COVID-19: the pandemic crisis

Coronavirus is the name for a large group of illnesses, including the common cold and other respiratory infections. The 2019 novel (the term “novel” means it’s a new form of the virus) coronavirus has been named SARS-CoV-2 and causes a disease called coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19. The origin of the virus is still not clear, but we learned about this virus after a cluster of severe pneumonia cases were reported on New Year’s Eve 2019 in the city of Wuhan, China. This virus is highly transmissible and can spread from person to person with no difficulty. It is carried on respiratory droplets when we talk, sneeze or cough. These droplets can land on surfaces, so a person can easily pick them up and then by touching his mouth or eyes can catch the virus (this is why hand hygiene is so important) or being within 6 feet with somebody who is sick, droplets can land directly in your mouth or nose. A recent study showed that COVID-19 virus can remain on surfaces and fabric from 4 to 72 hours, but the amount of virus material is very small. Patient develop symptoms like fever, body aches, shortness of breath and sore throat about 5-6 day after infection . Most people will feel miserable for a week and get better by their own. Some people won’t get as sick and others will get worse instead of better. Only 20 percent of people with COVID-19 need to be hospitalized . The other 80 percent overpass it like a bad flue or cold and recover at home in about a week. People who are more vulnerable to any kind of infection, because of their age or chronic health conditions, are more at risk for getting really sick from COVID-19. Also, people who are smokers, who have hypertension (high blood pressure) diabetes, low immune systems, people underlying lung disease and those who take medicines to suppress their immune systems because they have some sort of autoimmune condition or cancer. There is no antibiotics for COVID-19 till now, doctors can only treat the symptoms with supportive care, not the virus itself . Scientists are working on a vaccine, but it seems difficult to have a good vaccine until spring 2021. There are no antibiotics for COVID-19 but there are some antiviral drugs that may help the sickest patient to get better. Remdesivir and hydroxychloroquine are some drugs to treat sick patients. Also, the antibodies in the blood serum of patients who have recovered can help to treat sick patients. “COVID-19  does not care about borders” , it makes distinctions with three different ways < it kills the elderly more frequent than young people, the men from the women, and disproportionately affects the poor.! In this pandemic we are all biologically connected with each other because the health of one  is connected with the health of all others !! The pandemics remind us that the help to others is not only the right thing to do but also the smart!!