What do we know about COVID 19?

What do we know about COVID 19?

COVID-19, is actually the infection caused by a virus called SARS-CoV-2. As we now know it spread rapidly from Wuhan in China to affect most of the world.

Whilst some people with COVID-19 can have fever, cough, and trouble breathing. Many have a mild or completely symptom-free illness.

A smaller number get more severe lung problems and in a small number of these a very serious illness develops as a result of the ‘cytokine storm’, an unusual reaction from the bodies own immune system in response to the virus that can lead to multi-organ failure and death.

The virus that causes COVID-19 mainly spreads when a sick person coughs, sneezes, or talks near other people. It might also be transmitted when you touch a surface that has the virus on it and then touch your mouth, nose, or eyes.

The big problem with containing COVID 19 is that it can be spread when an infected person has no symptoms.

Symptoms usually start around 6 days after a person is infected with the virus. But in some people, it can take as little as two days or up to 2 weeks for symptoms to appear.

Symptoms can include; fever, loss of smell, tiredness, dry cough, muscle aches and shortness of breath. A few develop diarrhoea, sore throat and runny nose, making some people convince themselves they have a cold and so can continue to circulate safely.

Serious complications as a result of COVID 19 are much commoner in those who are over-weight, diabetic, have heart or lung disease, high blood pressure or are having treatment that reduces their immunity such as those who have cancer or rheumatological diseases.

Children are less likely to have severe symptoms but there have been a few highly publicised deaths in young people.

If you develop a fever or cough, self-isolate, try and use a room in the house your family do not access and get food delivered to your door. This might not be possible for everyone. If you develop shortness of breath, ring 111, who have a COVID 19 plan in place, if it is deteriorating rapidly, call 999.

If you are recovering from COVID-19, it’s important to stay home and “self-isolate”. This means staying at home, not mixing at all with people. You should stay in isolation for at least seven days and for two days after your last symptoms disappear (apart from the cough which can go on for a long time in some people). The sick person should stay in a separate room and use a separate bathroom if possible. They should also eat in their own room.
Ideally you should use a face mask, this is to reduce droplet spread when you cough. If you don’t have a medical mask, you can use a scarf.

Wash your hands with soap and water often.
Carers should wear gloves when they have to touch the your laundry, dishes, and utensils.
Carers should avoid contact with the laundry when putting it in the machine.

Surfaces, bedside tables, doorknobs, computers, phones, should be cleaned regularly

Use soap and water or cleaning materials that kill viruses, not just bacteria.

If your doctor or nurse suspects you have COVID-19, they might take a swab from inside your nose, and possibly your mouth, and send it to a lab for testing.

It might not be possible or even necessary, to test everyone who might have been exposed to the virus. Eventually, antibody tests that indicate you have had the virus and are immune will arrive. This will allow those recovered from the virus to return to work.

If you are admitted to hospital you are likely to have a computed tomography (CT) scan to check your lungs. This helps to confirm the severity or otherwise of your condition.

There is no known specific treatment for COVID-19. Many will require no treatment. Those with severe disease will get support with oxygen and support of the function of their organs if required. There is recent news that one of the drugs under trial has shown very significant benefit. This may change the management of the pandemic and allow lock down to be withdrawn if the results support the rumour.

If you think you were in close contact with someone with COVID-19, but you don’t have any symptoms, you should “self-quarantine” at home for at least 14 days. This means not leaving your house at all and staying at least 6 feet away from other people in your home. If you develop symptoms, self -isolate as indicated above.

Pregnant people do not seem to have a higher risk of serious problems like pneumonia.

Most of us feel anxious about COVID-19. Try to take breaks from the unrelenting news updates. Remember that cases are plateauing and soon we will see daily deaths fall in number

Take regular exercise and eat as healthily as you can, many small local firms are delivering vegetables, milk, cheese and meat, look out on local social media sites.

Keep in touch with your friends and family members, social media, Facetime, Skype and Zoom are all great tools to arrange online meetings.

Remember, 80% of people get a mild illness from COVID19, the numbers from South Korea, where a great deal more testing was done, suggest less than 1% of those infected, die from the disease. Most of these are older patients, over 70 year-olds are at highest risk. Those in the groups mentioned above are at the highest risk and should self-isolate where possible until the risk of COVOD19 diminishes.

Stay safe.