Coronavirus outbreak: Things you must know

Team Udayavani, Mar 12, 2020, 1:28 PM IST

Coronavirus is spreading across the globe. The virus was first detected in China and now has been detected in more than 100 locations internationally. The virus has been named SARS-Co V-2 and the disease it causes is named Coronavirus which is abbreviated as COVID-19.

There are certain things that one must be aware of the coronavirus and how it spreads.

The virus is thought to spread mainly from person to person contact through respiratory droplets produced when the infected person coughs or sneezes.

It is said that a person can get infected with the virus if he touches any contaminated surface and later touches his/her eyes, nose and mouth. However, it’s not yet known for how long the new coronavirus can survive on surfaces outside of the body.

Anyway, the reported illness has ranged from mild symptoms such as fever, cough to severe illness and also death in confirmed cases of coronavirus. The symptoms may appear after 2-14 days of exposure.

It is time for all of us to take effective measures to prevent the spreading of the virus rather than panicking over the situation.

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Wash your hands regularly with soap and when outside use hand sanitizer.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throw the tissue into the dustbin.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• It is also better if one wears a face mask. It is not recommended to a healthy person to wear a mask to prevent coronavirus but a sick person must wear a mask to avoid the spreading of the disease.

If you are sick and suspect that it is coronavirus then it is better to immediately seek medical help and also wear a mask and stay away from people and animals. Also, it is important to call the doctor or the hospital you are visiting beforehand so that the hospital takes necessary steps to keep other people from getting infected.