Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Panic About the Coronavirus
Probably, everyone living in any part of the world has already heard of the word Coronavirus. Everybody is already wary of it and tries to protect oneself as hard as they could. Though it is indeed a threat to your health, there’s no reason to panic. All you have to do is to know more about the virus itself.
What is Coronavirus?
Coronavirus is a huge family of virus that brings about a wide range of illnesses, like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-COV) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-COV). These recent days, a new strain of this virus has been found on humans, which is the novel Coronavirus, more commonly known as NCOV.
This virus is zoonotic—they can be transferred from animals to humans. A thorough investigation found out that SARS-COV is transmitted from the civet cats to people, on the other hand, MERS-COV is originated from dromedary camels. Several known strains of this virus are circulating spreading among the animals that have not yet affected humans.
How far has it spread?
Last Thursday, Feb 27, the United States had confirmed that there are greater than 200 definite cases of Coronavirus, found in seventeen states. There are now more than 60 countries that have confirmed to have found cases of the Coronavirus since the outbreak started in Wuhan, China— a city with approximately 11 million people—last 2019. Confirmed cases have now risen to more than 95,000 worldwide.
Novel Coronavirus vs. other Strains
When compared to other strains of Coronavirus like SARS-COV and MERS-COV, there are three points obtained from the studies of these strains:
- Novel Coronavirus has spread quicker than MERS-COV or SARS-COV
- Latest information obtained is suggesting that it is less deadly than the latter disease mentioned
- Several weeks will know how this virus behaves, which also includes the mortality rate
Even though it is true that the new virus spread quicker than MERS-COV and SARS-COV; the disease experts say that it will take some weeks to note its behavior. When compared to the fatality rate of these strains of Coronavirus, it is found out that it 50 people where to be infected, 17 out of 50 will die if the strain is MERS-COV; 5 out of 50 will die if the strain is SARS-COV; while 1 out of 50 will die if the strain is the NCOV.
The Recovery Rate of the Virus
Health experts stated that the recovery rate of NCOV is expected to be high. According to them, when a healthy person gets this virus, they might suffer from fever, fatigue and even dry cough and will be on sick bed for maybe 1-2 weeks. A professor from NYU Langone Medical Center, Dr. Marc Siegel, estimated that NCOV ‘s recovery rate percentage will likely reach the 90’s.
Out of 92,000 confirmed cases of this virus worldwide, there are close to 49,000 people that have recovered from the virus, while a number of 3,130 reportedly died. Siegel explained that when more people are inevitably affected, it will make the survival rates go up while bringing the fatality rates down.
What you can do if you’re afraid of the virus?
The first thing you can do, in any case, that you are still afraid of the virus, is to research reliable information about it. Though it is a new strain of Coronavirus, it has attracted the attention of a number of health experts, so you can easily find articles around about this. After gathering reliable information, you can also find ways on how to prevent contracting the disease. After all, prevention is better than cure.
How to Keep Yourself Safe?
There are numerous ways to keep you safe from ever getting the virus. Below are tips you can do to prevent the virus from getting to you:
- Do not touch your face—particularly your mouth, nose, and eyes— without washing your hands first.
- When washing your hands, do it for at least 20 seconds using soap and water. In the absence of both, you can also use an alcohol-based sanitizer.
- Always cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze, and use a tissue whenever you do so. Discard the tissue on the garbage can afterward.
- Disinfect objects and surfaces that are frequently touched
- Stay at home if you feel sick.
Though indeed, you shouldn’t panic about the virus, it is never wrong to be cautious. Always keep yourself informed about it, and never forget to keep yourself and your family safe from it. Though the recovery rates are getting higher, there is nothing safer than not ever getting the virus itself.