The whole world is currently reeling under the impact of a pandemic, a viral infection caused by the COVID-19 or more commonly known as the coronavirus infection. Infected persons usually show respiratory or flu-like symptoms such as cough, fever, shortness of breath, and so on, within 2–14 days after exposure to the virus. The good news is that most patients usually experience mild to moderate severity of the illness and recover without requiring special treatment. However, older patients and patients with pre-existing medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to manifest serious symptoms and the disease may even prove fatal. The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes. As there are no specific vaccines or treatments available currently, the only ways to reduce the spread of the disease are practising respiratory etiquette, observing social distancing, maintaining hygiene, washing hands thoroughly, and so on.
As researchers around the world desperately try to develop the vaccine for the infection and develop the prophylaxis for it, governments have been working on a war footing to control the spread of the virus and minimize the number of fatalities resulting from it. Although too early to confirm, the virus shares certain similarities with other virus strains such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). As scientists are still working on the exact nature of the similarities, certain common precautionary measures have been advised to the general public.
This story is from the May 2020 edition of TerraGreen.
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This story is from the May 2020 edition of TerraGreen.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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