As we all know, that a new deadly virus appeared in Wuhan, China by the end of December 2019 and is spreading everywhere now. This virus is called as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the disease it causes is called COVID -19. On 30th January 2020, The WHO globally declared the COVID-19 an epidemic and later on 11th March it was officially declared as a Pandemic.

COVID – 19 has spread in India as well and to control the spread, the Indian Government is taking preventive measures such as curfews, lockdowns, screening of travellers, setting up testing labs and isolation wards, etc. In this Blog, we give you a deep insight about everything you need to know to stay safe from COVID-19, its symptoms, how it spreads and how isolation can help us all.

What Exactly Is The Coronavirus And How It Spreads?

COVID-19 is a disease that has emerged from the large family of coronaviruses such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). And the worst thing about this new virus is that it has no definite symptoms.

Although some health problems such as coughing, sneezing, fever and difficulty in breathing are considered as symptoms of this infection, there have been certain cases where there are no symptoms at all. The infected person may be a carrier of the virus without even knowing that he is infected themselves. This unaware person goes on to infecting several others in the process, hence transmitting the disease unintentionally.

So if you are suffering with any mild cough or cold or fever in this weather, the only way to figure whether you are Corona virus infected or not is to consult with a healthcare professional or run a series of test at official Health Centres declared by Government. Presently there are 52 authorised centres in India where the test for COVID – 19 is being conducted. The authorised centre in Maharashtra is Indira Gandhi Government Medical College at Nagpur with Contact Number – 07122725423 and Kasturba Hospital for Infectious Diseases at Mumbai with Contact Number – (022300432333).

What To Do And What Not To Do to avoid COVID-19?

Importance of Self Isolation

Self Isolation is an important technique we use to stop the spread of COVID-19. What Self Isolation means limiting the number of people one comes into contact with. This is by far the most effective way of preventing the spread of Coronavirus. Let’s take for example, one person who’s healthy and decides to go out like usual. They go through markets, in trains, in any possible crowded area where they get infected with COVID-19 from anyone who is already infected and undetected. Now this person might not feel sick right away and might not for several days and they keep going on their usual outings and unknowingly affect two or three other people. This is how COVID-19 spreads unknowingly. Over a short period of time this process increases the number of infected but undetected people who keep spreading it by going out. This is what happened in South Korea, Italy and Iran, all of which went from 100 to more than 5000 cases in less than 2 weeks.  To slow down the spread of the Virus, you need to act as if you already have it. Asking almost everyone to self – isolate is a measure used when an infection is spreading in the community. In Simpler words, self isolating means:

• stay at home
• not go to work, school or public areas
• not use public transport like buses, trains, tubes or taxis
• avoid visitors to your home
• ask friends, family members or delivery services to carry out errands for you – such as getting groceries, medications or other shopping

By doing all of the above, you decrease your chances of both getting the disease and spreading it. This is called Social Distancing. If enough of us do it, the virus still spreads but much slower. This way we can get less people infected until the accurate solution for this disease is discovered.

Conclusion :

When evaluating a new infectious disease for which too much is still unexplained, it is necessary to search for and act upon accurate knowledge. Promote Regular and Thorough Hand washing. Be Safe and Inform Yourself about Corona Virus. Stay away from the rumours and misinformation and always get the facts from an authorised centre such as WHO, CDC, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Helpline (+91-11-23978046), only. Our heart and prayers go to all those who are affected around the world. We are proud of the doctors, nurses and helpers here at Zen Multispecialty Hospital who are putting efforts in such tough times. Thank you to all our doctors, nurses and other medical staff that are working countless hours for all of us. Do the right thing and STAY HOME!