So we need to get the facts straight. How does this Virus work? How does it transmit and where does it want to go, and let’s protect ourselves.
What is it?
The coronavirus is a family of viruses that can cause as mild things as just the common cold, all the way up to SARS or MERS, these are these bad cases of pneumonia that we’re talking about and basically, what these viruses are, they look like a tennis ball with all these spikes coming out of it and depending on the type of spike it allows that Virus to attach to certain places. So some viruses they have the spike that attaches to your nose, so basically you just get a common cold, but the SARS virus and this new Virus that we’re talking about have the spike that allows it to attach to the cells in your lungs. And when it attaches there, it puts in information to make photocopies of itself. So it uses our own body to produce more viruses.
On Thursday, January 30, The World Health Organisation’s emergency committee. Made a statement declaring a public health emergency of international concern over the global outbreak of coronavirus.
Where did it come from?
Most of the coronavirus live in animals in this particular case it was from Wuhan. There was a fish market where they were selling live animals, and the thought is that the Virus was in a live animal then it crossed into a human, but then what they found was that people were getting sick in terms of health care workers, in terms of family members that were looking after them. Which now meant that the Virus could pass from human to another human
How does it Spread?
Just like all viruses, it needs to reach a target which is your lung, and it has to get there with your help it has no feet and no wings so, therefore, it needs us to move it there, so that’s why we keep saying don’t hang around sneezy people because you’re going to breathe it in and don’t touch your face because that’s how the Virus is going to get in. The masks are helpful, but they’re not necessary. Because they’re leaky, the ones that you and I buy have pockets on the sides, so, therefore, the Virus can get in. What the mask really does is, they stop us from touching our face. If you’re sick, we tend to mask you, so, therefore, you’re not spewing out the viruses to other people sitting around you. The Effective masks that have real protection are the N95 respirator mask; those are sealed. These are for the doctors that may be caring for their patients.
What are the symptoms?
So, in the beginning, the coronavirus will cause a kind of like flu-like symptoms or cold. So people will get the stuffy nose and that kind of thing. But you’ll understand that as soon as that Virus starts manufacturing in your lung cells, they’re producing all these copies of the Virus that all of a sudden now are killing your lung cells so now you can’t exchange oxygen, and that’s why one of the early symptoms are people get very short of breath, and they tend to have a difficult time breathing, and that’s why they end up in hospital.
How is it treated?
So currently, Unfortunately, there is no direct treatment for the coronavirus. There is no medication that can kill it off. So it’s supportive treatment. In other words, if the patient can’t breathe, oxygen is given to help them to breathe. If the patient can’t drink fluids, Then fluids are given intravenously to support them. It’s a very supportive treatment process. This Virus has never seen before, so our immune system, our army are having a hard time figuring out what to do. So usually what we have to do is we make something called antibodies so these are things that can grab on to the spikes that we see on the Virus and it will get rid of the Virus for you at that will bring you back to good health so therefore the elderly may have a worse outcome and of course the young children. For the babies, their immune system is not so good either, so they may not make those antibodies as well.
Avoid Catching the Virus!
So remember your hands may have the Virus. But the Virus cannot hurt you because it can’t get through the skin, but the moment you rub your eyes, scratch your nose or mouth, You’ve brought the Virus right to where it wants to be. so let’s remember not to touch your hands to our face