The novel coronavirus has turned out to be one of the deadliest pandemics in recent history. As of 8 th April,, 14, 47,471 cases of coronavirus have been found positive out of which 83401 people have lost their lives. Though the efforts of finding the vaccine for the disease are going on rapidly, the speed at which the number of positive cases is increasing is threatening. The pandemic has shattered the large countries like the U.S. and China. However, yet there are several misconceptions about what is coronavirus, COVID-19 symptoms, the stages of testing and the recovery time the disease takes. In this blog, we are going to discuss about the same. And in the later part, we will see what happens if we don’t treat the disease.
What does COVID-19 Stand for?
Many refer to the coronavirus as COVID-19. In COVID-19, CO stands for corona, VI stands for virus and D stands for the disease. Formerly, the disease was referred as ‘2019 novel coronavirus’ or ‘2019-nCoV’. There are many types of human coronaviruses including some that commonly cause mild upper-respiratory tract illness. The types are such as 229E, NL63, OC43, HKU1, MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV2. The SARS CoV2 is currently known as the COVID-19.
What are the COVID-19 Symptoms?
We must know the common symptoms of the pandemic to make sure we stay safe. Generally, it can take up to 14 days for the symptoms to appear. Here are the symptoms.
- Runny nose
- Sore Throat
- Headache
- Fever
- Cough
- A general feeling of being unwell
Diagnosis of the Disease
After knowing the symptoms, if you found some of them, you must contact your doctor. You should let him know about the places you’ve traveled such as areas with ongoing community spread of COVID-19. Moreover, you should also let him know if you’ve been in contact with anyone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
There are various factors used to test whether to test you for COVID-19. Depending upon where you live and your location, you may need to be screened by clinic to determine if testing is appropriate and available. In the U.S., based on your signs and symptoms, doctors decide whether to conduct test for COVID-19. Northwell Health lab is carrying out tests for coronavirus in New York. Here are following steps they take while testing.
- Gathering a sample from the patient
- Placing the sample in plastic, screw top container with a fluid called universal transport medium that preserves the sample and then agitating the sample on a shaking device.
- Getting the sample out by using a pipettor
- Transporting the sample into a testing cartridge
- Feeding the cartridge on an ePlex machine, where the sample undergoes around 20 different chemical reactions to test for the virus.
This overall process of testing takes about two hours and the results are automatically sent to the laboratory’s computers.
What if your Results are Positive?
After the results, if your results are positive. Knowing that currently there is no antiviral medication that has proved to treat COVID-19, you may panic. But you don’t need to be so. The mortality rate of coronavirus is not as much as it was in some of the previous pandemics such as the Spanish flu. Moreover, there are many patients who have recovered successfully from the disease. Commonly, the treatment is directed at relieving symptoms and may include,
- Pain Relievers ( ibuprofen or acetaminophen)
- Cough Syrup or medication
- Rest
- Fluid Intake
Doctors may recommend you to rest at home if you have mild symptoms. In this case, doctor may give you special instructions to monitor your symptoms and to avoid spreading the illness to others. You must isolate yourself as much as possible from your family and pets. These are the basic strategies to recovery. However, if your disease does not show any signs of recovery, then you will be treated in the hospital.
What can you do to combat the disease?
Having the COVID-19 can impose serious stress to your mental health which ultimately endangers the physical health also. Try to be patient amidst the stress and anxiety. You must apply the following things to combat effectively with the disease.
- Drink fluids
- Get Plenty of rest
- Let your doctor know right away if your symptoms worsen.
Along with these things, you must share the important information with the doctor about the disease. You must tell him/her the symptoms including the ones which are not related to your appointment also. You must give them all the information about your recent travels. Moreover, you should also share your key medical information such as major stresses, recent life changes and family medical history. You should also let them know all the medications, vitamins, and the other supplements that you take.
What is the Recovery time for the Coronavirus disease?
Well, this is an obvious question as so many people are recovering from the disease. According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), the average time from diagnosis to clinical recovery for mild cases is approximately two weeks and it is 3-6 weeks for patients with severe or critical disease. However, even after the recovery, it is best to assume that you may be contagious for some time and take precautions to avoid infecting others. Make sure you follow the instructions of your doctor after your recovery.
How can you prevent the disease from Spreading?
If you are diagnosed with coronavirus or suspected to have the disease, it is your responsibility to make sure that the disease does not spread among your family members or the people around you in the community. You can implement the following steps to prevent the disease from spreading.
- Separate yourself from other people and animals in your home
- Call ahead before visiting your doctor
- Cover your coughs and sneezes
- Avoid sharing personal household items
- Clean all ‘high touch’ surfaces everyday
- Monitor your symptoms
What happens if you never go to see the doctor?
If you start to ignore the symptoms and decide not to go to the doctor, well, that might be the worst thing to do. The spread of this disease is very fast as compared to some of the flu’s. According to a research, if one person with coronavirus passes it on to three people, and those three pass onto three more people for ten cycles, there will be nearly 59,000 infections. This is how hazardous this disease can be.
However, seeing the number of people cured worldwide, self-quarantining yourself is the best way to go about. For example, a 47 year old female who had travelled to Melbourne from Wuhan, China was able to recover from COVID-19 because of her strong immunity. So, if you have strong immune system, you can definitely defeat the disease. But you have to make sure you get proper medical treatment from a doctor. Not doing so can endanger your as well as your loved ones’ lives.
To conclude, having been diagnosed positive for COVID-19 can be threatening. But if you can take care of yourself properly in that situation, there are high probabilities that you can recover from the disease sooner than later. Also, don’t forget to read our blog about the facts and myths regarding the coronavirus pandemic.
Also Read,
8 Cloud Computing Trends to Watch Post COVID-19 Pandemic
9 Business Leaders Dedicatedly Contributing to Combat COVID-19
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