Coronavirus and its Symptoms: Stay Strong to get rid from this danger Guys

What is Covid-19 – the illness that started in Wuhan?

It is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that has never been encountered before. Like other coronaviruses, it has come from animals.

How many people have been affected?

As of 9 March, more than 110,000 people have been infected in more than 80 countries, according to the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

There have over 3,800 deaths globally. Just over 3,000 of those deaths have occurred in mainland China. 62,000 people have recovered from the coronavirus.

What are the symptoms this coronavirus causes?

The virus can cause pneumonia. Those who have fallen ill are reported to suffer coughs, fever and breathing difficulties. In severe cases there can be organ failure. As this is viral pneumonia, antibiotics are of no use. The antiviral drugs we have against flu will not work. Recovery depends on the strength of the immune system. Many of those who have died were already in poor health.

China’s national health commission confirmed human-to-human transmission in January, and there have been such transmissions elsewhere.

So you must keep one thing in mind that to stay away from the people who have traveled from any other state affected by this virus.

It is unclear how many people develop symptoms overall - the study did not assess that.

Experts believe most people who get the infection will only have mild disease. Some will be asymptomatic, i.e carrying the virus but experiencing no symptoms.

But the disease can be very serious and even deadly for some - typically elderly people with pre-existing health conditions.

Prof Jonathan Ball, an expert in molecular virology at the University of Nottingham, said the study confirmed that for the vast majority of cases, the incubation and therefore quarantine period for new coronavirus, will be up to 14 days.

And, encouragingly: "There is little if any evidence that people can routinely transmit virus during the asymptomatic period."

People are thought to be most contagious when they have obvious symptoms, like cough and fever.

Some spread might be possible before people show symptoms, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.

The best way to protect yourself and help prevent infection is to:

• Avoid close contact with people who are unwell
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
• Use tissues to catch coughs and sneezes, then put them in the bin and wash your hands
• Wash your hands often with soap and water

Why is this worse than normal influenza, and how worried are the experts?

We don’t yet know how dangerous the new coronavirus is, and we won’t know until more data comes in. Seasonal flu typically has a mortality rate below 1% and is thought to cause about 400,000 deaths each year globally. SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) had a death rate of more than 10%.

Another key unknown is how contagious the coronavirus is. A crucial difference is that unlike flu, there is no vaccine for the new coronavirus, which means it is more difficult for vulnerable members of the population – elderly people or those with existing respiratory or immune problems – to protect themselves. Hand-washing and avoiding other people if you feel unwell are important. One sensible step is to get the flu vaccine, which will reduce the burden on health services if the outbreak turns into a wider epidemic.