Corona
Virus Disease
Coronavirus disease caused
by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus2 is an infectious disease was
firstly reported in Wuhan,
Hubei province china in December 2019. More than 2.7 million cases have been testified in 185 countries and
territories resulting in more than 206000
deaths and 865000 people have
recovered. Since 2019 this disease has spread globally, resulting in the
ongoing 2019-20 coronavirus disease.
Sign and Symptoms
Symptoms
are of two types
1. Common symptoms
2. Mild symptoms
Common symptoms:
Some of the common symptoms include Fever, Cough, and Shortness of breath Lose
of smell Persistent chest pain Bluish skin
Mild symptoms:
Some of the mild symptoms include Pneumonia, Multi-organ failure, Cytokine
storm Neurological symptoms. Onset
of symptom is usually around five days but may range from two to fourteen days after
the time of exposure.
Transmission:
According to WHO and recent researches, when
people come in close contact within approximately 1–2 m (3–7 ft) with those people who cough, sneeze and talk
cause major spreading by small droplets Both sputum and saliva can carry large viral loads.
Cough can lead to droplets traveling up to 4.5
meter.
National academy of science suggested that transmission may be possible through aerosols. It may
also spread by fomite transmission,
one touches with contaminated surface and touches one mouth, nose and eyes.
Risk through feces may also possible. There is a percentage of individuals
present with coronavirus lack symptoms. The European Centre for Disease Prevention
and Control (ECDC) says one person generally infects
two or three other individuals
Other animals:
Recent studies show that humans are capable
of spreading the virus to some animals like, cat,
Tigers, minks, ferrets, and dogs. The study failed to find evidence of
viral replication in pig, ducks, and chickens.
Survival time for viruses:
Survival
time for viruses varies with different surfaces. It was found to be detected
specifically hours to a days at different surfaces. The virus was found to be
detectable for up to three days on
plastic (polypropylene)
and stainless steel (AISI
304), for one day on cardboard, and for up to four hours on 99% copper and may vary
with humidity and temperature
Surface
Decontamination:
Surface may be decontaminated with different
solution including, 78–95% ethanol (alcohol used in spirits), 70–100% 2-propanol (isopropyl alcohol), the combination of 2-propanol 45% with 1-propanol 30% sodium hypochlorite (bleach)
0.21%, hydrogen peroxide0.5% , povidone-iodine 0.23–7.5%. The virus protective layer
deactivate and freeze by using soap products but some surgical disinfectants
such as benzalkonium chloride and chlorhexidine gluconate are less effective
Diagnosis:
Diagnosis
protocols for disease have been published by WHO. Techniques for the testing of the disease include Real-time reverse transcription
polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR), Polymerase
chain reaction (PCR), Antibody test
Sample for testing:
The
test is typically done on respiratory samples obtained by a nasopharyngeal swab; however, a
nasal swab or sputum sample
may also be used. Blood sample and genetic
sequence of virus isolated from the strain of coronavirus may also be used
for diagnostic purposes. Recent studies showed that Saliva sample produced by cough into a sterile container can also be
used for testing. Saliva technique has the potential of being quicker than the
swab and low risk for health care workers. Chest
CT scan may also be helpful for Coronavirus disease individuals with high clinical suspicion of infection but recommended in severe
case
Prevention:
Reduce
the chances of infection by measure the steps include Stay at home, Avoid
crowded place, Keep
the distance from others, Washing
hands with soap for at least 20 seconds, Social
distancing Avoid touching the eyes nose and mouth, Using
hand sanitizer, Vaccination ( not expected until 2021)
Protective
measure:
Protective
measure must be taken to reduce the risk of virus transmission especially
during administration by the healthcare that can generate aerosols such
as intubation or hand ventilation.
The CDC recommends placing the person in an Airborne Infection Isolation Room (AIIR) in addition to
using standard
precautions, contact precautions, and airborne precautions
for the healthcare worker during the care of Coronavirus disease patients. The recommended gear is and medical gloves, eye protection, respirator or facemask, PPE gown.
