Learn Covid

What is it?

Coronaviruses are a type of virus. There are many different kinds, and some cause disease. A newly identified coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has caused a worldwide pandemic, called COVID-19.

The term "coronavirus" actually refers to a family of viruses that causes many different types of diseases, including the common cold. COVID-19 is a "novel coronavirus," which means it’s a new disease unfamiliar to scientists and doctors. Its name is actually a mash-up of the words "corona" (CO); corona means "crown" in Latin (coronaviruses are named for the crown-like spikes on their surface), "virus" (VI), and "disease" (D). The "19" comes from the year 2019, when the disease was first detected.

It was first identified back in December 2019 by the World Health Organization, following a report of a cluster of cases of ‘viral pneumonia’ in Wuhan, People’s Republic of China.

Psst! Whenever you see me, it means theres a fun fact waiting! Click me to see what it is!

Fun fact #1: The word "Corona" was taken from the Latin word for Crown. As the protruding ends of the virus look like crowns, the virus is named the Coronavirus.

How does it spread?

Coronavirus is mostly spread through the air, when people are in close contact with each other. This is why it’s very important that we socially distance from other people, and wear a mask. Wearing a mask over your mouth and nose helps to stop your water droplets from reaching other people. If we all wear masks, we all keep our droplets to ourselves!

COVID-19 spreads through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets do not travel far, but instead fall onto the ground or onto surfaces (such as tables and chairs.)

Of course, direct contact with these droplets will also result in the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, it is important to practice good hygiene. (eg. Washing hands with soap)

Fun fact #2

Despite popular belief, touching an infected person does not immediately give you COVID-19. It can however, be spread through saliva droplets or if that person sneezes on you.

What are the symptoms?

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are:

Fever
Dry Cough
Fatigue (Loss of energy)

Other symptoms that are less common and may affect some people include:

Loss of taste or smell
Nasal congestion
Red eyes
Sore throat
Headache
Muscle or joint pain
Different types of skin rash
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea
Chills or dizziness

Symptoms of severe COVID‐19 disease include:

Shortness of breath
Loss of appetite
Confusion
Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
High temperature (above 38 °C)

Fun fact #3

Some of these symptoms may not show immediately in a person. This means that they are asymptomatic, but still infectious. So stay safe always.

What can you do?

If you feel sick

If you are feeling unwell, stay at home and call your local clinic or doctor. Explain your symptoms to them over the phone. If you happen to experience severe shortness of breath or have a very high fever, seek medical care at a hospital.

Avoid close contact with others

Since COVID-19 spreads from person to person, if an infected person coughs or sneezes, their droplets can infect nearby people. Therefore, it is important to avoid close contact with others. (Hence the 1 metre social distancing rule) It is also important to wear a mask when going out of the house.

Practice good hygiene

COVID-19 can survive for hours or even days on some surfaces. Touching a contaminated surface and then touching your face is one of the ways to become infected. With that in mind, it is important to:

Wash your hands with soap and water frequently and thoroughly for at least 20 seconds. (Especially after being in public places and touching door handles, shopping carts or even elevator buttons)
If soap and water are not available immediately, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth, especially with unwashed hands.

Fun fact #4

Even if you have gotten COVID-19 before and recovered from it, that does not mean that you are immune to the virus. So stay safe and always remain vigilant.

What happens if I get it?

Most people who catch COVID-19 do get better, and even then their illness is usually mild. As a matter of fact, few kids have even been affected. However, if you do catch COVID-19, you might just have a dry cough, a fever and shortness of breath. Just like when you have a cold, the best treatment is to stay in bed - and away from anyone who might catch it from you! (Example, your grandparents. Older people tend to be more at risk for catching COVID-19.) You might not even know you have it, so keep washing your hands, just in case.

Fun fact #5

Children tend to show milder symptoms of the virus as compared to adults.

When will it go away?

There are experts who are working hard to figure out how to prevent people from getting the disease - and how to help them recover if they catch it. Dozens of drugs (medicines) have already been tested around the world. The good news is that some scientists have been successful with creating a vaccine. Hopefully, these vaccines will help us return to a normal life soon.

Fun fact #6

Even though there are already some vaccines, the effectivness of them are still being tested.