CORONAVIRUS
Coronavirus, what exactly is it and should you be nervous?
A coronavirus is a form of infection. As a collection, coronaviruses are common across the world.
Generally, but not always, coronavirus can cause more serious symptoms in people who already have weakened immune systems, people such as the elderly, and those suffering from long term conditions such as diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
Here are some of the more common signs and symptoms.
The most common symptoms of this new virus (COVID-19) are a new continuous cough and/or high temperature. Although Some may also experience muscle aches, fatigue and shortness of breath.
If you live alone and you have symptoms of coronavirus, however mild, government guidelines state that you should stay at home for at least 7 days from when your symptoms began.
If you live with others and you or another member of the household has symptoms, everyone in the household must stay at home for 14 days. This 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the household became ill.
See our guidance or click the link below for more information. https://youtu.be/RD6mEJbeJYw
How is it spread?
The main route of spread is from cough and sneeze droplets. These droplets fall on people in the vicinity and can be directly inhaled or picked up on the hands and transmitted when someone touches their face with the hands.
How long the virus survives during the spread will depend on a number of factors; for example:
· The surface the virus is dormant on
· Whether it is exposed to sunlight
· Variances in temperature and humidity
· Has it been in contact to cleaning products
Under most circumstances, the amount of infectious virus on any contaminated surfaces is likely to have decreased significantly by 24 hours, and even more so by 48 hours.
Should I stay at home from now on?
The single most important action we can all take, in fighting coronavirus, is to stay at home in order to protect the NHS and save lives.
If we reduce our day-to-day contact with other people, we will reduce the spread of the infection. That is why the government is now introducing three new measures.
1. Requiring people to stay at home, except for very limited purposes
2. Closing non-essential shops and community spaces
3. Stopping all gatherings of more than two people in public
Every citizen must comply with these new measures if we want to stop the spread of Covid 19. The relevant authorities, including the police, will be given the powers to enforce them – including through fines and dispersing gatherings.
You should only leave the house for one of four reasons:
· Shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible.
· One form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle - alone or with members of your household.
· Any medical needs, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person.
· Travelling to and from work, but only where this absolutely cannot be done from home.
These four reasons are exceptions – but even when doing these activities, you should be thinking about minimising time spent outside and ensure you are 2 metres apart from anyone while doing them.
What is social distancing and what do I need to do?
Social distancing is the steps that we all should take to reduce social interaction between people. This will help to reduce the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19) and protect vulnerable people. Click the link to look what the UK government recommends we should do.
What can I do to minimise the risk of catching coronavirus?
In addition to what we are already doing, there are also other subtle things to stop the virus spreading:
Always carry tissues with you and use them to catch your cough or sneeze. Then bin the tissue, and wash your hands and if you have it use a sanitiser gel
· Wash your hands more often than usual, for 20 seconds each time with soap and water or hand sanitiser, especially when you:
· get home or into work
· Blow your nose, sneeze or cough
· Eat or handle food
· avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
· Avoid close contact with people who are unwell
· Follow the NHS hand wash guide:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGJNspLRdrc
How many cases do we have in the UK?
As of 1404 GMT on 25 March 2020;
Confirmed UK cases – 8,077
New cases- 1,427
UK deaths- 422
Please note these are Government figureson number of confirmed cases – some people who report symptoms are not being tested, therefore not included in these counts.
Source: The Guardian
Does everyone with symptoms get tested?
As we are now in the delay phase of the outbreak, we should start to see changes into who will get tested. We now understand that the virus is widely circulating in the community, which means that we should assume that anyone with symptoms has coronavirus.
The government are working to increase the number of tests to 25,000 a day. This increased capacity is expected to be ready within 4 weeks.
The elderly and vulnerable will be prioritised, to ensure that they access the right treatment and care quickly. For those who are generally well will not be tested and should continue to manage their condition at home.
Can or should I travel abroad?
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) now advises against all travel. This advice took effect on 17 March applies initially for a period of 30 days.
For more up to date info follow the link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus
Will I still be told if I’ve come into contact with someone who has coronavirus?
Because the virus is more widespread, it will be a lot harder to determine where someone has contracted the virus and there will have a more targeted approach to contact tracing.
The targeted approach will likely include tracing close contacts of vulnerable people. For example, those in care homes or other institutions.
If you think you have been in contact with someone who has the virus, you no longer need to take action, unless you start to feel unwell yourself.
Is hand sanitiser really effective?
The best way to protect yourself from infections like coronavirus is always to regularly wash your hands with soap and water. If soap or water isn’t available and your hands are visibly clean, then a sanitiser gel can be used. But proper hand washing is the most effective method and this should be your first choice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGJNspLRdrc
Are face masks effective in protecting against infection?
Face masks play an important role in the clinical environment, such as hospitals but there’s very little evidence of widespread benefit from their use outside of these clinical settings. However if wearing a face mask they must be worn correctly, changed regularly and disposed of properly to stop any further contamination.
How do we know if the virus is evolving?
From the first two positive cases in this country and has made the sequence available to the scientific community. Our findings are consistent with viral genomes sequenced in China, and we are not seeing changes that suggest the virus has evolved in the last month.
PHE has used whole genome sequencing to sequence the viral genome
What advice have professional groups being given?
For all your questions go to gov.uk.
Sources:- www.gov.uk/corvid-19
