What Is Coronavirus?

a k A SARS. The World Health Organization says what's being called novel coronavirus is a new strain that had not been previously identified in humans until late nineteen. It's sometimes called COVID nineteen for that reason. Human coronavirus was first discovered in nine and accounts for many cases of the common cold. The virus gets its name from its crown like shape corona, meaning crown. Coronaviruses are zoonotic, which

means they're transmitted between non in animals and humans. CZARS was transmitted from civic cats to humans, and researchers suspect MERS is transmitted from dromedary camels to humans. But let's be clear, coronaviruses affect all age groups of all people around the world, and most are not dangerous. They often only cause mild symptoms that can be treated with rest and over the counter medications, and most of them spread

like any other. Cold viruses spread, including through the air by coughing and sneezing, by close personal contact such as touching or shaking hands with someone who's sick, or by touching an object with the virus on it and then

touching your mouth, nose, or eyes. The U S Centers for Disease Control or c d C says that people in the US who get a coronavirus will usually get infected in the fall and winter, though it can happen any type of year, and most people will get infected with one or more of the four common human coronaviruses

during their lifetime. Signs of infection with these common coronaviruses include headache, running, nose fee cough, shortness of breath, and sore throat, though severe cases can lead to pneumonia, acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death. But while these four common strains are not typically severe, three others have proven deadly. An outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a new coronavirus. The aforementioned novel coronavirus was first reported in

Wuhan City, China, in early January. Chinese health officials have noted thousands of infections with novel coronavirus in China, and infections were reported in several international locations, including the US. Like other coronaviruses, the symptoms of novel coronavirus include fever, difficulty breathing, and pneumonia, and the virus spreads via person

to person contact. At the time of this episode's release, at least three thousand people have died and more than eighty eight thousand, eight hundred people have been infected worldwide with novel coronavirus. China was home to over eighty thousand of these cases. The Chinese government took precedented steps to curb the virus by placing almost sixty million people on lockdown and banning travel to and from fifteen cities. The United States has also implemented travel restrictions that went into

effect February third. The restrictions temporarily require any US citizen returning to the States from China to a mandatory fourteen day quarantine. While it's been reported that the virus might have originated in a food market in Wuhan, the World Health Organization says that not enough is known about this strain to fully understand its features, how it's transmitted, or its origins. For example, novel coronaviruses incubation period is still unknown.

Incubation meaning how long it takes between being infected with the virus and coming down with symptoms. Health officials are assuming it's about fourteen days, hence the travel quarantine. They're not sure whether people are contagious during the incubation period. People in areas where there are known cases of novel coronavirus and take steps to protect themselves, though most of

these are good hygiene practices in general. For avoiding colds and flues, you should avoid contact with sick people, coffin, sneeze into a tissue, and immediately throw used tissues into aligned trash. Can wash your hands often with soap and water for at least twenty seconds, or use an alcohol based hand sanitizer if soap and water aren't available. Avoid touching your face and especially your eyes, nose, and mouth

with unwashed hands. If someone in your household is sick, don't share cups, forks, towels, or betting with them, and disinfect frequently touched common surfaces like door knobs. In areas with novel coronavirus outbreaks, you're also advised to avoid wild animals, alive or dead, animal markets, and products that come from animals like uncooked meat. And again, in areas with outbreaks, you can wear specialized, tight fitting, thick face masks like

the N nine respirator to prevent getting infected. On the other hand, if you fact that you are already infected, you can wear any kind of face mask to help prevent transmission, or you can always just stay home. But do note that if the virus has not been reported in your area, face masks are unnecessary, and the CDC is recommending against members of the general public using them

or even buying them. At this point. They're expensive, the specialized ones are uncomfortable to wear, Stockpiling them may lead to shortages within the medical community should there be an outbreak, and again they're just not needed. Most of all, don't panic and educate yourself before spending money or time or worry. If there have been no reported infections in your area.

You're not going to get novel coronavirus from eating food from local restaurants, whether they serve Chinese cuisine or not. Even though coronaviruses can transmit between humans and other animals, if you don't need a face mask, neither does your dog, and the virus has nothing to do with Corona beer other than the thing where someone at the beer company also found the word corona to be symbolic m Today's episode was written by Sarah Glime and produced by Tyler Clang.

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