It’s been a while that everyone’s been talking about coronavirus, all sorts of information & misinformation are traveling through the media platforms, including the infamous WhatsApp forwards. At Zolo, we believe keeping ourselves well informed about it, is a better start at fighting this rapidly spreading Covid-19.
But what is Covid-19?
COVID-19, ‘CO’ stands for ‘corona,’ ‘VI’ for ‘virus,’ and ‘D’ for the disease. The disease formerly referred to as “2019 novel coronavirus” or “2019-nCoV” and name of the virus causing it is SARS-CoV-2.
The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a Pandemic, a pandemic is defined as the “worldwide spread” of a new disease.
COVID-19 is one of its kind and It’s the first time that we have seen a pandemic sparked by a Coronavirus.
There are 118,000 cases, more than 4,000 deaths, the agency said, and the virus has found a foothold on every continent except for Antarctica.
(source: CNN Health)
What is the source of the virus?
The virus is ZOONOTIC in nature. Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses, transmitted from animals to people. It causes illness ranging from the common cold to more severe respiratory diseases.
We have dealt with Coronavirus’ outbreak in the past as well. SARS-Cov & MERS-CoV, these two viruses caused a greater health threat in 2002 & 2012 respectively. This time it is SARS-CoV2 which has alarmed everyone by creating a pandemic like situation worldwide with 60 cases in India alone.
The 1st infection was linked to a live animal market & the virus is now spreading from person-to-person. It’s important to note that person-to-person spread can happen on a continuum. Some viruses are highly contagious (like measles), while other viruses are less so.
The virus that causes COVID-19 seems to be spreading easily and sustainably in the community (“community spread”) in some affected geographic areas. Community spread means people have been infected with the virus in an area, including some who are not sure how or where they became infected.
How does the virus spread?
- The virus can spread from one person to another, by the droplets of saliva or mucus carried in the air for up to six feet or so when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
- Viral particles may be breathed in, land on the surface when people touch or can be transferred when shaking hands or sharing a drink with someone who has the virus.
Declared a Pandemic by WHO, this war calls for urgent and aggressive action to control the community transmission, and it’s we who make this fight a strong one! While staying updated with the cases of corona may help you stay cautious, we urge you to strictly keep a check on hygiene around and educate yourself on the danger.
