COVID -19
1:Etiology
Coronaviruses get their name from spike-like features on their surface. Coronaviruses got discovered in the 1960s. The virus has four major subgroups which are; gamma, delta, alpha, and beta. Seven coronaviruses can infect people, but four common types affect humans, these are NL63, HKU1, OC43, and 229E. The other types are SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 is the cause of the coronavirus disease 2019 (CoronaVirus).
- Possible Causes
SARS-CoV-2 causes coronavirus. The researchers of China CDC, after collecting 585 samples from a seafood market in Wuhan, 33 of the samples had SARS-CoV-2. The researchers, therefore, concluded that the virus originated from wild animals on the market. To be specific, they found that SARS-CoV-2 is similar to coronaviruses found in bats. Animals, both wild and domestic, can be hosts for SARS and MERS coronaviruses, which can spread to humans. Infected individuals can spread it to others through respiratory droplets from coughing, talking, and sneezing (Adhikari, Meng, & Zhou, 2020).
- Risk Factors
The disease can develop severe complications in people with medical conditions like diabetes, lung, and heart disease (Coronavirus).
- Signs and Symptoms
People experience symptoms of coronavirus disease in a range of 2 to 14 days after infection. The symptoms include: pain in the muscles, losing the sense of smell or taste, and coughing fever. Patients also experience breathing difficulties and sore throat; in some cases, the face and lips may turn blue (CoronaVirus).
- Treatment/Testing
The test for COVID-19 begins by collecting samples, which include throat swabs, sputum, and lower respiratory tract secretions from suspected patients. The next step is to detect the positive nucleic acid of SARS-CoV-2 by carrying out a real-time fluorescence (RT-PCR). Currently, there is no antiviral treatment. The care given to patients includes symptomatic treatment and supportive care. Six clinical trials got registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry and the International Clinical Trials Registry (Adhikari, Meng, & Zhou, 2020). WHO is testing four-drug regimens in a multi-country clinical trial. The four drugs include remdesivir, chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine, combining two HIV drugs and the combination of two HIV drugs with anti-inflammatory interferon beta. The vaccine currently used in Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute is mRNA-1273. Adults who volunteered are 55 in number between the ages of 18-55. The trial vaccine gets administered to them in different doses (NIH Clinical Trial of Investigational Vaccine for COVID-19 Begins, 2020)
- Complications
By March 15, WHO reported 153,517 cases, 5,735 deaths in the world. (NIH Clinical Trial of Investigational Vaccine for COVID-19 Begins, 2020). Trial medication such as chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine cause cardiac side effects such as irregular heartbeats, which may lead to the death of the patient. COVID-19 weakens the immune system of a person, making it possible for the patient to get infected with other bacteria that are hard to treat. 1 out of 7 patients develop secondary infections, and 50% of patient deaths are due to such infections (Adhikari, Meng, & Zhou, 2020).
- Prevention
To prevent the spread of the virus, hygiene practices such as the washing of hands with soap and water is essential. People can also clean their hands with an alcohol-based sanitizer. It is also crucial to practice social distancing where you maintain a 1-meter distance between you and other individuals. People should avoid touching their faces and should cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing with either a flexed elbow or with a piece of tissue. A person who feels sick should stay at home to avoid spreading the virus. People should also avoid traveling unnecessarily and being in large groups of people. People should avoid partaking in activities that weaken the lungs, such as smoking. Public health preventive measures include isolation of cases, disinfecting surrounding environments, identifying and following up contacts, and using protective equipment. Apart from these self preventive measures, governments of the most affected countries are enforcing a lockdown. In such countries, all businesses have shut down except groceries and pharmaceutical companies. People are only allowed to go out to buy essentials such as groceries and medication. Most international flights are also grounded, and countries are shutting down their borders. The move prevents unnecessary travel that minimizes the spread of the virus (Coronavirus).
- Effects on the Healthcare System
The effect of COVID-19 on health care systems is that it can lead to the medical staff being traumatized. There are also too many patients, which leads to a lack of enough ventilators and ICU beds. This increase means that some patients may be unable to access quality care (CoronaVirus).
References
Adhikari, S., Meng, S., & Zhou, H. (2020). Epidemiology, Cases, Clinical Manifestation and Diagnosis, Prevention and Control of Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) During the Early Outbreak Period: A Scoping Review. Infectious Diseases of Poverty. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1186/s40249-020-00646-x
Coronavirus. (n.d.). World Health Organisation. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
CoronaVirus. (n.d.). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/types.html
NIH Clinical Trial of Investigational Vaccine for COVID-19 Begins. (2020). National Institutes of Health. Retrieved from https://www.nih.gov/news-releases/nih-clinical-trial-investigational-vaccine-covid-19-begins