What are the symptoms of the disease caused by the coronavirus? [WE EXPLAIN]

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The COVID-19 disease pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has taken over the world, including Poland. Therefore, we should all know the symptoms of the disease and know what to do when we observe them in ourselves or in a loved one. Each of us can do a lot to minimize the risk of this disease.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause disease in animals. Seven strains, including the new COVID-19 virus, also pose a threat to humans as a result of the mutation, causing the COVID-19 disease. Most of them start inconspicuously and have symptoms similar to those of a cold.

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

The three most characteristic symptoms of the coronavirus – according to WHO – are:

1. cough
2. high fever
3. shortness of breath, shallow breathing

Less common symptoms include:

1. muscle pain
2. feeling crashed
3. headache
4. sore throat

However, since the symptoms below are very similar to those of the flu or a common cold, it is worth answering two additional questions when trying to diagnose yourself:

1. Have you visited any of the high-risk regions in the past two weeks? This is primarily China, but also Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea or Northern Italy?
2. If not, have you had contact with people who visited any of the places mentioned?

A positive answer to any of these questions (in the presence of symptoms) should mean that you contact your doctor immediately.

How quickly do symptoms appear?

The symptoms of the disease usually become apparent between 2 and 10 days following contact with the host. However, this time may even be longer up to 24 days. A factor that additionally and significantly hinders the control of the virus is the fact that the carrier of the virus can also be a person who did not get sick himself, and therefore does not show any symptoms. Today, the media read the story of a 20-year-old girl from the Chinese city of Wuhan, who, having no symptoms of coronavirus infection, infected five members of her family.

What should you know about the COVID-19 coronavirus?

1. Coverage of the Wuhan coronavirus [UPDATED MAP]
2. Who Dies From Coronavirus? The number of deaths is increasing
3. Why does the coronavirus kill some and run like a cold in others?
4. Stocks of disinfectants and personal protection in hospitals. «We are prepared»
5. It is almost certain that people have contracted the coronavirus from these animals
6. A newborn from Wuhan is the youngest patient to be infected with the coronavirus

When to see a doctor?

Since the earliest symptoms of COVID-19 can be mistaken for a cold or the flu, it’s easy to underestimate the risk. In what situations should you definitely limit your contact with other people and see a doctor as soon as possible?

1. If you have been to the Chinese city of Wuhan or Hubei province in the last 2 weeks (also if you do not notice any symptoms of the disease),
2. If you have been to other provinces of China, including Macau and Hong Kong, and you have a cough, high temperature and difficulty breathing (even if they are not very acute symptoms),
3. If you have been to Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea or Malaysia in the past two weeks and you have a cough, high temperature and difficulty breathing (even if they are not very acute symptoms),
4. You have had direct and close contact with someone who has the coronavirus

It is worth knowing that over 80 percent. people infected with the virus in China (according to Chinese authorities) had the symptoms described above in a mild version.

Are you wondering if you may have contracted the coronavirus? Complete the survey below and check.

How to quarantine yourself?

If you think there is a risk that you are carrying the virus, but you cannot contact your doctor, you can arrange a home quarantine on your own.

For this purpose:

1. stay home
2. avoid public places, including schools, workplaces, public transport, shopping malls
3. avoid contact with people, going out and receiving guests
4. ask loved ones to provide you with food and medicine (but limit your contact with these people)

How to protect yourself from the coronavirus?

Like the flu, the COVID-19 coronavirus is also spread by airborne droplets. When an infected person sneezes or coughs, saliva droplets containing the virus land on the surrounding surface. From there, they get onto other people’s hands, and then into their bodies when they rub their eyes, touch their nose or mouth.

Therefore, the most important rule of preventing contracting the coronavirus is:

WASH HANDS

And besides:

1. If you are unable to wash your hands, avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose. The average person wipes these areas with his hand up to 25 times in one hour, of course unconsciously.
2. Carry a hand sanitizer containing alcohol in case you are unable to clean them under running water.
3. Always wash your hands before eating.
4. Be careful in public places and public transport: if you touch generally accessible items, keep your hands away from your face until you have washed them.
5. Carry tissues with you, cover your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, and throw away the tissue immediately after use.
6. Do not share food and do not consume snacks that are eaten by placing your hand inside the packet (e.g. crisps).
7. During periods of high viral risk, do not greet yourself by shaking your hand or kissing the cheek.
8. Wash your hands regularly and often, and wash the surfaces you use and the most frequently used items (e.g. door handles, toilet, kitchen surfaces).
9. Pass on these principles to children who are usually ubiquitous and therefore especially active in spreading viruses.
10. Use one cloth to clean the house so as not to help the virus spread from one to the other.
11. Make sure all household members use their own towels and their own toothbrushes.
12. Air the house and keep the air in it dry and airy

How is Coronavirus Treated?

There is no one simple remedy just as there is no one remedy for a cold or the flu. In the most severe cases, COVID-19 causes pneumonia and causes significant breathing difficulties that are immediately life-threatening.

Therapy focuses on treating viral pneumonia. Doctors also try to relieve the patient’s lungs and make it easier for him to breathe by connecting to a respirator or by administering oxygen. Fever and flu-like symptoms are treated like the classic flu – with anti-inflammatory drugs and aspirin.

Who is most at risk from the coronavirus?

According to The Telegraph, in the collective analysis of COVID-19 infection cases, the disease is most at risk:

1. people over 65 years of age
2. children by the age of 2
3. people suffering from chronic diseases, with reduced immunity, especially – lung diseases
4. men

Find out more about the coronavirus:

1. A virus in China “escaped” from the laboratory? The threat was already discussed in 2017
2. The epidemic started in the marketplace. People got infected from snakes?
3. Everything you need to know about coronaviruses
4. Poles buy massively in China. Is it possible to get infected with the virus through parcel?