Beware! It's In The Air

A Brief history

COVID-19 is a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus which is a new coronavirus. WHO first

learned of this virus on 31 December 2019 after receiving reports on a cluster of cases of “Viral Pneumonia” in Wuhan, Peoples Republic of China.

 Credits: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/long-covid-has-more-than-200-symptoms-study-finds-2487364

The Symptoms

 

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,
• Diarrhoea,
• 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.

(List of symptoms taken from official WHO website- who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/question-and-answers-hub/q-a-detail/coronavirus-disease-covid-19) 

 

 

Who is vulnerable?

 

About 80% of the people who contract the virus recover without the need for hospitalization with just the usage of the prescribed medications. However, 15% of people require hospitalization and oxygen cylinders, while 5% who fall severely ill require intensive care.

Certain complications can lead to the death of a COVID-19 patient. They are a multi-organ failure, injury of lungs, heart, and kidney, thromboembolism (a blood clot formed in a vein), acute respiratory disorder syndrome or ARDS for short, and few others.

Even children sometimes develop severe inflammatory syndrome a few weeks after infection.

 

A common misconception about the virus is that younger people are at lower risk of contracting the virus, however, this is untrue. Everyone is at risk of coming in contact with the virus and falling ill. Even children are capable of falling ill with COVID-19. It was seen that in the first wave that people above the age of 60 made up the majority of the cases. *During the second wave, the population aged 0-39 were more vulnerable. However, people with health complications such as high blood pressure are at a higher risk than everyone else. Even children are capable of contracting the virus.

( * TOI newspaper- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/covid-19-percentage-of-young-infected-in-second-wave-same-but-more-serious/articleshow/82153956.cms#:~:text=Among%20people%20aged%2030%2D40,21%25%20during%20both%20the%20waves.&text=In%20case%20of%20hospitalised%20patients,economic%20activities%20and%20general%20movement.).

 

 

The Long-Term Effects

 

Sometimes, there are certain symptoms such as fatigue that remain even after a person recovers, the cause or reason for the prolonged or extended symptoms remains unknown. Other long-term effects of covid include respiratory and neurological symptoms.

About The Strains

 

The SARS-CoV-2 virus continuously mutates leading to the development of new strains which are more potent and dangerous than the previous one.

 

Credits: https://www.voanews.com/covid-19-pandemic/covid-19-variants-be-named-after-greek-letters-instead-locations

Precautions

Everyone has heard the basic "wash your hands, wear a mask and practice social distancing" formula to stay safe. However, with the development of more potent strains, simply performing these three tasks is not enough. 

Masks-

Scientists now say that one mask is not enough. To minimize the spread of aerosols effectively, one must wear two masks or an N-95 mask, covering the mouth and nose completely. 

Vaccine-

Yes, the vaccine is effective and required to acquire immunity against COVID-19. Each person gets two shots with a 96-day break between the first and second. Getting vaccinated doesn't mean that you will not contract covid, it only means that if you contract covid, the immunity built up in your body by the vaccine will soften the blow of the virus. It is important to take the vaccine as soon as possible, so please, if you are eligible to get vaccinated and you have gotten a slot go and get your shot. Each shot that is given is a step towards old normalcy for the world.

Also, refrain from spreading panic and misinformation, it's almost as dangerous as the virus itself. Trust news and information only from verified and trustworthy sources and do not panic because as long as you follow these precautions, it's most unlikely that you would get the virus.

Stay safe and keep healthy!