Corona Virus - All You Need to Know
OK everyone, I decided to rekindle the blog after a long hiatus because I'm getting so many questions about the "new" Corona Virus named Covid-19. This epidemic is being called "The Deadly Corona Virus" in the news; some cities have declared a health emergency (even though there are no reported cases) and the stock market took a dive because of its effect in Asia and Italy.
CALM DOWN!
Here is what you need to know about Covid-19:
Corona viruses cause colds, SARS (Severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome). Covid-19 is a new type of corona virus.
Covid-19 is spread like the common cold from person to person by sneezing, coughing and touching. (We think it began with animal to person but has changed)
To avoid catching it, do the usual things. Wash your hands for 30 seconds, avoid touching your nose and mouth, cover sneezes and cough. The face mask does not prevent you from catching the virus. It does help people who are sick to avoid spreading droplets that might infect others.
The CDC does not recommend wearing a face mask to protect oneself from Corona Virus.
We don't know how easy it is to spread this virus but we do know that sick people are very contagious.
We do not think you can catch the virus from goods shipped from China or other infected areas.
A person who has recovered from Covid-19 and no longer has fever, no longer has symptoms and has tested negative on two specimens 24 hours apart is not considered contagious.
There is currently a 2% mortality rate and it depends upon a persons own immune system. Babies, older people and pregnant women are most at risk. It is not true that more healthy adults die from Covid-19.
The symptoms are like influenza and, in fact, Covid-19 is an influenza like respiratory illness. Fever, cough, chills, headache, sneezing are early symptoms.
Most people who contract Covid-19 have a mild flu like illness.
You can definitely expect reports of more and more cases of Covid-19 around the world as it spreads with travelers. This is a contagious virus and it spreads easily person-to-person.
So what should you do? Take precautions like good hand washing, avoiding sick people when you can, stay healthy with good nutrition and activity. If you are worried that you might get sick, stock up on pet food and healthy fruits for juices and filtered water. That's it! No further precautions are needed.
As we know more about this virus, I will update this blog.
