Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a new virus. The disease causes respiratory illness (like the flu) with symptoms such as a cough, fever, and in more severe cases, difficulty breathing. You can protect yourself by washing your hands frequently, avoiding touching your face, and avoiding close contact (1 meter or 3 feet) with people who are unwell.
Coronavirus disease spreads primarily through contact with an infected person when they cough or sneeze. It also spreads when a person touches a surface or object that has the virus on it, then touches their eyes, nose, or mouth.
People may be sick with the virus for 1 to 14 days before developing symptoms. The most common symptoms of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are fever, tiredness, and dry cough. Most people (about 80%) recover from the disease without needing special treatment.
More rarely, the disease can be serious and even fatal. Older people, and people with other medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease), may be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill.
People may experience -
There’s currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease (COVID-19). You can protect yourself and help prevent spreading the virus to others if you -
Wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds, with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub.
Cover your nose and mouth with a disposable tissue or flexed elbow when you cough or sneeze.
Avoid close contact (1 meter or 3 feet) with people who are unwell.
Stay home and self-isolate from others in the household if you feel unwell.
Touch your eyes, nose, or mouth if your hands are not clean
There is no specific medicine to prevent or treat coronavirus disease (COVID-19). People may need supportive care to help them breathe.
If you have mild symptoms, stay at home until you’ve recovered. You can relieve your symptoms if you -:
If you develop a fever, cough, and have difficulty breathing, promptly seek medical care. Call in advance and tell your health provider of any recent travel or recent contact with travelers.
COVID-19 proves fatal mostly in old and people with underlying medical issues (both present and past). This guide outlines extra precautions to be taken.
People above 70 years of age and people with medical issues either currently or previously are at the most risk from COVID-19. This data shows the elderly are at a much greater risk than young people.
Read More
| Age Group | Mortality Rate %/th> |
|---|---|
| 80 + | 14.8 % |
| 70 - 79 | 8 % |
| 50 - 59 | 1.3% |
| 40 - | < 0.5 % |
With the available data there are no reported deaths of children under 10 years of age, and children seem to have a very low mortality rate from COVID-19.
The people with preexisting medical conditions tell a similar story. People with underlying medical conditions are at a greater risk than people without any predisposed medical condition.
| Medical Condition | Mortality Rate %/th> |
|---|---|
| Cardiovascular Disease | 10.5 % |
| Diabetes | 7.3 % |
| Chronic Respiratory Disease | 6.3 % |
| Hypertension | 6.0 % |
| Cancer | 5.6 % |
| No Health Condition | 0.9 % |
This all indicates that if you belong to any of the above said categories you are at High Risk from COVID-19. You will need to take special precautions.
The above said people in the high risk category should follow these extra precautions to the ones specified in the guide.
Take extra measures to ensure safe distance from others.
Source - World Health Organization
There are a lot of myths and fake news that are both dangerous to yourselves and others circulating on Social Media. Never share any information that you have not verified yourself or that isn't from official sources, it will do more harm than good. Here we have compiled a list of common myths and fake news about COVID-19. We have also linked the source of the article which proves it.
Read More
No, There have been messages circulating on Social media stating that drinking (preferably hot) water and keeping your throat moist can help prevent an infection. The messages also cite different health organizations. This is a myth. There is no real evidence suggesting that drinking (hot or cold) water can help prevent a Coronavirus Infection.
No, COVID-19 is not airborne, meaning it does not spread through Air. It spreads through contact with droplets containing the virus from the nose and mouths of people who are infected. Even though the virus is not airborne there is still considerable risk as the virus is highly contagious. Follow the instructions given below to take necessary precautions.
No, Taking a hot bath will not prevent you from catching COVID-19. Your normal body temperature remains around 36.5°C to 37°C, regardless of the temperature of your bath or shower. Actually, taking a hot bath with extremely hot water can be harmful, as it can burn you. The best way to protect yourself against COVID-19 is by frequently cleaning your hands. By doing this you eliminate viruses that may be on your hands and avoid infection that could occur by then touching your eyes, mouth, and nose.
No, There is no reason to believe that cold weather can kill the new coronavirus or other diseases. The normal human body temperature remains around 36.5°C to 37°C, regardless of the external temperature or weather. The most effective way to protect yourself against the new coronavirus is by frequently cleaning your hands with alcohol-based hand rub or washing them with soap and water.
No, To date there has been no information nor evidence to suggest that the new coronavirus could be transmitted by mosquitoes. The new coronavirus is a respiratory virus which spreads primarily through droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose. To protect yourself, clean your hands frequently with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Also, avoid close contact with anyone who is coughing and sneezing.
