Corona Virus

COVID-19 – Symptoms, Diagnosis, Prevention, and Treatment

Coronavirus, human coronavirus, Coronavirus in India, Coronavirus symptoms in humans, tests for Coronavirus

 

परिचय

A family of viruses that infects the nose, sinus, upper throat and the entire respiratory tract and causes ailments ranging from the common cold to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome(spreads from camels to human beings) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome(spreads from civet cats to human beings) is called Coronavirus. While most of the coronaviruses are not dangerous, some of them can be gravely serious. Here are some COVID-19 – Symptoms, Diagnosis, Prevention, and Treatment

First recognised in the year 1960, Coronaviruses do not have a fixed origin. They are crown-shaped and cause infections in both human beings and animals.

The new Coronavirus – also called a novel Coronavirus or n CoV has not previously been recognised in human beings, hence, it is referred to as a new strain by medical fraternity all over the globe.

New Coronavirus Outbreak

In early January 2020, WHO (World Health Organisation) recognised a new Coronavirus in China. It is called 2019 novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). According to the recent statistics, around 4,500 cases of new coronavirus outbreak have been recorded till now. The number of deaths due to human Coronavirus is on a steep rise. Currently, the total death count is 106 worldwide.

The severe cases of Coronavirus first came to light in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province of China. The city had a large sea-animals market which is closed now, thanks to the increasing number of Coronavirus cases. It is alleged that the virus has spread from animals to humans through direct contact. Another possibility is that its transmission happened via air.

Coronavirus in India

In India, over 100 patients who are showing symptoms of the disease are kept under observation in the states of Kerala and Maharashtra. However, none of them is confirmed yet.

Signs and Symptoms of Coronavirus

As per the WHO guidelines, the following are the Coronavirus symptoms in humans:

  1. Infection that causes high fever, runny nose, cough, cold, muscle pain, fatigue and breathing problems.
  2. Pneumonia that results in loss of appetite, sharp chest pain, nausea and vomiting etc.
  3. Others: Severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure

Coronavirus is responsible for causing a wide array of ailments, ranging from asymptomatic to life-threatening.

The incubation period of Coronavirus is estimated to be 10-14 days.

Diagnosis of Coronavirus

Specific lab tests including the ones that are done to check respiratory specimens and serum are recommended by the healthcare providers to diagnose Coronaviruses. PCR nasal swab testing is also recommended by the health experts for a more clear-cut diagnosis.

In case, you are experiencing symptoms of Coronavirus, you must tell your healthcare provider about your travel history, food that you have been eating and animals that you have been in close contact with in the recent past.

Other diagnosis tests for Coronavirus include nose and throat check-ups.

Precautions for Coronavirus

Protecting yourself from Coronavirus

  • Wash your hands frequently using soap and running tap water. Make sure you do it in a proper manner, taking at least 20 seconds. Also, do not forget to wash your hands after touching an animal.
  • Do not touch your nose, eyes and mouth with unclean or bare hands.
  • Keep away from sick people to reduce the risk of catching the deadly Coronavirus especially when you are in crowded spaces.
  • Regularly clean objects like doorknobs, keyboards, table surfaces, telephone handsets etc. using virucidal agents like Clorox, trigene advance etc. to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.
  • Build your immunity by regularly exercising and eating a nutritious balanced diet. Moderate exercising is recommended by the experts. You can also practice meditation and other mental exercises to keep yourself stress-free.

Protecting others from Coronavirus

  • If you have flu-like symptoms, it’s best to stay home.
  • Try and avoid close contact with other people.
  • Whenever you cough or sneeze, make sure that you properly cover your mouth using a cloth or a tissue paper. Do not forget to wash your hands every time you cough or sneeze.

Moreover, make sure that you keep your surroundings clean. It’s good to disinfect floors and other surfaces using a disinfectant cleaner liquid and protect yourself as well as others from the deadly Coronavirus

It is also recommended to use gloves, masks and goggles to prevent droplet transmission.

