Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak Tonight we heard our President speak about this pandemic that has hit us, we in South Africa have reached 61 people who are affected by the virus. We are finally sitting up and paying attention as a nation.

Background: COVID-19 is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It’s caused by a virus called coronavirus. The coronavirus that was first detected in China and which has now been detected in more than 100 locations internationally, including in the United States. The virus has been named “SARS-CoV-2” and the disease it causes has been named “coronavirus disease 2019” (abbreviated “COVID-19”). On January 30, 2020, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a “public health emergency.

Source and Spread of the Virus: Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in people and many species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats. COVID-19 Now a Pandemic is a global outbreak of disease. Pandemics happen when a new virus emerges to infect people and can spread between people sustainably. Because there is little to no pre-existing immunity against the new virus, it spreads worldwide. The virus that causes COVID-19 is infecting people and spreading easily from person-to-person. Cases have been detected in most countries worldwide and community spread is being detected in a growing number of countries. On March 11, the COVID-19 outbreak was characterized as a pandemic by the WHO external icon.

Stay at home if you have coronavirus symptoms. Stay at home for 7 days if you have either:

A high temperature — you feel hot to touch on your chest or back a new, continuous cough — this means you’ve started coughing repeatedly.

How coronavirus is spread? Because it’s a new illness, similar viruses are spread in cough droplets. It’s very unlikely it can be spread through things like packages or food.

How to avoid catching or spreading coronavirus:

— Wash your hands with soap and often water — do this for at least 20 seconds

— Always wash your hands when you get home or into work

— Use hand sanitizer gel if soap and water are not available

— Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze

— Put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards

— Try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell.

Don’t: Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean.

Treatment for coronavirus:  Treatment aims to relieve the symptoms while your body fights the illness. You’ll need to stay in isolation, away from other people, until you have recovered.

Tomorrow our family are going to get tested because we attended a sporting event on Saturday, and we want to take the necessary precautions to ensure we are dealing with this epidemic as a family and irrespective of the results we will be isolated for 7 – 10 days.

As much as we are gripped by fear and anxiousness, lets take the necessary precautions to take care of ourselves and our families.

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