What is coronavirus?
In line with the WHO, coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause diseases ranging from the common cold to more extreme ailments resembling severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the Center East respiratory syndrome (MERS).
These viruses had been initially transmitted between animals and people. SARS, as an illustration, was transmitted from civet cats to people while MERS moved to humans from a type of camel.
Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that haven’t but contaminated humans.
The name coronavirus comes from the Latin word corona, which means crown or halo. Under an electron microscope, the image of the virus seems like a solar corona.
The novel coronavirus, identified by Chinese authorities on January 7 and since named COVID-19, is a new strain that had not been beforehand recognized in humans. Little is known about it, though human-to-human transmission has been confirmed.
What are the signs?
According to the WHO, signs of infection embody fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.
In more extreme cases, it could actually lead to pneumonia, a number of organ failure and even death.
Current estimates of the incubation period – the period of time between an infection and the onset of symptoms – range from one to 14 days. Most contaminated folks show signs within 5 to 6 days.
Nonetheless, infected patients can be asymptomatic, meaning they do not display any signs despite having the virus of their systems.
Read more on what the coronavirus does to your body if you happen to catch it here.
How deadly is it?
With more than 2,004 recorded deaths, the number of fatalities from this new coronavirus has surpassed the toll of the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak, which additionally originated in China.
SARS killed about 9 % of these it infected – nearly 800 people worldwide and more than 300 in China alone. MERS, which did not spread as widely, was more deadly, killing one-third of those it infected.
While the new coronavirus is more widespread in China than SARS in terms of case numbers, the mortality rate remains considerably lower at approximately 2 p.c, based on WHO.
What is being achieved to stop it from spreading?
Scientists around the globe are racing to develop a vaccine however have warned that one is unlikely to be available for mass distribution earlier than 2021.
Meanwhile, Chinese authorities have successfully sealed off Wuhan and placed restrictions on journey to and from a number of different cities, affecting some 60 million people.
Many worldwide airlines have cancelled flights to China. Some nations have banned Chinese nationals from entering their territories and several more have evacuated their citizens from Wuhan.
Where did the virus originate?
Chinese health authorities are nonetheless trying to find out the origin of the virus, which they are saying doubtless came from a seafood market in Wuhan where wildlife was additionally traded illegally.
On February 7, Chinese researchers said the virus could have spread from an infected animal species to people by way of illegally-trafficked pangolins, which are prized in Asia for food and medicine.
Is this a world emergency?
The outbreak now constitutes a worldwide health emergency, the WHO said on January 30.
The choice to sound the highest-level alarm was made after the primary cases of human-to-human transmission outside China were confirmed.
The international health alert is a call to international locations around the globe to coordinate their response under the steering of the United Nations health agency.
There have been 5 international health emergencies since 2005 when the declaration was formalised: swine flu in 2009, polio in 2014, Ebola in 2014, Zika in 2016 and Ebola once more in 2019.
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