom.

𝓼𝓽𝓪𝔂 𝓱𝓸𝓶𝓮, 𝓼𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓵𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓼

Two kinds of tests are available for COVID19:&nbsp; • Viral tests - tells you if you have a current infection. • Antibody tests - might tell you if you had the infection in the past.

Testing for COVID-19 involves inserting a 6-inch long swab into the cavity between the nose and mouth for 15 seconds and rotating it several times. The swabbing is then repeated on the other side of the nose to make sure enough material is collected.

What are people doing about coronavirus?

Scientists are working hard to create a vaccine, which will give people protection from the virus. They hope&nbsp;that they’ll have a vaccine ready for trials by the end of 2020.

Your school may be closed, meaning that you will be staying at home during the week. Your teacher may send you school work to do at home, or even conduct online classes.

Cafe's, restaurants, events and other public places may be closed.

These changes won’t be around forever, but they are important steps towards slowing the spread of coronavirus.

– Fever – Dry cough – Tiredness – Feeling achy – Shortness of breath – Runny nose

If you don't feel well, tell a trusted adult like your parent, guardian or teacher.

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