Coronavirus Treatment

The treatment of Coronavirus is similar to that of any flu illness. Check below:

  • Take enough rest.
  • Drink more and more fluids.
  • Treat your sore throat and other cold symptoms using over-the-counter medications. Paracetamol and other NSAIDs like ibuprofen are the recommended medicines. Decongestants can also be used. However, one needs be extra cautious when providing elderly people with over-the-counter medications as they can affect their overall health in a negative way and make them more vulnerable.
  • Integrated as well as herbal medicinal therapy help in the treatment of Coronavirus.

If the symptoms become worse or do not go away on their own, contact your healthcare provider and seek medical assistance as early as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions: Coronavirus

1.

 

How dangerous is Coronavirus?

2019 novel coronavirus is new to medical sciences. According to medical scientists, human beings haven’t developed the necessary immunity to fight this virus yet, which makes Coronavirus infection particularly dangerous.

The world is at the risk of a global pandemic with the advent of 2019 novel Coronavirus. If proper actions are not taken by the health authorities and individuals, the outbreak can become deadly.

Health officials all around the globe are looking forward to precisely evaluate the situation and suggest measures accordingly. However, if things keep going downhill, the World Health Organization would soon announce Coronavirus as a global health emergency.

Some scientists are of the view that the new Coronavirus is comparatively less dangerous than its past counterparts such as SARS and MERS.

2.

 

How is Coronavirus transmitted?

The new Coronavirus adapts and mutates, meaning it can spread far and wide quite easily which makes it further challenging when it comes to the treatment. Also, there is no clear evidence that shows the coronavirus also transmits through the respiratory tract.

Coronavirus spread from the infected people to healthy ones through coughing, sneezing, coming in contact with things that have been touched by the person/animal carrying the infection.

It is also transmitted via indirect contact. For instance, when a person suffering from Coronavirus sneezes or coughs, he or she releases droplets(invisible to the naked eyes) that get stuck to the surfaces such as doorknobs, railings and even smartphones. If a healthy person gets in contact with these droplets, he or she can also get the Coronavirus.

3.

 

Does Coronavirus spread from animals to humans?

Yes, Coronavirus may spread from animals to humans. Such exchanges result in diseases called zoonotic diseases.

It spreads from animals to humans when meat or other products that are derived from animals are consumed by human beings. Meat and related food, if not cooked properly that too in unhygienic environments can also facilitate the spread of the Coronavirus.

4.

 

Is there a vaccine for Coronavirus?

No, currently there is no vaccine available to protect you from the life-threatening Coronavirus. However, the medical fraternity is putting enormous efforts to find solutions to control this growing epidemic.

Since there is no vaccine available, it is best to indulge in hygiene practices and reduce the risk of transmission of Coronavirus.

5.

 

Any group of people particularly at risk of Coronavirus?

People who have a weak immune system or the ones who are already suffering from severe medical conditions of lungs and heart besides those who are on Immunosuppressive drugs and anti-cancerous drugs are particularly at risk of Coronavirus. Older people are also considered vulnerable to this deadly virus.

6.

 

Does a mask protect me against Coronavirus?

N-99 and N-95 masks are recommended to use in order to protect yourself. They prevent the transmission of the Coronavirus especially when you are travelling or in crowded spaces. However, these masks must be worn in a proper manner to ensure full protection.

7.

 

Does Coronavirus affect organs other than the respiratory tract?

Yes, it may. In case, a person infected with Coronavirus develops pneumonia, he or she may suffer from acute kidney failure. If the virus spreads in the body further, there is a possibility of multi-organ failure as well.

Famhealth – About Us

about us

our vision, philosophy
& mission

Famhealth, derived from the term family health is a platform,
that strives to help the patient and the ‘family health guardian’
navigate through various issues related to the health of her family.

about famhealth


Famhealth derived from the term Family Health is a healthcare venture in bringing people with common health conditions and concerns together.

Patients and their caregivers have  questions that remain unanswered. We plug this information gap by aggregating; curating and disseminating evidence-based information through various media platforms.

We strive to help the patient and ‘family health guardians’ navigate through various issues related to their health by Informing, Inspiring and Empowering them. In short, equipping families to take informed, thought-through decisions.

We have a wide network of experienced super-specialists who advise us and our medical content is created by an unbiased team of professionals with a cumulative experience of more than 100 years and who come from various backgrounds – medical, media, advertising, digital, and academics… mostly humanitarian. We are proud to offer India a platform dedicated to healthcare people can trust.

