Coronavirus infection (COVID-19): symptoms and treatment

On December 31, 2019 in the Chinese city of Wuhan an outbreak of coronavirus was registered, and already on February 28 in Belarus the first patient with COVID-19, who came from abroad, was identified. One month later, the number of victims continues to grow both in Belarus and around the world. We will tell you about symptoms and treatment of coronavirus infection and in which case you should consult a doctor.

What kind of virus and how did it appear?

COVID-19 is a severe acute respiratory infection caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. It can take the form of an acute respiratory viral infection or a serious form.

The human coronavirus was first isolated in 1965 from patients with acute respiratory viral infections. Until 2002-2003, coronavirus infection did not attract the attention of physicians until an outbreak of SARS-like pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV was recorded. The outbreak resulted in 8273 people being infected and 775 died. Then in 2015, an outbreak occurred in South Korea and in December 2019 in China. Now the coronavirus continues to spread around the world.

How is it betrayed?

The source of the coronavirus infection could be an infected person or animal. The mechanisms of disease transmission:

• by airborne droplets;
• airborne dust;
• fecal-oral;
• through contact with an infected person.

Where you can get infected:

• in public places;
• in medical facilities;
• in domestic contact with an infected person.

What are the symptoms of coronavirus?

Symptoms of COVID-2019:

• pain from swallowing and sneezing;
• rhinitis;
• headache;
• reduced oxygen content in the body or individual organs and tissues;
• coughing;
• temperature rise;
• chill;
• muscle pain.

Is it possible to get sick and have no symptoms?

In some cases, infected people may have no symptoms, i.e. the virus test will be positive, but you will not be worried about sickness. However, even if you have no symptoms, you are still contagious.

The development of the disease

Favorable outcome

Coronavirus causes acute respiratory diseases in people, but with a favorable outcome, coronavirus can be cured in 1 week.

In the analysis of mortality rates, scientists found that in case of coronavirus infection, women are more likely to have a favorable outcome, because they have two X-chromosomes, which encode the genes responsible for recognizing pathogens.

Adverse outcome

If the outcome is unfavorable, coronavirus causes the following complications for the body:

• pneumonia;
• arrhythmia;
• respiratory failure, which develops a pronounced lack of oxygen;
• acute renal insufficiency;
• complications of severe infectious diseases;
• formation of blood clots in blood vessels;
• complication of pregnancy.

In particularly severe cases, COVID-19 leads to death.

What to do if the result is positive?

If the coronavirus test shows a positive result, the doctor informs the local health authorities and the patient is hospitalized in a specially equipped isolation ward. At the hospital, doctors will monitor you, every few hours you will have to take your temperature and take a coronavirus test every fourteen days.

When do you need a doctor?

If you show signs of pneumonia, fever or cough, you should see a doctor who will inform you of the next steps. If you have returned from another country and found symptoms, the doctor should inform you that you were abroad.

Picture 1 Photo by delo.ua

What kind of prevention exists?

There are a number of prophylactic measures in place to prevent transmission of coronavirus infection:

• to limit yourself to visiting places where there are large concentrations of people;
• restrict travel to countries with high infection rates;
• wash your hands regularly and treat with antiseptic at least 3 ml at a time;
• restrict contacts at close range;
• strengthen immunity;
• take more walks in the fresh air;
• ventilate the living space more often.

How to treat coronavirus?

At the moment, there is no vaccine against coronavirus, so now only symptoms are treated if they are present and a second test is performed.

Consequences and complications

Consequences and complications of COVID-19:

• pneumonia;
• arrhythmia;
• respiratory failure, which develops a pronounced oxygen deficiency;
• acute renal insufficiency;
• complications of severe infectious diseases;
• formation of blood clots in blood vessels;
• complication of pregnancy.

How not to get coronavirus?

At the moment, in addition to preventive measures, the World Health Organization recommends that you stay at home and go to self-isolation. The Ministry of Health of Belarus gives the following recommendations for self-isolation:

• stay at home for 14 days;
• you should not visit your place of work/study, or places of mass gathering;
• restrict any contact;
• ensure the delivery of food;
• wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds;
• air the room as often as possible and do wet cleaning;
• use disposable handkerchiefs or wipes and dispose of them;
• if there is an emergency to leave the apartment, it is better to use a medical mask;
• minimize or, if possible, eliminate contact with people 60 years of age or older, as well as with people with chronic heart, lung and diabetes mellitus diseases.

A number of rules should be observed when using medical masks:

• wash your hands with soap and treat with an alcohol-containing solution;
• hold the mask by tie-ins or rubber bands close to the face with the white side inside and fix it with tie-ins or rubber bands when the mouth and nose are fully covered;
• at the end, give the mask a flexible strip of shape to ensure that it fits snugly into the face;
• remove the product by holding the tie bars or elastic bands at the back without touching the front of the mask;
• throw the mask into a lockable waste container;
• wash hands with soap or treat with an alcoholic solution;
• if necessary, put on a new mask.

Rules for use of the mask:

• use the mask for a maximum of 2 hours;
• if the mask is wet or moistened, it should be replaced immediately;
• do not touch the secured mask with your hands;
• wash hands thoroughly with soap or treat with alcohol-containing solution after touching the mask used or used;
• do not reuse disposable masks;
• disposable masks must be washed separately, after being washed, stroke with a hot iron on both sides.

What should people with poor immunity do?

People with poor immunity are at risk, so it is worth observing self-isolation and all preventive measures developed by WHO and the Ministry of Health.

Picture 2 Photo by rbc.ru

Coronavirus infection - treatment in Minsk

On suspicion of coronavirus, the patient is hospitalized and a number of tests are taken. If the result is positive, the infected person is placed in an infectious disease hospital and supervision or treatment begins.

We told you everything you need to know about coronavirus. Follow the rules of personal hygiene, preventive measures and stay at home. Take care of yoursel