An international outbreak of a new respiratory disease called “Coronavirus” started in China killed more than sixty thousands of people and infected more than 1 million worldwide. The outbreak started in city Wuhan, China, from the market selling live poultry, seafood and wild animals now speedily spreading among more people and reported globally.
Now the coronavirus has extended in more than 200 countries, including Japan, Hong King, South Korea, France, Australia, and the United States. Investigators in still other nations, and in several American states, are evaluating possible cases.
Described by WHO – Coronaviruses named for the spikes that poke out from their crusts, which resemble the sun’s corona. It is a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases.
Coronaviruses are transmitted between animals and people, and there are several known coronaviruses currently circulating in animals, that have not yet infected humans. But now it is confirmed it is easily spreading among people.
Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.
As per the research, Coronaviruses was originated in the animals — like camels, civets and bats — and are usually not transmissible to humans. But sometimes a coronavirus mutates and can pass from animals to humans and spread further.
It is just like the case with the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) epidemic in the early 2000s. However, most, but not all, of the first known cases in December 2019 were traced to an animal market in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
It is believed to have come from contact with live infected animals like fish and birds. The market has since been closed but Wuhan, lies about 500 miles west of Shanghai is a major logistics and transportation hub with the home of more than 11 million people.
As per the doctors, coronavirus is transmitted through coughing and sneezing, as is the case with influenza and other respiratory viruses. It can transmit among the humans through close contact even form the range of about 3 to 6 feet.
Though, scientists are trying to discover how easily the virus is transmitted. Till now as per the research published in a medical journal suggested that the virus was passed from one ill relative to six others; only two had contact with the initial patient.
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed 198 confirmed cases in Wuhan. Researchers found that 22% had direct exposure to the meat market, and 32% had contact with people who had a fever or respiratory disease.
Till now as per the scientific research and studies the new coronavirus’s incubation period that means, the time it takes from a person being infected with the virus to when they start showing symptoms is still unknown among medical experts.
However, public health experts are working under the assumption that the incubation period is about 14 days. It’s unclear whether a person is contagious during the incubation period, so it very difficult to define how long it lasts.
But, as per the latest studies by doctors, infection is much more contagious and spreading the disease for days or weeks before they even realized among the patients. Five confirmed cases in the United States have been confirmed even if they had no symptoms at the time that might have been infectious while traveling from Wuhan to Arizona.
Though, health officials around the world are alarmed, but it is hard to accurately assess the lethality of a new virus. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has declared the Coronavirus outbreak in China a global health emergency.
The timing and life threat after getting infected with this virus is not yet defined, but if someone gets infected, and not getting the right or timely treatment, there is a higher probability of getting died due to acute respiratory problems in the lungs.
Though, till now no specific treatments for coronavirus infections have been recommended by WHO or any other health organization in the world. And there aren’t any vaccines developed yet to prevent human coronavirus infections. But to reduce your risk of getting or spreading you can take several precautions given below.
There is currently no vaccine to immune against this newly discovered coronavirus, although researchers in the US and China have already begun working on one, thanks to China’s prompt sharing of the virus’s genetic code.
However, any vaccine will not be available for up to a year and would most likely be given to health workers most at risk of contracting the virus. Hence, China has started building a 1,000-bed hospital in six days to treat patients within the city Wuhan.
How China Built a hospital in six days to treat this virus in Wuhan?
To prevent this virus further infection, China has constructed a 1000-bed hospital on the area of 25,000 square meters (269,000 square feet) to treat and cure coronavirus infected people within the Wuhan city, home to around 11 million people.
Earlier in 2003, when similar virus SARS spread, China has built Xiaotangshan Hospital in Beijing, in seven days, first world record for the fastest construction of a hospital.
Video: How China Building 1000-beds Hospital in Few Days in Wuhan City
To achieve this construction, about 4,000 people worked to build the hospital, working throughout the day and night in order to meet the deadline. And inside, it had an X-ray room, CT room, ICU, laboratory and each ward equipped with its own bathrooms.
Though, any specific medicine or treatment to cure coronavirus has been not been discovered, but if anyone got infected, depending on the medical facilities, equipment or hospital facilities, charges may differ. As per livemint news in China, an Indian lady is infected and it would cost her around Rs 1 Crore, which is around 10 lakh in Chinese currency Yuan.
The treatment process includes providing patients an external respiratory support, ventilators, dialysis and blood purification process. In developed countries, such advance medical equipment available at a more affordable cost while in undeveloped or developing nations, either it might be not available or can be obtainable at an expensive cost.
Till now, 2700 confirmed cases of coronavirus infected humans has been reported in India, but there no death reported yet. Actually, due to low educational and studies cost of medical in China, around 1200 students from India are studying there.
Amid, Chinese New Year holiday started from 25 Jan 2020, and many Indian students would come to the home to spend their holidays with their family. So, to avoid incoming coronavirus from China, the Indian health ministry has asked travelers from China to report to the nearest health facility in case they do not feel well.
The ministry has asked authorities at seven airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Cochin to screen those travelling from China.
Till now in India, four infected person has been treated and recovered from coronavirus infection. Further numbers likely to rise as many people from outbreak nations are coming and get in touch with others without proper check by health authorities.
Meanwhile the Union Health Ministry in India also urged people to refrain from travelling to China, Italy, Iran, Republic of Korea, Japan, France, Spain and Germany. The citizens were also advised to avoid non-essential travel abroad.
In the wake of coronavirus outbreak, the government also issued an advisory for those with travel history to China, Hong Kong, Republic of Korea, Japan, Italy, Thailand, Singapore, Iran, Malaysia, France, Spain and Germany.
They are requested to undergo ‘self-imposed quarantine’ for a period of 14 days from the date of their arrival. The government also asked companies to arrange ‘work from home’ facility for those employees who had a history of traveling to the mentioned places.
Sources: Telegraph UK, New York Times, BBC, CNN, UN News, NBC News , Los Angles Times, Bloomberg, Fox News & Worldometers
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