Coronavirus: everything you need to know about COVID-19
The coronavirus outbreak is continuing worldwide. It has been labelled a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Infections have now exceeded 2 million cases globally with over 207,000 deaths. The US, Italy and Spain are the countries with the highest infections. These countries overtook mainland China, where the novel strain of coronavirus first surfaced last year.
Initially known as 2019 Novel Coronavirus, the disease is now called COVID-19. It is caused by infection from the new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), one of many coronaviruses that can infect humans.
This respiratory infection – which has never been identified in humans before – is believed to have originated in a seafood wholesale market in the city of Wuhan, China.
Here’s everything you need to know about SARS-CoV-2, including the key symptoms, potential treatments, and tips on how to prevent the spread of infection:
What is coronavirus?
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can infect your nose, sinuses and upper throat. They’re classified as zoonotic, which means they are transmitted between animals and people.
The World Health Organisation estimates that 60 per cent of all human infectious diseases recognised so far are zoonoses and about 75 per cent of emerging infectious diseases that have affected people over the past three decades originated in wild animals.
While most coronavirus strains only cause mild flu-like symptoms during infection – the common cold, for example – others such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) can morph into a pandemic.
'Almost everyone will get a coronavirus infection at least once in their life, often as a child,' explains Dr Adam Abbs, GP at Medicspot. 'Most coronaviruses are not dangerous, although some types can be serious. Viruses mutate all the time – this is why we need a new flu jab each year.'
How did COVID-19 start?
COVID-19 is now widely believed to have originated in China at the Huanan seafood market in the capital of China's Hubei Province, Wuhan, where it was potentially passed from an animal to a human. There has been much speculation over which animal was the original source of the human case, including whether it was from snakes, bats or pangolins.
Scientists have proposed other theories, including whether it mutated in humans or whether it escaped from a laboratory.
COVID-19 is approximately 96 per cent identical to a bat virus discovered in southern China, according to the latest research from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. It’s also related to SARS, sharing 80 per cent of its genetic sequence.
Coronavirus symptoms day-to-day
The symptoms of COVID-19 appear to range in severity. Where some people suffer mild flu symptoms, others have contracted viral pneumonia, which is resistant to antibiotics and therefore difficult to treat. However, most people infected are likely to fully recover, just as they would from a flu.
'Symptoms of the coronavirus are similar to other upper respiratory tract infections. This includes coughing, a runny nose, a sore throat and sometimes a fever,' explains Dr Abbs. 'In most cases, it is not easy to tell, without testing, whether you have a coronavirus or another cold-causing virus, like rhinovirus. This new COVID-19 strain, however, appears to have the fever and cough as the most prominent symptoms.'
These symptoms may appear 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus:
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Chills
Muscle pain
Headache
Sore throat
New loss of taste or smell
Other common signs of infection include tiredness, body aches and possibly diarrhoea. The stronger a person’s immune system, the better their chance of recovery – most of those who have died are known to have suffered from existing health issues.
Coronavirus inside your body
What does COVID-19 do to your body? For the majority of people, the virus will impact the lungs by irritating the air passages, causing a cough and fever to develop. Many patients develop pneumonia and suffer shortness of breath. Some patients suffer respiratory failure, which can lead to death.
While less common, some patients have also reported impacts to the digestive system, the heart and vascular system, as well as the liver kidneys.
Coronavirus high risk
Who is at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19? First, it is important to note that the disease does not discriminate and anyone can become seriously ill.
However, you are identified as being at a higher risk of severe ilness if you are:
Over 70
Morbidly obese
Have an underlying health condition
How does the coronavirus spread?
The outbreak of COVID-19 has spread rapidly over the last few months. The virus may pass from infected to healthy people via the following ways:
Person-to-person transmission
Surface transmission
Faecal-oral transmission
Person-to-person
It appears to spread through person to person transmission in close proximity via respiratory droplets.
'Human coronaviruses most commonly spread from an infected person to others through droplets produced from coughing and sneezing, or close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands,' adds Dr Luke James, medical director for Bupa UK.
