Coronavirus: what is it, causes, symptoms and prevention

As of this writing (February 28, 2020), 82,104 cases of coronavirus have been declared and 2,744 have died worldwide. And it is that although practically all cases are in China, the virus has crossed borders and the fear of a global pandemic is being more harmful to society than itself germ.

Next we will analyze the nature of this virus, detailing both the causes of contagion and its symptoms, as well as the real severity it has. Because as we will see later, the coronavirus is not much more dangerous than the flu.

In fact, the flu kills nearly half a million people each year. Where is the news? Where is the fear? The difference between the Wuhan coronavirus and the flu is, basically, that the first is novel and the second is not. And fear, in the field of public health, is our worst enemy.

• You may be interested in this article published on MédicoPlus: "The 17 myths about the Coronavirus, debunked"

What is the coronavirus?

The Wuhan coronavirus, also baptized as Covid-19, is a virus from the Coronavirus family that has recently emerged in China for reasons that remain unclear. Either way, it is a new virus that infects the cells of the lungs, causing pneumonia with severe symptoms.

The problem with the virus is not its lethality, which, as we will see later, is not higher than that of other common diseases. It is its ease of transmission between people and the fact that it is "unknown" to our immune system that is causing panic throughout the world.

What must be made very clear is that the coronavirus is not going to cause a mass extinction, that young and / or healthy people have nothing to worry about, as the greatest enemy to which we are facing is not the virus itself, but the state of alarm that the media and the "fake news" and hoaxes are spreading uncontrollably on the Internet are inciting.

How is it spread?

The problem with the coronavirus is that it meets the ideal conditions to cause a global pandemic, and we are not talking about deaths, we are talking about the number of cases. And it is that the transmission between people of the virus is possible and, in addition, it follows the most effective route of contagion for viruses: the air.

The coronavirus is transmitted between people through respiratory droplets that an infected person generates when talking, coughing or sneezing. These “droplets of saliva” are microscopic and are what carry the virus through the air.

Once released into the air, these droplets can fall directly onto a healthy person or land on inanimate objects. If they land on a person, they may either inhale them directly and reach their lungs, thus opening the doors for the virus to their respiratory system, or they may go to their hands or other parts of the body and later, if the person bites their nails, puts their hands to their face, scratches their eyes, etc., it can also allow the virus to enter their Body.

But what must be clear is that these respiratory particles cannot travel in the air more than 1 meter, as they end up falling quickly to the ground by the simple action of gravity.

And another way, which is the one that generates the most fear, is that it can be infected by touching objects contaminated with the virus particles. But this must be qualified. And it is that although it is true that the virus can be transmitted through coins, tables, doorknobs, credit cards, armrests, etc., it does not last long outside the human body. In fact, within a few hours of being on one of these objects, it dies.

Therefore, yes, it is quite contagious, but just as the common cold or flu is. It is not an extremely contagious "super" virus. The chances of contagion are not greater than that of other viral diseases that follow this route of transmission.

The coronavirus is not transmitted by domestic animals, nor by mosquito bites, nor can we be infected after receiving a package or letter from China.

What symptoms do you have?

The coronavirus infects the cells of the lungs and begins to damage them, making the disease has aggressive symptoms but not very different from pneumonia: difficulty in to breathe, headache, fever, chills, general malaise, weakness and fatigue, runny nose, diarrhea ...

And here comes the important thing: in 98% of the cases, the problems end here. The hospitalization of those affected should not be cause for alarm, since people with pneumonia are also admitted. It is the best way to control symptoms, prevent complications from developing, and most importantly, reduce the risk that the virus will continue to spread.

Preventing contagion by hospitalizing those affected does not mean that it will be responsible for an apocalypse, but the systems cannot expose themselves to all hospitals being filled with people with this disease, since they could not offer services to all world.

Because although it is normal that it is scary to hear and know that a new virus is spreading at high speed and that some people die, it must be made clear that serious complications (including death) are almost exclusively reserved for the population at risk that, as with the flu, are the elderly and the immunosuppressed.

Is it very lethal?

No. The coronavirus is not very lethal. At least no more than the flu. And it is that the mortality that it presents is 2.3%. That is, out of every 100 infected, about 2 people die. But do we know what the flu is? The flu has a mortality of, although it depends on the virus that circulates in each season, 1'9%.

Of influenza, each year millions of cases are diagnosed around the world and between 300,000 and 600,000 people die. This happens every year but the alarms do not go off, because young and healthy people do not have any problem with the flu, it resolves itself.

Therefore, the coronavirus is not very lethal. Very lethal are diseases like Ebola, with a lethality that can reach 90%. 2.3% is nothing in comparison, since most deaths from the coronavirus have been in the elderly, immunosuppressed, asthmatic, diabetic, cancer patients.

For 98% of the population, the coronavirus disease will be no more serious than pneumonia, and they will recover without major complications after a few days. We repeat, what is doing the most damage is fear, not the virus.

Can it be prevented and treated?

Prevention is possible and, even if there is no cure, treatments can be offered to reduce its severity and prevent the development of complications. When it comes to prevention, although it is difficult since it is transmitted through the air, there are ways to reduce the risk of being infected.

Continuously wash your hands with soap and water, avoid crowds if you live in a place where cases have been diagnosed, wear a mask, do not touch too many objects on the street and in public transport, do not approach people who are coughing or sneezing... It is also important to remember that there is currently no vaccine and that despite what has been said, vaccines against pneumonia they do not work.

And when it comes to treatment, while it is true that there is no cure, this should not set off alarms. There is no cure for any viral disease. We are still unable to treat a common cold or the flu. In the case of coronavirus disease, you have to let your own body neutralize the virus.

What hospitals offer are supportive therapies to relieve symptoms and reduce the risk of developing serious complications., because obviously the risk exists. But the treatments offered in hospitals, keeping the patient under observation, controlling the clinical signs and administering antiviral drugs are the best strategy to help the body eliminate the virus.

And in the vast majority of cases, as long as these hospital aids can be offered, the body will overcome the disease. Therefore, seeing that governments are closing air connections with other countries or recommending not to go out on the street should not alarm us. They do this not because it is a very deadly pathogen, but to minimize the number of cases and thus ensure that those who become ill can receive the necessary medical support.

So is there cause for alarm?

It is totally normal for us to feel fear, as it is a natural survival response. But among this uncertainty we must base ourselves on what we know for sure about the virus, and that is that it is objectively no more dangerous than a simple flu. We have all suffered the flu at some time and nothing has happened. With this virus, the same.

In addition, it must be borne in mind that the media is trying to sell and "take advantage" of this novelty and that the strategies and government recommendations are not because this virus is going to kill us all, but because it is necessary to minimize the number of cases to that all people who will be infected can receive the necessary treatment to ensure that their body resolves the disease on its own only.

Bibliographic references:

• European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. (2020) “Outbreak of acute respiratory syndrome associated with a novel coronavirus, China; First cases imported in the EU / EEA; second update ". ECDC.
• Read, J.M., Bridgen, J.R.E., Cummings, D.A.T. et al (2020) “Novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV: early estimation of epidemiological parameters and epidemic predictions”. medRxiv.
• Ministry of Health. (2020) "Questions and answers about the new coronavirus 2019 (2019-nCoV)". Government of Spain.