No, Hand dryers are not effective in killing the 2019-nCoV. To protect yourself against the new coronavirus, you should frequently clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Once your hands are cleaned, you should dry them thoroughly by using paper towels or a warm air dryer.
No, UV lamps should not be used to sterilize hands or other areas of skin as UV radiation can cause skin irritation.
Thermal scanners are effective in detecting people who have developed a fever (i.e. have a higher than normal body temperature) because of infection with the new coronavirus. However, they cannot detect people who are infected but are not yet sick with fever. This is because it takes between 2 and 10 days before people who are infected become sick and develop a fever.
No, Spraying alcohol or chlorine all over your body will not kill viruses that have already entered your body. Spraying such substances can be harmful to clothes or mucous membranes (i.e. eyes, mouth). Be aware that both alcohol and chlorine can be useful to disinfect surfaces, but they need to be used under appropriate recommendations.
No, Vaccines against pneumonia, such as pneumococcal vaccine and Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) vaccine, do not provide protection against the new coronavirus. The virus is so new and different that it needs its own vaccine. Researchers are trying to develop a vaccine against 2019-nCoV, and WHO is supporting their efforts. Although these vaccines are not effective against 2019-nCoV, vaccination against respiratory illnesses is highly recommended to protect your health.
No, There is no evidence that regularly rinsing the nose with saline has protected people from infection with the new coronavirus. There is some limited evidence that regularly rinsing your nose with saline can help people recover more quickly from the common cold. However, regularly rinsing the nose has not been shown to prevent respiratory infections.
Garlic is a healthy food that may have some antimicrobial properties. However, there is no evidence from the current outbreak that eating garlic has protected people from the new coronavirus.
People of all ages can be infected by the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Older people, and people with pre-existing medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease) appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the virus. WHO advises people of all ages to take steps to protect themselves from the virus, for example by following good hand hygiene and good respiratory hygiene.
No, antibiotics do not work against viruses, only bacteria. The new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is a virus and, therefore, antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention or treatment. However, if you are hospitalized for the 2019-nCoV, you may receive antibiotics because bacterial co-infection is possible.
To date, there is no specific medicine recommended to prevent or treat the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV). However, those infected with the virus should receive appropriate care to relieve and treat symptoms, and those with severe illness should receive optimized supportive care. Some specific treatments are under investigation, and will be tested through clinical trials. WHO is helping to accelerate research and development efforts with a range or partners.
Home Quarantine Guidelines of COVID-19 are given below.
Read More
Persons and families should adhere to the following recommendations:-
I am InfectedSource :- Center for Disease Control (CDC)
If you are sick with COVID-19 or suspect you are infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, follow the steps below to help prevent the disease from spreading to people in your home and community.
Read More
If you have a medical appointment, call the healthcare provider and tell them that you have or may have COVID-19. This will help the healthcare provider’s office take steps to keep other people from getting infected or exposed.
Someone I know is InfectedSource:- Center for Disease Control
Household members, intimate partners, and caregivers in a non healthcare setting may have close contact with a person with symptomatic, laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 or a person under investigation. Close contacts should monitor their health; they should call their healthcare provider right away if they develop symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 (e.g., fever, cough, shortness of breath)
Read More
- Throw out disposable face masks and gloves after using them. Do not reuse.
- When removing personal protective equipment, first remove and dispose of gloves. Then, immediately clean your hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Next, remove and dispose of facemask, and immediately clean your hands again with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Use a household cleaning spray or wipe, according to the label instructions. Labels contain instructions for safe and effective use of the cleaning product including precautions you should take when applying the product, such as wearing gloves and making sure you have good ventilation during use of the product.
- Immediately remove and wash clothes or bedding that have blood, stool, or body fluids on them.
- Wear disposable gloves while handling soiled items and keep soiled items away from your body. Clean your hands (with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer) immediately after removing your gloves.
- Read and follow directions on labels of laundry or clothing items and detergent. In general, using a normal laundry detergent according to washing machine instructions and dry thoroughly using the warmest temperatures recommended on the clothing label.
Home IsolationHome isolation measures for people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 who do not need to be hospitalized and people who were hospitalized and then determined to be medically stable to go home. You should follow the prevention steps below until a healthcare provider or local or state health department says you can return to your normal activities.
Read More
- Cover mouth and nose with mask or tissue while coughing or sneezing
- If mask or tissue is not available cough or sneeze to your flexed elbow followed by hand hygiene
- soiled linen, clothes, towel – disinfect with bleach, wash and sun dry before next use
- soiled mask, tissues, pad – for incineration
- for bio medical waste - for burial
नेपाली