{"id":18596,"date":"2020-03-14T09:16:41","date_gmt":"2020-03-14T14:16:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/?p=18596"},"modified":"2023-03-06T11:19:16","modified_gmt":"2023-03-06T16:19:16","slug":"a-quick-guide-to-coronavirus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/a-quick-guide-to-coronavirus\/","title":{"rendered":"A Quick Guide to the Coronavirus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Coronavirus information changes quickly, so please take note of this story’s publication date. You can find current<\/em> recommendations and national outbreak data on the CDC<\/a> website. Or, if you want local coronavirus updates and stats, check out the department of health website for your state<\/a> or your city<\/a>. Enjoy reading and stay safe. Let’s flatten that curve.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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The coronavirus is a quickly evolving public health crisis, and new information is coming out all the time. Here’s a breakdown of the basics.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is the novel coronavirus, and is it the same thing as COVID-19?<\/h2>\n

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause respiratory infections. The name comes from the ring of crown-like spikes encircling the viruses (\u201ccorona\u201d means \u201ccrown\u201d in Latin). Most coronaviruses only infect animals. Of <\/span>the seven coronaviruses<\/span><\/a> known to infect humans, four of them are very common and cause only mild illness. Two of them, MERS and SARS, are severe. The seventh is the novel coronavirus that\u2019s currently spreading around the world. It’s technically called SARS-CoV-2, and the illness it causes is called COVID-19.<\/span><\/p>\n

We still don\u2019t know exactly where COVID-19 originated, but experts suspect bats in China are to blame. The virus <\/span>was first detected in humans<\/span><\/a> a few months ago in Wuhan City, China, and has since spread to almost 70 countries. <\/span>This interactive map<\/span><\/a>, from the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering, tracks the number and location of all COVID-19 cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posts updates here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

How does the virus spread?<\/h2>\n

While experts are still learning about <\/span>COVID-19 transmission<\/span><\/a>, the virus seems to spread primarily <\/span>from person to person<\/span><\/a>. When someone who has the virus sneezes or coughs, they produce small respiratory droplets that can travel through the air and infect people within about a 6-foot radius. It\u2019s also possible that someone could get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object with the virus on it and then touching their face, although this isn\u2019t thought to be the primary mode of transmission.<\/span><\/p>\n

The virus appears to be able to survive on a surface for between a few hours and a few days, depending on the material. A<\/span>\u00a0study<\/a> published in the New England Journal of Medicine <\/em>found that the coronavirus lives longest on plastic and steel, where it lingered for up to 72 hours, compared to 24 hours on cardboard. Researchers also found the virus to last in aerosols (tiny droplets suspended in the air) for about 30 minutes, calling into question the WHO’s determination that the coronavirus isn’t an airborne illness.<\/p>\n

How contagious is COVID-19?<\/span><\/h2>\n

COVID-19 <\/span>appears to spread very easily<\/span><\/a>, based on the growing number of people who are contracting the virus without knowing how or where they could have gotten infected. This is called community spread<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To understand how contagious a virus is, epidemiologists determine the average number of people a sick person will go on to infect, within a group that has no immunity. That average number is called RO. Early data suggests that COVID-19 has an RO of between 2 and 2.5. The flu’s is 1.3<\/a>. But experts will need a lot more data before they can say, with any certainty, exactly how transmissible the coronavirus is.<\/p>\n

What symptoms should you look out for?<\/h2>\n

The most common symptoms<\/span><\/a> of COVID-19 are similar to those of other lower respiratory tract infections, such as the flu: fever, cough and shortness of breath. <\/span>But there are also reports of less common symptoms. For example, <\/span>research<\/span><\/a> shows that some COVID-19 patients experience vomiting, diarrhea or nausea prior to developing the hallmark respiratory signs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Symptoms of COVID-19, experts say,<\/span> take between two to 14 days to show up. But people may be able to transmit the virus before they become symptomatic. <\/span>COVID-19 appears to be an indolent illness, meaning it typically starts mild and worsens gradually. The flu, by contrast, tends to go from 0 to 60 fairly quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n

What does a “mild” case of COVID-19 look like?<\/h2>\n

The WHO classifies<\/a> “mild” cases as those that don’t require hospitalization, explains <\/b>Dr. Douglas M. DeLong, chief of the division of general internal medicine at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, New York and the chair of the American College of Physicians\u2019 Board of Regents. <\/span>So, a mild case would probably involve a cough and a fever. A younger, generally healthy person could develop more severe symptoms and still be considered only mildly ill as long as they don’t need to go to the hospital.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A fever is typically defined<\/a> as a temperature of at least 100.4 degrees. Although, Delong says, the CDC lowered the threshold to 99.6 degrees to account for older adults, “who may not mount a robust temperature like children or young adults.”<\/p>\n

What should you do if you have respiratory symptoms? What about less common symptoms?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you develop respiratory symptoms, contact your primary care provider. <\/span>Do the same thing<\/span><\/a> if you\u2019ve been in close contact with someone who\u2019s sick or have another reason to believe you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus, whether or not you have symptoms. If you don’t have a doctor to contact, you can also reach out to your local board of health.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Michael Chang<\/a>, an infectious disease physician at UTHealth in Houston, says reports of gastrointestinal symptoms are definitely becoming more common among confirmed patients across the country, and that guidance for less common symptoms remains the same: If you\u2019re mildly symptomatic and don\u2019t feel you need medical attention, then self-quarantine as you would for respiratory symptoms.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGenerally speaking, right now for most people testing or not, social distancing, self-quarantine, minimizing contact is recommended,\u201d Chang says. \u201cFor example, if you have GI symptoms, but say you actually tested negative for [the coronavirus], it still wouldn\u2019t be a good idea to go out, regardless of what the infection is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For higher-risk patients, more vigilance about watching symptoms and seeking care may be necessary. \u201cHowever, if you have some established patterns like environmental allergies, then you can probably still chalk up your symptoms to what\u2019s normal for you,\u201d Chang says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who should be tested?<\/h2>\n

The <\/span>CDC<\/span><\/a> permits doctors to order testing for any patient exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms. Initial testing guidelines <\/span>were more restrictive<\/span><\/a>, limiting testing to symptomatic people who\u2019d also been in close contact with an infected person or had recently traveled to an outbreak region.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How much does testing cost?<\/h2>\n

The cost of testing might depend on a few factors. If you have health insurance through Medicaid, Medicare or a private carrier, testing will be covered. (This is a new requirement.) That means you won\u2019t be responsible for the full<\/span><\/i> cost. Some states are going further, <\/span>and making testing entirely free for residents. There\u2019s a push for the federal government to follow suit. Here\u2019s more information<\/a> on coronavirus care costs.<\/span><\/p>\n

How can you protect yourself from getting sick?<\/h2>\n