Coronavirus - All U Need To Know

What is Coronavirus?

 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)

These viruses were originally transmitted between animals and people. SARS, for instance, was believed to have been transmitted from civet cats to humans while MERS travelled from a type of camel to humans

Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans
The name coronavirus comes from the Latin word corona, meaning crown or halo. Under an electron microscope, the image of the virus is reminiscent of a solar corona

A novel coronavirus, identified by Chinese authorities on January 7 and named 2019-nCoV, is a new strain that had not been previously identified in humans

Little is known about it, although human-to-human transmission has been confirmed

What are the symptoms?

According to the WHO, signs of infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties

In more severe cases, it can lead to pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death

The incubation period of the coronavirus remains unknown. Some sources say it could be between 10 and 14 days