COVID-19? SARS-CoV-2?
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus whose first human infection was identified in Wuhan, Mainland China in December 2019. It is thought to have been originated from bats but the intermediate host between the bats and humans remains unidentified. Potential involvement of a pangolin intermediate species is under speculation. SARS-CoV-2 exhibits a genetic similarity of more than 80% with SARS and 96.3% with a bat coronavirus, RaTG13.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. The main mode of transmission is via aerosol when people cough or sneeze. The released droplets can stay in the air for several hours and the viruses inside those droplets can survive for up to 3 hours. Meanwhile on solid surfaces, SARS-CoV-2 has been identified to be able to survive up to 4 hours on copper, 24 hours on cardboard and 3 days on plastic and stainless steel. Although more studies need to be performed, it has been suggested that transmission could also occur via the fecal-oral route after finding contradictory results with the rectal swabs.
Disease progression
On average, the viral incubation period lasts for 5 days, and those that develop symptoms will do so within the next 11.5 days. In other words, after the incubation period of 5 days, it is also likely that the patient will be asymptomatic. However, it remains quite unclear whether they are able to transmit viral particles in the absence of the symptoms. Source.
PREVENTION.
CDC recommends a global effort to prevent further spread by implementing essential techniques such as:
Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds
Use hand sanitizers that contain at least 60% alcohol
Cover your mouth with your elbow or a tissue when sneezing/coughing
Avoid touching your face
Social-distancing
#StaySafeStayHome
Drinking salt water does NOT help
Be the Breaker of Chains.
Why is social distancing crucial for preventing many infections? The answer is simple: if an infected individual follows the social distancing rule, there will be virtually no one in close contact with this individual, which then limits exposure to the virus! Pay it forward by staying at home :)
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P.S. 10 points if you got the Game of Thrones reference!
Infographics
