What seemed like a local epidemic in the city of Wuhan, in the Chinese province of Hubei, at the beginning of January of this year, turned into a global problem and a true pandemic of sizable proportion. The true nature of the virus Covid-19 (commonly referred to as the coronavirus) is still not well known, as the scientific community and healthcare professionals around the world scramble to better understand the symptoms, the means of transfer, the treatment, the short and the long term consequences. The virus itself is not new. It was first discovered in 1965, but since it was not a common virus since, it is still not well understood. It is a strain of the group of corona viruses, and it belongs to the family of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) viruses.
Mechanism of spread
Typical mechanism of the spread includes direct contact with the infected patients, as well as through droplets released by the infected such as through coughing or sneezing. Data collected throughout the current pandemic shows that the virus can be contracted through contact with surfaces where virus can survive for the extended period of time. Data collection from one research team shows that the virus survived on the wooden surface on the cruise ship for 19 days, after the ship was vacated.
Symptoms
Common symptoms of the disease are not unlike the fly symptoms – high fever, dry cough and shortness of breath. Not every infected person exhibits these symptoms and the escalation of the symptom manifestation happens at different gradients. As the data come in, it is becoming clear that the persons with existing medical conditions are more susceptible to severe manifestation of the disease, but the initial reports claiming that the younger population is largely immune of very unlikely to be affected by the disease has been proven wrong.
How to avoid
One of the most effective ways of fighting the Covid-19 virus is practicing avoidance of exposure through the social distancing as well as prevention. Avoiding congregation of larger groups of people is highly recommended. If interaction with other people is needed, at least six feet of physical space separation should be maintained. Hand washing should be practiced thoroughly and often, as it is shown that even regular soap kills the virus cells.
Precautions taken
Communities around the world have taken preventive and reactionary measures to stop the spread. Many communities are in a state of a lock-down, with varying degrees of implementation, often made more difficult due to existing laws and possible legal complications of the response to the emergency. Technology enables many people to telecommute, and in many places non-essential businesses have been ordered to close. Those who cannot, due to the nature of their work, have come up with creative ways to implement social-distancing techniques while still maintaining their line of business. However, no matter what the course of action is taken, the economic impact is significant.
Is there a cure
As of today, there is no effective medication for respiratory illness caused by Covid-19. Some experimental drugs and vaccines are being developed and, if successful, fast track approvals can be expected. In the meantime, medical professionals are testing the use of re-purposed medications (drugs used to treat other illnesses, but may have beneficial effects in treatment of the Corona virus patients). One of the most widely discussed drugs of this kind is Chloroquine, an anti-malarial drug that’s been on the market since 1940’s. However, at this point, there is no enough evidence to claim that this will be the medication that will stop Covid-19.
The human cost
Impact and human death toll is exponentially increasing every day. While the number of new registered cases dropped dramatically in China, other parts of the world are seeing dramatic spikes in new cases, with current epicenters of the crisis in Italy and Spain. Australia provides an interesting insight into how the disease spreads and what are the environmental factors influencing the spread of the disease. Among the countries with people with registered positive tests on Covid-19, Australia has the smallest number of cases per capita. Contrasted with Iceland, which has the highest number of cases per capita, leads some scientists to believe that it is not necessarily only the heat and the humidity that inhibits the virus spread, but more importantly the exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
Australian cases
As the seasons change in both Australia (with decreasing number of daylight hours and exposure to sun’s UV rays) and Iceland (increasing number), scientists will be monitoring the number of cases in the two extremes to see if this theory holds true. In any case, as the pandemic rages on, the scientific world works around the clock, on a global scale, to explore different solutions and better understanding of Covid-19. All eyes are on them.
