Things You Should Know About COVID-19
The identification of a new strain of coronavirus has caused an outbreak in late December 2019. It has made headlines all over the world quickly. Today, the U.S. has the most number of infected coronavirus cases among all the countries worldwide. It currently has more than 1 million COVID-19 cases.
With the rapid increase in the number of people being infected with the COVID-19 virus, it is normal for you to get scared. You might start to wonder if you are at risk of this infection. If yes, what should you do? This is what you came here for. This article will discuss the basic things you need to know about COVID-19.
Can you contract COVID-19?
No vaccine is available for COVID-19 yet. This means that everyone is at risk of getting the virus including you. Take note though that healthy people have low risks of having serious illness caused by the COVID-19 virus. In fact, the majority of infected individuals can manage the disease through home isolation.
People who are at higher risk for severe illness are those older than 65 years old and people who have serious underlying medical conditions.
How does the virus spread?
Since the virus is a new one, studies are still ongoing on how the virus spreads. But, it has been shown that it can spread from one person to another. This occurs:
Aside from contracting the virus from an infected person, you can also get it by touching infected objects or surfaces. When you touch a COVID-19 infected object or surface and then you touch your eyes, nose, or mouth, you can get the virus.
What are the things you can do to prevent yourself from getting sick?
Below are some tips on how you can protect yourself as well as other people from getting infected by the virus:
What are the symptoms of COVID-19?
The symptoms of COVID-19 are similar to flu including difficulty in breathing and cough. It may also include the following:
What can you do when you start to develop COVID-19 symptoms?
If you start to develop respiratory illness symptoms like difficulty breathing or cough, call your doctor immediately. Make sure to make a call first before doing anything. Phone calls can manage the majority of conditions. Calling first can prevent an unnecessary trip to your doctor’s office. But, if you really need to go to the hospital, let them know of your arrival first.
Should you travel within the United States
All states of the United States have reported COVID-19 cases. The disease is even spreading at a significant speed in some areas. A lot of states have initiated bans on non-essential travels. This includes New Jersey.
Crowded travel areas such as airports can increase the chances of you contracting COVID-19 once you get near infected travelers. Consider the 3 important things below first before you decide on whether you should travel or not.
#1. Are there COVID-19 cases in the place where you want to go?
If there are COVID-19 cases in the place where you are going and there are none where you are staying, there is a very high chance of you getting infected. Better stay inside your home instead.
#2. Will you be staying in a crowded area during the trip?
Crowded settings can increase the risk of contracting respiratory viruses such as the new coronavirus. This is especially true when the area has poor ventilation.
#3. Do you have someone in your home who is 65 years old or above? Are there any family members living with you who have serious medical conditions?
In case you contract the COVID-19 virus during your travel and get sick after returning to your home, you might infect the people living with you. Older adults and those with serious medical conditions have higher risks of getting seriously ill from the virus.
Conclusion
Now that you are aware of the basic things you need to know about the COVID-19 virus, make sure to follow your locality’s guidelines. This will greatly help in preventing the virus from spreading further. If you care about your family members, better stay at home if you do not have anything important to do outside. Hopefully, you were able to learn a lot from this article.
