Novel Corona Virus COVID- 19 : Brief info and resources.

Novel Corona Virus was first reported in Wuhan city in China ,in December end 2019.Since then it spread across the globe in just a span of two months.COVID -19 is a zoonotic virus. Zoonotic means animals carry the virus and spread it to humans.Critical illness is seen in 6.1 % patients.

Clinical features of Novel Corona Virus infection:

Most cases are seen within 4-5 days following exposure but it can be delayed up to 2 weeks.

Most infected people with coronavirus have mild disease and these patients recover well.

Severity of illness	Incidence	Clinical manifestations
Asymptomatic	relatively rare	no symptoms
Mild to moderate	80%	non-pneumonia and pneumonia cases,
Severe	13.8%	breathlessness, respiratory rate ≥30/minute, blood oxygen saturation ≤93%, PaO2/FiO2 ratio <300, and/or lung infiltrates >50% of the lung field within 24-48 hours
Critical	6.1%	respiratory failure, septic shock, and/or multiple organ dysfunction/failure

What are the risk factors for severe illness and death due to COVID – 19?

Age more than 60 years ,chances of dying increases with age

Diabetes

Hypertension

Cardiovascular diseases

Cancer

Chronic respiratory diseases.

Common symptoms :

fever (98.6%) most common symptom, 

fatigue (69.6%), and 

dry cough (59.4%). 

Breathing difficulty and loss of appetite is more common in patients with severe or critical illness patients admitted in ICU.

How is it diagnosed?

A nasopharyngeal swab is collected for analysis with reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction to detect RNA of virus.

Blood investigations can may show reduced lymphocyte count , prolonged prothrombin time , and elevated lactate dehydrogenase 

Imaging with chest CT in symptomatic patients shows bilateral patchy shadows or ground glass opacity in the lungs.

Protective measures against CoronaVirus recommended by WHO

Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.

Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.

Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth.

Seek medical care early, if you have fever ,cough and breathing difficulty.

Stay informed on the latest developments about COVID-19. Follow advice given by your healthcare provider, your national and local public health authority.

Corona Virus pandemic have wipe out trillions of money from world’s stock market in last few weeks.It is also expected to caused drastic fall in world’s GDP.

Read five steps to kicking out CoronaVirus here

If someone is looking for more info please visit following trusted resources:

Corona Virus disease 2019

See latest update on Corona virus situation worldwide here

World Health Organisation ( WHO )

Get answers to your common questions here

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC )

United Nations (UN)