Coronavirus and symptoms: What you need to know?

In recent times, the most dangerous and life-threatening virus, coronavirus spread around 62 countries in the world. This virus has killed more than 1, 45,000 people globally and it is continuously growing. Hence, the health ministers advise every people to stay protective and use precautions while going outside the house.

We have nearly endured two whole years of the virus taking its toll on the world, and with it still having a stranglehold on not only the nation but also the entire world, it’s clear that this is something that will be a part of life for years, and even decades to come. With this virus being part of the new normal, it’s critical that if you haven’t already, you should learn everything you can about it and how you can protect yourself from getting sick from it.

If you just want to stay healthy then you must look into the depth of coronavirus like what it is and how it can be checked. In this article, we will discuss every detail.

Let us get started!

Table of Contents

What is Coronavirus?

Coronavirus (COVID19 or COVID 2019) is said as a family of a wide range of viruses that cause illnesses starting from the regular cold to severe respiratory diseases. According to the doctors, COVID is of two types one is MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) and (SARS) a severe acute respiratory system. They also said it was newly discovered in the last year, but has not been recognized in people.

It is a zoonotic virus, which means it will spread dramatically from animals to humans. It was found that SARS was transmitted via civet cats to the humans and MERS was transmitted via camel to humans.

The name of the corona was based on the Latin word meaning Crown. Researchers have given this name because under the microscope it looks that it was surrounded by the solar corona.

The Coronavirus first case was identified on January 7. Now it was identified as it is spread by humans to humans. The first recorded case of this virus was in Wuhan, China, the capital city of its central Hubei Provence. Despite the best efforts of the local authorities to contain it, the virus quickly spread to the rest of Asia, as well as Europe, America, Africa, and eventually, the world. Even Antarctica has recorded cases of this virus.

There are many reasons why this virus has spread a lot more than others of this type. The main is because of how the virus is structured, with its corona structure making it very airborne. This allows it to latch onto various articles within the air and spread in the air. In fact, this is the biggest way that the virus is spread from person to person, via our airways.

As well as this, this virus can also spread through physical contact with it. Covid-19 can survive on surfaces like metal for 24 hours, meaning that if you touch a surface that it’s on, you can pick it up. When it’s on your skin, such as your hands, it can then enter your system if you bite your nails, rub your eyes, or anything else.

With it being such a spreadable virus, it’s important that we know what it looks like and how to protect ourselves against it.

Symptoms of coronavirus

After consulting with WHO, they said the symptoms of coronavirus are generally common which will understand later sometimes. This includes:

Fever
Cold
Cough
Low Breathing

If it was not treated or under-discovered, then it can become serious and turn into pneumonia, organ damage, etc.

The researchers said the time between infection and symptoms is 14 days. Even some people have not seen any symptoms before having a virus. This is something that makes this virus even more dangerous. As some people do not know they have the virus, because they’re not showing any symptoms, they will not be included to stay at home and isolate themselves, simply because they’re unaware they have it. This then means that it’s more likely to spread and grow and potentially infect people who are a lot more vulnerable to it.

The doctors have also given warning symptoms to ensure people that they should seek an immediate check-up.

Regular pain in the chest
Failure to stimulate
Bluish skin
Shortness of breath

However, as well as this, there have also been reports of other, more unusual symptoms that can help characterize this virus. As the previous symptoms can also be indicative of a common cold or flu, knowing these more unique symptoms can help you better identify Covid-19 and then act accordingly.

One of the most common unique symptoms is a loss of smell and taste. This means that when eating and drinking food, people with Covid-19 are unable to taste what they’re eating. The sensation can range from food tasting bland and lacking flavor to the person being unable to identify what they’re eating via taste alone.

This symptom usually accompanies the others. However, it can linger longer, with many people reporting that they’re unable to taste and smell like they did months after they first contracted the virus.

Another unusual symptom of the virus that can appear for some people is muscle pains, especially around their abdomen and lower back. The cause for this is unknown. In isolation, this symptom may not be indicative of the virus, as many different things can cause body pain, including fatigue. However, in conjunction with other symptoms, it can indicate covid-19 and means that you should get tested.

If you are seeking any symptoms in your body too, please go for a check-up and get precautions immediately.

How to protect yourself?