You can also catch us on TV with our distribution partners, Tata Sky on “Tata Sky Family Health

our core team

asha kapoor, MD

Close to 30 years work ex in advertising and marketing. Began her career in account management at Lintas (Delhi and Mumbai) and McCann Erickson (Delhi and Mumbai) as also by working on iconic brands like Dettol; Disprin, Stayfree; J&J Baby products. L’Oreal etc.

A stint at McCann Erickson New York (Consumer Health) followed by setting up new ventures:

  • McCann Healthcare India, one of the first specialist agencies in this domain.
  • As an Executive Director & President a Sudler & Hennessey India & Singapore, a high-end specialist niche communications company (a WPP/ Rediffusion Y&R company. This encompassed setting up a series of disciplines ranging from consumer advertising (OTC businesses), direct marketing, BTB marketing, loyalty programs, a medical knowledge bank and PR not just for India, but Singapore too.

Worked as Director Marketing at Ozone Ayurvedics, and as Director, Business with Tag Worldwide.

vibha paul rishi, investor, chief whip & advisor

Vibha holds a BA (hon) degree in economics from Delhi University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Faculty of Management Studies, New Delhi. Vibha Paul Rishi is an experienced marketing professional with stints in Indian and international markets, coupled with an abiding passion for people.

Her last role was as the executive director, brand and human capital of Max India Limited. Prior to this, she was the director, marketing and customer strategy at the Future Group. She served PepsiCo for 17 years in leadership roles in marketing and innovation in India, US and UK. She was one of the founding team of PepsiCo and Titan watches when they started up in India.

She serves on the boards of several reputed companies such as Asian Paints, Indian Hotels, Tata Chemicals etc. She is also on the board of Pratham, an NGO that works to provide education to underprivileged children in India . Recently she was appointed to the Faculty Board of her alma mater FMS , Delhi University.

maulshree joshi, content & strategy director

Ex National Director Group M’s Motivator, Maulshree Is a seasoned advertising and content professional with over 15 years of cross functional experience in the Industry.

She was with GroupM for about 10 years, where she had stints at various GroupM agencies including ESP, Mindshare and Motivator. She worked extensively on creating branded content across brands at GroupM and created India’s first Cookery based reality which ran for multiple seasons on Colors. She also conceptualized the first ever Virtual Reality show on Doordarshan for Perfetti besides many other award winning content projects.

In addition, she launched RadioM, India’s first ‘only Radio content’ agency to harness the power of radio for brands working with Pepsico, Hero Moto Corp, Tata Tea, GSK and many others. Earlier in her career she worked with agencies like Mudra, Lowe and RKSwamy BBDO.

nitin kapoor, founder director and head operations

Over 35 years of diverse experience across industries from the Merchant Navy, Software & Solutions Sales, International trading, Project Management and as an Entrepreneur. Served as an integral member of the NIIT software team in its formative years.

His experience ranges from spearheading and management of operations, key client relationship building, business development (domestic and global), managing liaisons and all that needs in running your own business.

our social responsibility


The large part of health conditions in India today are lifestyle led and are chronic or ‘lifelong’. While our medical fraternity does an outstanding job in treating our diseases and conditions, there is an enormous stress on our healthcare infrastructure.

Efficacy of treatments is very heavily dependent on how well we have modified our lifestyle. We are here to help our country and our doctors by understanding effective patient self-management techniques and consistently complying with these.

Our content and updates are responsibly curated by the best in the medical field. Our aim is to aggregate solutions and resources that exist but are still unknown to many. Please help us find them. Please post generously.

note

Each one of us is different and react to things differently. Please remember that while many ideas will be shared and discussed on this platform, some of these may not be applicable/suitable for some of us. Hence we urge you to check with your doctor if they are appropriate for you. Also, we neither encourage nor subscribe to any discussions on a specific doctor, hospital or treatments on this platform.

how we help


inform

We provide your family and you relevant medical information, latest scientific and medical updates and professional suggestions to help you understand your condition better

inspire

We provide a safe place to hear about the journey of other people who have successfully navigated through the same health issues and what helped them overcome their challenges.

empower

We provide as many solutions as we possibly can to help you and your family make better informed decisions to effectively manage your loved one’s health concern.