What exactly is coronavirus? Where did it come from? And how can we treat it? These are just some of the questions people globally are wondering.
There are many kinds of the coronavirus. The one that is facing the world now is a new identified coronavirus. It is called SARS-CoV-2. It has caused a worldwide pandemic of respiratory illness. The CDC calls it COVID-19.
COVID-19 includes shortness of breath, body aches, sore throat, fatigue, loss of taste and smell and many more other symptoms. COVID-19 can be severe and in some cases cause death.
In the United States there are about 947 millions cases that have been reported and 233 thousands of deaths. Worldwide there are about 47.7 million cases and 1.22 million deaths as of today on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Therefore, it is crucial to wear masks and limit your traveling.
Photo by: Laurent KB
Health experts say wearing masks can protect you from getting exposed to the virus and protects you from spreading the virus.
A lot of people do not know they have the virus because they can be asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic. Asymptomatic is when someone has the infection but no symptoms and will not develop them later. Pre-symptomatic is when someone has the infection but does not have any symptoms yet.
Symptoms may appear two to fourteen days after exposure to the virus.
Wearing masks in public settings and staying six feet apart helps slow the spread of the virus and helps you protect other people.
The new coronavirus appeared in late Dec 2019 in China and has spread globally since.
There is no coronavirus vaccine yet but one is said to be in the works.
Photo by: Jernej Furman
“I do not feel safe taking the vaccine because it may go against what I believe in,” Siani Ross, a first-year business major, said.
There are a lot of theories surrounding the coronavirus vaccine. Some think it is wise to get, some think the government is trying to control them and some think it is the start of the end of the world.
“I will first see how everyone else reacts to the vaccine before I take it,” Johnsey Hackney, a sophomore psychology major, said.
One myth is the coronavirus vaccine will give you COVID-19. Instead of protecting you against the virus some think the vaccine will give it to you.
Another myth is that wearing masks leads to CO2 intoxication or oxygen deficiency. Some think that it messes with how you breathe and messes up your lungs.
The 45th president, Donald J. Trump, has made many of his supporters think drinking some type of disinfectant can protect you against coronavirus.
“I have never met a more idiotic person like that before and I can’t believe people really believe that bleach could cure COVID-19,” Ross said in response to the 45th president’s suggestion.
Anthony Fauci is an American physician and immunologist who has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984. He is one of the health experts who is supervising development of a vaccine for the world.
The CDC has been working closely with health departments to develop vaccination plans for when a vaccine is available.
Could be Jan or later.