There is no vaccine still introduced to treat COVID19once you have it. Like all viruses, it is unable to treat the virus when it is in your system. Hence you must take initiative for the health and use precautions. Instead, there are multiple different vaccines available worldwide that can be used to help protect you and make you less susceptible to get the virus, thus making it harder to spread. This has been incredibly effective in various countries and proves that the best way to protect yourself and the people around you is to accept the vaccine when it is offered to you. A lot of research has been done on the vaccine, and it is a very safe treatment.

The virus mainly spread from person to people just like a common cold. This can spread by droplets out during cough or sneezing. These droplets land on the person who is nearby you and spread infection.

To protect yourself all you have to follow the given steps:

Wash your hands as much as possible especially before and after doing any task outside. Use sanitizers before touching things in public places.
Avoid touching your skin by hand.
Avoid close contact with the person.
If you are already sick then avoid going outside.
If you have a cough or sneezing then cover your mouth
Disinfect your clothes
Wear a facemask or handkerchief while traveling

All these suggestions help with the spread of the virus as it makes it harder to pass from one person to another. To help people follow these rules, a lot of nations implemented mandatory measures that people had to follow to help stop the spread. One of the key things was the mandatory wearing of facemasks to protect our airways. There are also national lockdowns to limit the number of people mixing in public spaces, which helped limit the spread of the virus when it was inforced.

What researchers are doing to stop it?

The scientists are working all day and night to prepare a vaccine that can control the COVID immediately. China has sealed the Wuhan and controlled other places to stop its spread. Other countries like India, America, etc. took action by shutting down transports, public places, schools, and more to protect their people from such dangerous diseases.

To date, tons of people have died because of this severe global pandemic. The mortality rate has been recorded not just from China but also from countries like Italy, Canada, America, and many more.

As well as working to find a vaccine, which multiple companies have finally done towards the end of 2020, other research has been done to find better treatment for those that have the virus. Some big strides have been made in this department, as we are now seeing fewer people hospitalized by the virus succumb to it. Nurses and other healthcare professionals are doing this research, and they really are at the cutting edge and the frontline in our fight against Covid.

If you want to follow this same path and look for cures and treatments for diseases and illnesses that are impacting our world, you can always begin an education in healthcare with a Marymount DNP program and work towards getting the experience needed to enter this valuable and rewarding field.

The future of Covid 19

Unfortunately, it looks like Covid-19 will be a part of our future for a long time to come. This is because there are consistent new variants and mutations of the virus that challenges our current coping techniques and resources.

One current variety is the new Omicron variant that emerged towards the end of 2021. This variant is far more contagious and has caused alarm worldwide as it is now driving a surge of infections. However, when looking at the data further, there has yet to be a rapid rise of deaths or hospitalizations as a result of Omicron. There could be a few reasons why this is the case. The probable reason is that the sample size is still too small and that not enough people have gotten this variant yet to compare its effect against the main variant. However, it could also be that this variant may be weaker than the one we’re used to because to help it become more contagious, it may have had to lose some of its power. However, despite this theory, it’s not something that the world would like to put to the test, so instead, the best thing is to try and limit the spread of this variant so that it doesn’t become the main one.

Additionally, its lack of impact yet may also suggest that the current vaccine and measures that are in place are doing a good job in keeping people safe.

When looking past this variant, it’s very clear that covid will play a major part in our lives in years to come, and the measures that keep us safe will become a normalized aspect of society. Things such as antibacterial gel and handwashing stations being used before entering a store seem to be something that will be sticking around in the long-term, and they’re also could be potential for frequent mask-wearing, as people cling onto this physical barrier that can keep them safe.

Additionally, it seems that there will be continuous medical developments in the years ahead. Already, not even a full year since the first vaccine was given out, people have been called in for booster injections to help ensure that their vaccine is still as strong as it was when they first got it. This indicates that these reoccurring vaccinations and jabs will play a part in our culture for years to come.

Conclusion

Covid-19 has proved to be a devastating virus that will define this generation forever. It has single handly been the biggest traumatic and life-shattering event that people had to face as a global community since the last worldwide war. We can no longer sit and hope that this virus will eventually fade, and instead, we need to accept it as part of our lives. This means we need to be more aware of it, what it can do to us, what it looks like when people have the virus, and, most importantly, what we should be doing to protect ourselves from the virus. Being educated and understanding this virus is the best way of limiting its impact and keeping the population safe.

More resources: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries