With the increasing number of vaccination drives across the globe, we are able to see a decreasing trend of virus spread. Governments are easing covid restrictions and world is going back to normal. Although, the pandemic have come to a near end, people cannot forgot the scare left behind the virus. In this regard, We are sharing 10 important facts about Coronavirus (SARs-CoV-2)
10 important facts about Coronavirus (SARs-CoV-2)
1. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus – 2 or SARS-CoV-2 is the name given to the virus that has caused the global pandemic of 2019 i.e. COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease of 2019)
2. The Symptoms of COVID19 include fever, tiredness and dry cough. Most of the symptoms of COVID19 are mild. About 1 in 6 people affected by the virus develop severe symptoms and have difficulty in breathing. People who already suffer from diseases like Asthma, Diabetes have a higher risk of suffering from the harsher symptoms of COVID-19 if they get infected. The elderly population is also more vulnerable to the disease. Individuals who have completely recovered from the disease are not likely to be infected by the disease again.
3. Coronaviruses are a class of viruses that use animals as their hosts and only rarely infect humans. The Zoonotic transmission ( transmission from animals to humans) occurs when the virus crosses hosts to infect other species. The natural hosts of the Coronavirus are bats. The zoonotic transmission of MERS-CoV occurred from bats to camels to humans whereas it occurred from Bats to Civet cats to humans in the case of SARS-CoV-1. Scientists are still not sure which is the exact intermediate hosts between bats and humans that lead to the disease outbreak in Wuhan.
4. The Coronavirus cannot be spread through mosquitoes as they are not an intermediate host.
5. The Coronavirus spreads from person to person between people who are in close contact with each other (i.e. within 6 feet) and through respiratory droplets that are produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The virus may also spread if a person touches a contaminated surface and then touches his or her own mouth, nose or eyes.
6. N95 masks are efficient to filter out airborne microscopic particles including viruses. Surgical masks are not as effective as they fit loosely around the mouth. Tying a handkerchief or a Dupatta around your face as a makeshift mask will not protect you from the disease.
7. The Coronavirus loses its infectivity after exposure to disinfectants. It gets killed at 56 Degrees Celsius. This does not mean you should have a bath in very hot water, as you may burn your skin and the relative internal body temperature remains constant at around 37 degrees Celsius and this will not change.
8. Garlic contains some anti-microbial properties but there has been no scientific study conducted that has proven that it has helped cure people suffering from COVID 19.
9. The Coronavirus is an enveloped virus, and hence they are easier to kill as they begin to degrade once their exterior surface starts breaking down. The envelope is made largely of lipid or fats. Soap contains amphiphiles that are similar to the lipid components in the virus. When the virus is exposed to soapy water, the amphiphile molecules compete with the lipid molecules in the viral membrane and hence weaken the bonds between lipid molecules in the viral membrane. Alcohol-based sanitizers also kill viruses in a similar way, but the concentration of the alcohol in the sanitizer must be about 60-80%. This is not the case in most sanitizers which have much lesser amount of alcohol on them.
10. It has been found that SARS-CoV-2 can last for up to 24 hours on cardboard, 2 days on stainless steel and 3 days on hard plastic called polypropylene.
References
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/transmission.html
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/03/why-soap-preferable-bleach-fight-against-coronavirus/
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About Author
Saunri Dhodi Lobo is pursuing M.Sc in Life Sciences with specialization in Neurobiology. Her interests include writing poetry, going for nature walks and swimming. Currently she is involved in research on Alzheimer’s Disease in fruit flies.
Read all Articles by Saunri Dhodi Lobo