Am I having Flu Or Coronovirus?-Pandemic Covid 19, Symptoms And Their Common Misconceptions!

3 min read

By now, you have probably been aware of coronovirus discovered in December 2019 which is responsible for a global pandemic issue!

Covid 19 is caused by SARS-COV or severely acute respiratory syndrome because it is genetically similar to the Sars coronovirus which was responsible for the SARS outbreak in 2002. Coronovirus that circulate among humans are typically benign and they cause symptoms similar to common cold illnesses.

Now, What happened exactly? How did it spread initially? Virus was spreading among bats which are natural animal reservoir and it mutated just enough to start infecting an intermediate host, the shy and harmless pangolin which looks like a cross between an anteater and armadillo,

In late 2019, the coronavirus mutated again and started to infect humans. The fearful outbreak have firstly started in Wuhan, China and now spreading across frightening the whole world!

Till 18th March 2020, more than 20,5000 cases of Covid 19 have been reported  in 150 countries and territories mainly affecting China, Europe, Iran and South America. On 13th March 2020, the WHO has announced that Europe has become the new epicenter of the pandemic.


The mortality rate is increased among people who have hypertension,Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease, Chronic Respiratory disease and Cancer. And of course, the fatality rate is increased among elderly people from 60 to >80 who have most of these conditions.

The good news is that in China and South Korea, the number of new cases per day have dropped off largely due to the aggressive health measures like isolation of affected people including their close ones, pre checking people for related symptoms and improvement of right equipment and staffing. We will now look into,

  • Spread of coronovirus?
  • Since coronovirus have the same symptoms related to normal flu, how to differentiate each other?
  • How to fight against coronovirus?
  • Common misconceptions on coronovirus
  • Treatment of coronovirus

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1. Spread Of Coronovirus?

It initially occured  in a group of people with pneumonia who have been associated with seafood and live animal market in Wuhan. The disease have been widely spread from infected people to their family members and even healthcare professionals.

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2. Where Did The Virus Come From?

It is known that coronaviruses spread among a range of animals and jump from animals to humans.This can be due to mutations in virus and increased contact between humans and animals.

They are mostly transmitted through droplets from an infected person who coughs and sneezes or through any medium which has been contaminated by this virus. Experts still couldn’t confirm how long the viruses could stay in infected surfaces like doorknobs, kitchen counters,washroom counters, elevator buttons and handrails. But if the virus behave like other similar viruses the survival time could range from several hours to several days.

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3. Is It Allergy, Flu Or Coronovirus?

Based on the current data, over 80 percentage of Covid 19 patients have mild infection and some people don’t develop any symptoms at all. Experts do believe that people infected with normal coronavirus but do not experience symptoms at all, could transmit it to others. They have concluded coronovirus includes joint pain while allergy doesn’t.

One recent study of 181 patients with covid 19 virus of median incubation period of about five days,with more than 97% show symptoms by 11.5 days after exposure to the virus.

  • For elderly people,they can experience symptoms which are pretty mild like fever, cough and shortness of breath to serious infections like Pneumonia.
  • Severe lung damage can also cause acute respiratory distress syndrome when the lung inflammation is so serious and the fluid builds up.
  • This severe infection can also cause septic shock when the blood pressure falls and starvation of oxygen in the body.
  • The main causes of death in people with this infection are ARDS and shock.They most commonly occur in people >60 years and suffering from heart conditions, smokers and diabetes.

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4. How To Fight Against Coronovirus?Maximise Your Health Before Getting Sick!

  • First and foremost,the public health measures being recommended to us includes proper handwashing, social distancing, avoiding large gatherings really are the best means of protecting yourselves against exposure.
  • Prevention is the best than waiting for cure! The anxiety extends way beyond the world.The number of cancelled conferences, the employees who have started working from home, the national shortages in hand sanitizers, mask, disinfectant wipes physically and even online are enough to make us think about!
  • Cover nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing using a tissue or a flexed elbow.
  • Avoid touching hands,nose and mouth.
  • Hands touch many infected surfaces and pick up virus, once you touch your face, it transmits to your hand,face and body. Its time for you to maximize your health and improving your Immunity by a healthy diet, hot water and proper hygiene.

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5. There Are Many Myth Busters About Coronovirus! Here are the facts!

  • Coronovirus can also spread in areas with hot and humid climates.
  • Taking a hot bath couldn’t kill coronovirus.
  • Thermal scanners could miss out coronovirus cases.
  • Drinking hot tea and hot drinks raise your body temperature, thus stimulating a fever.
  • Drinking hard liquor such as vodka, can help treat a coronavirus infection -about 44 people in Iran have died from binge drinking in hopes of trying to cure the coronavirus.Put the bottle away,it’s never worth it!
  • Vaccines of pneumonia will not protect against the new coronovirus-to date,there is no vaccination against the novel coronovirus.There is a flu vaccine out, and maybe it’s time to get in that.
  • Coronovirus only affects old people?Coronovirus can affect elders and young people too,but old people with pre existing medical conditions appear to become more vulnerable and get ill more.

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How Coronovirus Is Treated?

Treatment of coronovirus is mostly based in supportive care such as providing fluids, oxygen and ventilatory support. There is also early data that remdesivir,an anti viral drug previously used against ebola can be helpful and is being tested in large number of clinical trails in US and China.

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Reference Links:

Elakeya I am a young Physician Associate by career but always love to write! I expertise in medical writing, nutrition, cooking, and even travel and food.
Elakeya I am a young Physician Associate by career but always love to write! I expertise in medical writing, nutrition, cooking, and even travel and food.

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