Surfaces
It is also believed to transfer via surfaces, such as when an infected person touches a surface. If a healthy person touches the contaminated surface and then touches their face, they too could become infected. Current evidence suggests it may remain viable for hours to days on surfaces made from a variety of materials, according to the CDC.
Faecal-oral
A common route of infection for many diseases occurs when infected faeces enters a healthy person's mouth. However, researchers require more information to determine whether COVID-19 is spreading via faecal-oral transmission.
Coronavirus treatment
For the majority of people who will become infected with COVID-19, the infection will be mild and they will make a full recovery as they would from a regular flu.
The government advice for people who experience coronavirus symptoms is to not go to a GP, hospital or pharmacy. For medical advice use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service.
If you live alone and experience coronavirus symptoms, it is recommended you self-isolate for 7 days from when your symptoms started. If you still have a high temperature after 7 days, you need to continue to self-isolate until it has returned to normal.
If you live with others, everyone in the household should isolate for 14 days from the day when the first person experienced symptoms. If a household member develops symptoms, then they need to remain in isolation until at least 7 days after their symptoms commence.
'While there are no approved antiviral medicines for coronavirus, it can be treated in the same way as the flu, by treatment of the symptoms and monitoring for complications,' says Dr Abbs. 'It is recommended that people with coronaviruses get plenty of rest and drink fluids. Over-the-counter medicines for sore throat and fever can also provide some relief.' Paracetamol is preferred as a first choice medication to ease symptoms due to the possibility that ibuprofen may potentially make the infection worse. If you are taking ibuprofen or other medications from the same family (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications) for other medical reasons, then you should continue them as normal.
However, if you feel you cannot cope with your symptoms at home, your condition gets worse, or your symptoms do not get better after 7 days, then use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service. If you do not have internet access, call NHS 111. For a medical emergency dial 999.
COVID-19 vaccine progress
How close are we to a vaccine for this coronavirus? Pharmaceutical firms and research groups across the globe are racing to find a vaccine, which would provide some protection by teaching people's immune systems to fight the virus so they do not become sick. In the long-term, this would allow social distancing and self-isolation measures to be relaxed.
Research is happening around the world with around 80 groups researching vaccines, including some which are now entering clinical trials.
The first human trial for the vaccine was announced in March by scientists in Seattle. Oxford University has also begun the first human trial in Europe with more than 800 recruits, half of these will be given the COVID-19 vaccine. In Australia, scientists have begun testing on animals in the hope of progressing to testing humans by the end of April.
However, there are still barriers before global immunisation would be possible, including passing these clinical trials and the mass production that would be needed.
Herd immunity
The concept of herd immunity has been raised as a possible measure for combatting COVID-19. Herd immunity describes when a population becomes immune to the spread of a contagious disease due to a sufficiently high proportion of individuals being immune either through vaccination or by developing immunity after infection.
However, experts have raised concerns over whether herd immunity could successfully curb the rate of infection for COVID-19 in the UK as we have no vaccine, meaning around two-thirds of the population would need to become infected, which could overwhelm the NHS. Plus, because COVID-19 is a novel disease, we do not yet know how our long-term immunity will work.
Coronavirus prevention
How can you reduce your risk of contracting the virus? First of all, don't panic. 'It’s important to remember that the UK is monitoring the situation closely,' explains Dr James. With that said, a little basic hygiene goes a long way.
'You can help prevent a coronavirus infection in the same way as you reduce your risk of developing the common cold,' says Dr Abbs. 'This includes frequently washing your hands thoroughly with warm soapy water, avoiding close contact with people who have the infection and avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth.'
You can reduce your risk of coronavirus and help to protect those vulnerable people around you by following the government's instructions for staying at home.
Here are some other tips to protect yourself from becoming infected:
Use hand sanitiser
Don't touch your face with your dirty hands
Avoid close contact with people who are sick
Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze
Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces, including your phone
⚠️ For more advice and information on basic protective measures against the coronavirus, visit the World Health Organization website.
Last updated: 27-04-2020
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