COVID-19: A crisis simplified.

Shops shut down, malls closed and roads deserted; is it the Apocalypse? Close but no cigar, it's the Coronavirus pandemic. Welcome to a global situation comparable to a world war, only the humans aren’t fighting each other but a microorganism that’s killed over 30,000 people, infected over 7,00,000 more(at the time of writing this post) and capable of bringing the world to a standstill.

Scary right? Yes, but with the right information any crisis becomes manageable. Let’s begin.

What is the Coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that have crown-like (corona) protein projections on the virus particles. They originated in mammals and birds and mutated to be able to infect and affect humans. The particular new strain of the coronavirus we’re dealing with now is the 2019-nCoV (novel coronavirus 2019) that causes COVID-19(Coronavirus disease) in humans.

What does it do?

Coronaviruses have existed for a long time now. While earlier strains caused respiratory tract infections that can be mild - like the common cold and others that can be lethal - such as SARS(Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS(Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), the novel Coronavirus is the most potent and lethal strain we’ve seen till date with a current mortality rate of nearly 5%. It attacks the respiratory system and causes an infection which leads to development of severe flu-like symptoms in mild cases while severe cases escalate to pneumonia, septic shock and multiple-organ failure leading to death. The incubation period for COVID-19 (i.e. the time between exposure to the virus and onset of symptoms) is currently estimated at between 2 and 14 days. At this stage, we know that the virus can be transmitted when people who are infected show flu-like symptoms such as coughing and sneezing. There is evidence suggesting that transmission can occur from an infected person with no symptoms; however, uncertainties remain about the effect of transmission by asymptomatic people.

Do you need to be worried?

Worried? No, but careful YES. While it has been found that mostly people over the age of 60 are most vulnerable to the virus, you can still act as a transmitter and put others at risk. People with underlying health conditions like heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes and severe asthma are also at risk. Others will have unpleasant flu-like symptoms but can ultimately fight it with the right medical care. Extremely high fevers can be expected. A possible explanation for this can be inferred from the results of a study conducted by the Colorado State University, which found bats to be reservoirs (not hosts) of the virus. When bats fly, their body temperatures are elevated and the virus may have evolved to withstand these higher body temperatures over time.

Why so many precautions if it’s manageable for the majority?

Hospitals only have a certain number of doctors, nurses, ICUs, beds and support staff to accommodate and treat new patients apart from the pre-existing ones. COVID-19 treatment is resource-intensive and with the limited resources of any country, only a small fraction of the entire population can be treated at a time. Once the total number of cases in a country exceeds the capacity of its medical infrastructure, healthcare systems start to fail and people start dying at an alarming rate as they don’t get the medical attention they need. The novel coronavirus is highly infectious (1 person can infect upto 3,000 others) and if measures such as the recent 21 day lockdown in India aren’t adopted then we’re headed towards disaster. USA and Italy are prime examples of the disastrous effects of negligence and failure to prevent community spread of the virus.

How do I stay safe?

· Washing your hands regularly with soap and preferably warm water for about 20 seconds while crisscrossing your fingers to ensure complete washing of your hands.

· Following self-quarantine.

· Using a sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol when soap is unavailable.

· If you must go outside, then wear full-sleeves and do not touch your face until you sanitize your hands.

· Cough into your elbows or shoulders to prevent spread of germs through hands.

· It’s also a good idea to disinfect the supplies you get from outside and try to avoid using physical currency. Disinfect your credit/debit cards and other objects that have changed hands.

Do masks help?

Yes, but before y’all flock to the nearest pharmacy to buy one, it’s important you understand two things- 1) Who needs a mask? 2) What kind of mask is required?

Coming to the first question, anyone who is in contact with a sick person, someone with symptoms or anyone who has any of the aforementioned underlying health conditions must wear a mask in order to protect themselves. Others MUST NOT unnecessarily buy masks as that would create a shortage for the people who need them the most, especially healthcare workers.

I’ve seen a lot of pictures/videos where people are wearing the normal green/blue surgical masks. You must understand that these masks are designed to keep things inside and not the other way around. Furthermore, anti-pollution masks and fiber masks aren’t effective either. What you need are certified N95/N99/N100/P99/P100 grade masks which are generally manufactured by 3M. These masks are actually respirators and care must be taken to ensure that they form a tight fit around your mouth and nose. You MUST NOT touch the outer surface of the mask while removing it. If you do, then you must wash your hands immediately. Also, unless you have a respirator facepiece type of mask with replaceable filter cartridges, the masks must be replaced after approximately 2 weeks of usage.

If you're concerned enough to buy a mask then you might as well purchase protective eyewear since the virus can also enter through the mucous membranes of the eye.

Effective use and throw masks for protection against the Coronavirus

A reusable facepiece type respirator(N95 grade)

Miscellaneous:

There are certain aspects of this crisis to which I cannot give rigid answers to; Like whether you should stockpile on essentials or not. While this post is meant to give you basic information about the current crisis, the nature of this pandemic remains fluid. Thus, I would strongly recommend that you monitor your regional news outlets and public health authority announcements to get updates on the situation and take decisions accordingly. Please beware of potentially harmful apps/websites that are disguised as coronavirus updates apps/websites as hackers have started to use this to port malware onto your device and steal sensitive information.

Vaccines are currently in voluntary human testing phase and it’s estimated that it would take another 6-12 months before mass production and distribution of the vaccine takes place.

It would be nice if you could leave out some food and water for stray dogs and other animals as they are facing shortages due to the lockdown. Also, if you hear any animals from inside a pet store, alert authorities immediately.

Remember people, together we can fight this pandemic but must do so not less than 5 feet apart. Practice social distancing and stay safe everyone! I wish you all the best of health and safety during this difficult time. Feel free to go to the “contact” section of this website for any queries which I’ll try to answer.