{"id":3436,"date":"2020-04-16T10:37:26","date_gmt":"2020-04-16T10:37:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/covid-19-addressing-coronavirus-myths-and-preventive-measures\/"},"modified":"2025-01-15T06:30:13","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T06:30:13","slug":"covid-19-addressing-coronavirus-myths-and-preventive-measures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/covid-19-addressing-coronavirus-myths-and-preventive-measures","title":{"rendered":"COVID-19: Addressing coronavirus myths and preventive measures"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note:<\/u><\/i><\/b> This article was originally published on Kolabtree<\/a><\/span><\/span> and has been republished here with permission. The author, Dr. Abdul Razzaque Nohri is a research scholar working in 400-bedded tertiary care hospital. Founded in 2015, Kolabtree<\/a><\/span><\/span> helps organizations hire freelance scientists and researchers from across the globe. <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Human coronaviruses were first identified in the mid-1960s. Human coronaviruses are common throughout the world. Seven different coronaviruses, that scientists know of, can infect people and make them sick. Some human coronaviruses were identified many years ago and some have been identified recently. Human coronaviruses commonly cause mild to moderate illness in people worldwide.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Two newer human coronaviruses, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, have been known to frequently cause severe illness. Sometimes coronaviruses that infect animals can evolve and make people sick and become a new human coronavirus. Three recent examples of this are COVID-2019, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How do they get their name?<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Coronaviruses are named so due to the crown-like spikes on their surface.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Species of coronaviruses<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. 229E (alpha coronavirus)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  2. NL63 (alpha coronavirus)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  3. OC43 (beta coronavirus)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  4. HKU1 (beta coronavirus)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    First four species are common species of human coronaviruses. People around the world commonly get infected with human coronaviruses 229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. MERS-CoV (the beta coronavirus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    2. SARS-CoV (the beta coronavirus that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    3. 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-2019)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Two newer human coronaviruses, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, have been known to frequently cause severe illness.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      Recent outbreak of human coronavirus in Wuhan, China<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      It is a novel human coronavirus, that is to say, a member of the coronavirus family that has never been encountered before. Like other coronaviruses, it has come from animals. Many of those infected either worked or frequently shopped in the Huanan seafood wholesale market in the centre of the Chinese city, which also sold live and newly slaughtered animals. But still the origin of infection is unclear. As this virus is very new, we are getting new statements regularly.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      Mode of spread of novel coronavirus<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      Mode of spread can be animal to animal, animal to human and human to human. Currently, the infecting virus can be spread from animals to humans as well as from human to human. Early on, many of the patients in the outbreak in Wuhan, China, reportedly had some link to a large seafood and animal market, suggesting animal-to-person spread. However, a growing number of patients reportedly have not had exposure to animal markets, suggesting person-to-person spread is occurring. At this time, it\u2019s unclear how easily or sustainably this virus is spreading between people.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      Spread to other countries<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      The virus has also been confirmed outside China,\u00a0in the US<\/a><\/span><\/span>, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, Iran, Japan and so on and till date it has spread to 72 different countries across the world.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      Signs and symptoms of human coronavirus<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      The virus causes\u00a0pneumonia<\/a><\/span><\/span>. Those who have fallen ill are reported to suffer:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n