Coronavirus Five Minutes Briefing – Symptoms To Watch Out For

With all that is going around us, it is important to have and keep the right mindset at all times, while also obeying all basic hygiene rules.

What then are the basic details to take note of with reference to the coronavirus?

1. The Coronavirus otherwise known as COVID-19 belong to a large family of RNA viruses that infect birds and many mammals including humans.
2. COVID-19 became a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on January 30, 2020.
3. Easiest ways to contact it include- Person-to-person transmission between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 2 meters/6 feet), primarily via respiratory droplets generated by coughing, sneezing or talking.
4. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is caused by an emerging strain of coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2) that has not been previously identified in humans, belonging to the same family of viruses responsible for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), for which zoonotic and person- to-person transmission have been confirmed.
5. Person-to-person transmission has been established between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 2 metres/6 feet), primarily via respiratory droplets generated via coughing, sneezing or talking as well as contact with susceptible mucosal surfaces, such as the eyes, nose or mouth.
6. Transmission may also occur indirectly via contact with contaminated fomites with hands and then mucosal surfaces. Respiratory droplets are large and are not able to remain suspended in the air thus they are usually dispersed over short distances.
7. COVID-19 originated in Wuhan, China.

Sourced from the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control.