In January 2020, an outbreak of a new coronavirus termed ‘2019-nCoV’ in China killed over nine people and infected over 400. According to news, it has also spread to other Asian countries.
What is coronavirus?
Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses that are common among animals. In rare cases, they can be transmitted from animals to humans. The spikes protruding from the virus’s membrane look like the sun’s corona. It is from this that the virus gets get the name ‘coronavirus’. It causes illnesses of the respiratory tract, ranging from the common cold to severe conditions like SARS. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), a novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.
Coronavirus can make people sick, usually with a mild to moderate upper respiratory tract illness, similar to a common cold. Some of the symptoms are
— A general feeling of being unwell
— Runny nose
— Sore throat
— Headache
— Cough
— Fever
In case someone is facing lower-respiratory tract illnesses, such as pneumonia or bronchitis, they must seek professional health immediately.
Who is more likely to be a victim coronavirus?
People with a weakened immune system, cardiopulmonary disease, infants, and older adults are more likely to be affected by a coronavirus.
How do you catch coronavirus?
Coronaviruses are zoonotic. This implies that they are passed on between animals and people. When Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV) sickened thousands of people around the world — and killed nearly 800 — during a 2003 outbreak, investigations found that it was transmitted from civet cats to humans. MERS-CoV was transmitted from camels to humans. There are several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans. On January 7, the Chinese authorities identified coronavirus (2019-nCoV) as the causative virus behind cases of pneumonia of unknown cause. This novel coronavirus has not been previously identified in humans, hence experts say its too early to figure out the exact cause of the infection…
