Corona Virus
What is corona virus, what causes it, how can I protect myself and more importantly, what should I know about corona virus? These are familiar questions that are running through everyone minds all over the globe right from the most powerful man to the little boy in the village. However, there is only so much we can learn about corona virus given that it is a new phenomenon to us. So how safe are we and how long is this virus going to be around, is there a vaccine? However, despite the fact that I cannot give you all these answers I can walk you through all what is known about the corona virus. Hey! It doesn’t hurt to be informed.
What is Corona Virus?
COVID-19 is a virus that scientist know very little about in the human body since all that is known of this virus has only been encountered in animals. Corona virus was first encountered in human being in December 2019 in Wuhan China. The main challenge that it posed was the fact that the government did not know about this fast enough until bodies were found lying on the streets and this made it earn its epidemic label. Human beings have been known to have quite a strong immune system, though it has been severely tested over the eye and has mutated to become stronger but this is new even to the body and this makes it more strenuous and the body gives in quite fast. At first, the virus was known as ‘corona virus’ but eventually, thanks to the international scientific naming standard it was named ‘covid-19’. As a matter of fact, this is an abbreviation for ‘corona virus disease’ having COVID-19 stand for ‘CO’ ‘corona,’ ‘VI’ for ‘virus,’ and ‘D’ for disease and 19 for the year in which it was found.
In other words, corona virus is what we would call a textbook/ novel illness as it has only been experienced/ explored theoretically and even then not to the extent to which it has manifested itself. Scientists on a global scale as in a race to not only find a cure but also a vaccine for this new epidemic that is causing ripples of panic around the globe as it makes surprise appearances in different parts of the world and claiming more lives. However, thanks to the enhanced communication systems in place today and the internet, people are now more informed on what preventive measure sot take and also getting to learn more about covid-19. However, on the downside, the internet is also causing havoc, as well as people, sharing rumors surrounding the virus, this has in one way or the other affected certain people and action has been taken on certain individuals.
A report by the CDC showed that as a matter of fact, Corona virus is not the first of its kind, however, covid-19 is unique. There are other forms of corona virus that have been found such as corona virus 229E, and patients are handled and treated quite differently when it comes to the both of them. This is due to its different symptoms and reactions and effect on the human body. So what are the symptoms associated with this disease?
Symptoms of Corona Virus
At first, bodies were found lying all over the streets randomly and not much was known about this, at least to the common citizens of Wuhan, but with time, as scientist continue digging up more into this, we have come to learn more about its symptoms.
Respiratory illness
According to all the victims of the corona virus, the common similarity between them all is that they were all faced with respiratory infections which cuts right through form the nose to the lung and general breathing.
Coughing
There is not much to explain around coughing, but this has been known as one of the major mediums of transmission of the virus.
Shortness of breath
This is in relation to the above symptoms that affect the respiratory system and this tends to deprive the body of the ability to breathe normally and in severe cases is regarded as fatal.
However, these are not the final findings as this is all new to us as well, but it is based on the observation that has been made on the patients that have been admitted after testing positive for the virus. After infection, the symptoms may appear between 2-14 days and given that it has no cure yet, depending on the severity it ranges from mild symptoms, severe illness and even death.
Have you heard of zoonotic diseases? Well, let me shed some light on that in relation to covid-19. Zoonotic diseases according to Wikipedia are ‘ (plural zoonoses, or zoonotic diseases)
an infectious disease caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites that spread from non-human animals (usually vertebrates) to humans. This means that it can be transmitted from animals to human beings. This could explain how it was first found in a market in china that traded in ‘uncommon’ animal meat such as that of bats. I dare think that that were it not for such poor lifestyle choices than maybe, just maybe this could have been avoided, which leads me to the next segment,
How To Prevent Spread of the Virus?
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Given that this is a respiratory disease, this means that air is one of the mediums that could be used in its transmission, which is why the government and all other related departments are highly discouraging large gatherings of people and even quarantining regions that have been exposed to the infection to prevent its spread. Make sure that you are not within a minimum radius of 6 feet from an infected person and do not stay for long around them and also avoid having physical contact with them as well.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
As shallow as this may, it could be a real lifesaver. Our hands come into contact with different surfaces over time and by this, I mean a whole range of surfaces from areas that have been exposed to the viruses and even to the basic of petting our animals. During this period, make as much effort to minimize contact of your hands with your eyes, nose and mouth.
Stay home when sick.
