According to WHO Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus.
Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment. Older people and those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illnesses.
Being very well aware of the COVID-19 virus, the disease it causes, and how it spreads is the best way to avoid and slow down transmission. Wash your hands regularly or use an alcohol-based rub to protect yourself and others from infection, and avoid touching your skin.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are :-
- Fever
- Dry cough
- Fatigue
Other symptoms that are less common and may affect some patients include:
- Loss of taste or smell,
- Nasal congestion,
- Conjunctivitis (also known as red eyes)
- Sore throat,
- Headache,
- Muscle or joint pain,
- Different types of skin rash,
- Nausea or vomiting,
- Diarrhea,
- Chills or dizziness.
Symptoms of severe COVID‐19 disease include:
- Shortness of breath,
- Loss of appetite,
- Confusion,
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest,
- High temperature (above 38 °C).
Other less common symptoms are:
- Irritability,
- Confusion,
- Reduced consciousness (sometimes associated with seizures),
- Anxiety,
- Depression,
- Sleep disorders,
- More severe and rare neurological complications such as strokes, brain inflammation, delirium, and nerve damage.
Who is at most risk?
People over the age of 60, as well as those with underlying medical issues such as high blood pressure, heart and lung disease, diabetes, obesity, or cancer, are more likely to experience severe illness.
COVID-19, on the other hand, can make anyone sick and cause them to become seriously ill or die at any age.
Infections with no symptoms and new variants
Any people infected with the latest coronavirus may not cause any symptoms at all. People with asymptomatic infections, on the other hand, can still spread the virus to others without even knowing it
According to Murphy, since this virus has never been seen before, there is no population immunity as there is with the flu. It spreads more easily from person to person than other respiratory infections like the flu.
The “host-pathogen interaction,” as Murphy defines it, starts with the pathogen (in this case, the new coronavirus) and ends with the host, or how an individual’s immune system plans and responds to the virus.
“Does the host mount a strong immunologic response that can kill the virus, does it not mount a good enough response, allowing the virus to become more harmful, or does it mount an unnecessary immunologic response, causing you to have as much trouble with both the immunologic response as you do with the virus? ” Murphy explained.
While vaccines are being circulated, it will be months before enough people are vaccinated to stop the diseases from spreading. In the meantime, there’s a low-tech approach to stop the virus from spreading: face masks.
What are the difference between isolation and quarantine?
Isolation and quarantine are two methods for preventing COVID-19 from spreading.
Whether or not the infected person has symptoms, anyone who is in contact with someone infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, is subjected to quarantine. Quarantine is where you are kept apart from other people because you have been exposed to a virus and could be infected. It may take place in a facility or at home. For COVID-19, this implies a 14-day stay in the facility or at home.
People with COVID-19 symptoms or who have tested positive for the virus are placed in isolation. Isolation refers to being separated from others, ideally in a medical facility where you can receive clinical care. If isolation in a medical facility isn’t a choice and you’re not in a high-risk group for developing a major disease, you should isolate yourself at home. If you have symptoms, you can stay in isolation for at least 10 days, plus about three days if you don’t have any. When you’ve been infected but have not shown any symptoms, you should remain in isolation for 10 days since the positive test.
Get yourself vaccinated
Despite this, if you’ve had coronavirus before, you might assume you don’t need to be vaccinated. After all, your body has developed antibodies to the virus, so you should be safe, right? Infectious disease expert Kristen Englund, MD says
“Even though you’ve had COVID-19, it’s still very important for you to get the vaccine,” Dr. Englund says. “We know that a small number of people can get covid-19 a second time.” Even if you haven’t had COVID-19 for a second time, she notes, it’s important to strengthen your immune system in case you do. And the vaccine will assist you in doing so.
“ Vaccine truly is not just only protecting you, but it is protecting those around you.”
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