1. What is COVID-19?
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. They can cause diseases ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV). Some transmit easily from person to person while others do not. COVID-19 is a new disease that has not been previously identified in humans.
China determined that a novel coronavirus (referred to as COVID-19) is responsible for the outbreak of pneumonia in Wuhan. Authorities in China and worldwide are conducting further investigations to better understand where the disease came from, how it is spread and the clinical severity of illness in humans.
2. What are the symptoms?
Those with COVID-19 may have little to no symptoms. You may not know you have symptoms of COVID-19 because they are similar to a cold or flu. Symptoms may take up to 14 days to appear after exposure to COVID-19.
Symptoms have included:
- fever
- cough
- difficulty breathing
- pneumonia in both lungs
- In severe cases, infection can lead to death.
Questions 3,4,5 and 6 address vaccine, which currently there isn't one, as well as travel advisories, and that there is currently no specific treatment for the illness but that in general, like most illnesses of this kind, once you get it, and your immune system goes to work and does what it's supposed to do, once you've recovered, and most will, you will have gained an immunity to this illness.
7. How does COVID-19 spread?
Human coronaviruses cause infections of the nose, throat and lungs. They are most commonly spread from an infected person through:
- respiratory droplets that are spread when you cough or sneeze
- close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands
- touching something with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose or eyes before washing your hands
8. What is the incubation period of COVID-19?
Current information indicates that symptoms may present themselves up to 14 days after exposure to COVID-19.
SOOOOO, from what this information from the Gov't is telling me, I've come to the conclusion that this is a new mutation of something that's been around for a very long time and it's right up there with SARS, HIV and other diseases that when they first came out, in part due to the media coverage, and in part because there is so much uncertainty about it, and there currently isn't any known specific treatment, nor a vaccine or cure for it, EVERYONE panicked. But to put it in very simple terms, whatever this virus is, it causes a very severe form of pneumonia, and we all know, any form of pneumonia, can kill you.
I've also read that they're saying that children with no pre-existing conditions will almost certainly survive IF they contract this illness because their immune systems are already generally fighting many different things on a daily basis to begin with, as will most healthy adults who come down with it, but for senior citizens and or those with pre-existing illnesses regardless their age, the risks are greater. (that by the way is no different than what they generally tell us when it comes to most health issues.)
What do I really think tho? Pretty simple really. If you, your spouse, your friends work in any field where you have or are required to have significant interactions with other people, (which is pretty much every profession out there) odds are you're going to catch something every now and then, or you're going to bring something home and share it with everyone in your immediate household as well as anyone you may come in contact with. The chances of that happening is doubled if you have kids at home in school still because let's face it, while we all love our children, we all also know they aren't exactly the most sanitary of creatures on this planet and despite the best efforts of the schools and other public places we may send or take our children, neither are those public places exactly sanitary. (sure things have been sanitized and wiped down repeatedly, but the minute someone else touches it, or something airborne comes into contact with that wiped and sanitized surface, its become contaminated and is no longer considered sanitized. Sorry but that's reality folks.)
This thing is a virus, and what do they always tell you when you have a cold? "
It's a virus. Nothing really we can do about it. Antibiotics won't work right now. Take lots of fluids, get lots of rest, and let it runs its course. You should feel better in 7-10 days. If you don't feel better in 2 weeks or your condition gets worse, come back and we'll take another look." Makes you wonder if they really know anything at all sometimes doesn't it?
So, in the meantime, do exactly what they're telling us to do. Wash your hands. A lot. If you don't need to attend a large gathering of people, DON'T. IF you're sick, stay home. If you're REALLY sick, contact your doctors office or a hospital and let them know your symptoms and they'll tell you whether you need to see your family doctor, or that you need to get yer butt to the hospital right away.