The only way to avoid spreading such an epidemic is being human enough to spare others from getting the virus by not working around circumstances that could facilitate its spread.
When coughing or sneezing use a tissue and dispose of it properly after use.
This helps avoid spraying the air with the virus that could be quite hazardous to those around you.
Wear a facemask
Desperate times call for desperate measures and this for sure is one of those desperate times. A facemask could be the reason as to why you will survive this epidemic. A face mask prevents you from breathing in contaminated air and at the same time prevents you (if infected) from further spreading it
Maintain proper hygiene
It is now time that the human race went back to the basics of proper hygiene to ensure their survival. Proper hygiene costs you nothing and the simple practices of washing your hands before and after going to the bathroom, before you eat and after sneezing and coughing and disinfecting your house have proven to be once again very crucial. This is not only for the case of corona virus but also for many more illnesses, you might escape the claws of corona but fall prey of another illness.
Cook meat and eggs properly.
As we have already established, corona virus has traced its origin form non –human animals, and given that most people take meat and eggs then the disease is prone to either spread or reproduce in animal meat and produce. As in the case in the meat market in China, it spread from the meet. The CDC is highly recommending that both business in the hospitality industry and people in the homes, ensure that they cook meat and eggs properly before consuming them. Prevention is always better than cure.
Are you infected with the virus? What do you do if you have been close to someone who has been infected?
- If you suspect that you have been exposed to the virus make sure that you seek for medical attention, HOWEVER, make sure that you alert your medical officer prior to your visit so that they can get ready and also avoid its spread in the hospital.
- Keep track of your symptoms
The only way to know that you are experiencing is right from the symptoms and in this case, you are to look out for respiratory symptoms. However, they could just be any other disease, but make sure that you don’t take it for granted and monitor the symptoms and seek medical help.
Avoid crowded spaces
The subway shared cabs and even buses should be used as your last option both for your safety and for those around you. Ensure that you stay home when you do not have anything of importance to do out there. This limits your possibility of coming into contact with the virus.
Transport in relation to covid-19
The world has turned into a global village and the thought of waking up in one continent and sleeping in the other is not an impossibility anymore, however, this is definitely not the time for that. Governments all around the world have imposed travel bans to china and even more restrictions on what comes to and from China. Leave alone the financial perspective of this and look at the emotional impact for those quarantined (trapped) there and this will tell you that this is only a real case scenario of desperate time calling for desperate measure. Wuhan China is as per now no one’s favorite destination place and they will also take some time to recover from that but this is all for the good of the human race.
Not only are people discouraged from travelling to china but also from using crowded travel facilities such as subways, trains and busses.
Treatment
To this moment, there has not been any given treatment for corona virus and the best that we have come is simply giving medical care for the infected and relieving them of any discomfort associated with the virus.
Speculations
This segment cannot be complete without talking about all the speculations around the corona virus outbreak both form reliable sources and rumors as well. There has been a major concern on whether people can test negative then positive for the virus. Well, the answer is yes. The argument behind this is that the virus could take a while before it is detected which is why suspected carriers of the virus are put under quarantine to fully ascertain whether they are infected or not.
On the other hand, like most viruses, one of the factors that propels or influences it is the change in weather patterns, so the science community is still looking at the possibility of looking at the role that weather plays in this. However, if they have success in this, then they will have made a major milestone in treating this.
Is this natural or artificial? Well for those who love a good conspiracy theory might be on to something as people tend to think that corona virus has ‘lab experiment’ written all over it, but honestly, there is no proof to this yet. However, just like any other theory, it will be tested on the scale of time to see if it holds. However other people have speculated that there is apa6tern of certain new epidemics happening after 100 years. True or false? I’ll leave that for you to decide.
However, as far as science is concerned those are the facts surrounding the corona virus otherwise known as covid-19. However, I still have my utmost faith in the human race that once again we hall rise above this and despite the fact we have lost a couple of good people, we can only hope for better days ahead. I do believe that every one of us has a role to play during this time and the very first duty is keeping yourself safe by maintaining hygienic, personal health, cooking meat and eggs properly and not forgetting seeking for medical help in case of any symptom.
Nursing Diagnosis Plan for Corona Virus
Are you a medical or nursing student and would like to order nursing care plan for covid-19 then talk to our nursing writers for assistance. As the world grips in panic due to the pandemic disease most nursing schools and medical researchers have turned to research to understand the mechanism of the virus and how to treat patients. We expect medical and nursing students to write numerous assignments on corona virus this article will go along way in tackling the assignments.