Health 16.05.2021   577

Covid-19 - How it all started and what to look out for

The coronavirus; It is a contagious virus that can cause severe acute respiratory illnesses. Although the exact number of cases is not known, the coronavirus was detected in about 20 patients in Wuhan, China, in the form of respiratory diseases (fever, cough, shortness of breath) in December 2019 and diagnosed in January 2020.

Covid-19 - How it all started and what to look out for - The symptoms of Covid-19 can vary from person to person and will develop some symptoms in 4 out of 5 infected people in the first 14 days after infection. That's basically;

• High fever
• Shortness of breath
• Loss of smell and taste (anosmia)
• Damage to nerves
• Kidney failure
• Severe muscle pain
• Many other different symptoms can occur

The Covid-19 epidemic was observed in a passenger who traveled from Wuhan to Thailand about a week after the epidemic was declared. Although this passenger was quarantined in Thailand, it spread to different countries even a month after the appearance of Covid and received the definition of "pandemic".

Pandemic; Pandemics are the general term for epidemic diseases that spread over a wide area such as a continent or even the entire world. Countries where the coronavirus epidemic was observed for the first time worldwide;

• January 13, 2020 China
• January 17, 2020 Thailand
• January 19, 2020 Japan
• January 20, 2020 South Korea
• January 21, 2020 USA
• It was first seen in France on the European continent on January 25, 2020. 4 months after the appearance of this virus, i.e. until the end of March 2020, the coronavirus has spread worldwide.

Coronavirus is a family of viruses with a very high transmission rate. Other people can become infected by carrying the virus into their bodies through a cough from a patient infected with the coronavirus or through droplets thrown into the air with a breath reflex. In addition, the virus can enter the human body when healthy people touch infected surfaces that are not disinfected. By touching the surface, the virus can enter the body by touching the face, eyes, nose or mouth.

Any patient infected with Covid-19 carries a high life risk, but some people are more severely affected by this epidemic.
The patients most affected by Covid-19 and with the highest mortality rates are as follows:

• People over 65 years of age
• Patients with chronic diseases (blood pressure, diabetes, heart, inflammatory rheumatism, bronchitis, etc.) who are taking serious medication
• Cancer patients
• People like health professionals are at greater risk of contracting the virus.

The strangest topic for people infected with Covid-19 is the impact of Covid-19 on children and pregnant women. Although there is still no clear information on this subject, it has been observed that the coronavirus does not cause additional symptoms or more frequent symptoms and discomfort in children and pregnant women.

When it comes to ways to protect against coronavirus, the following main considerations need to be considered:

• Avoid coming into contact with strangers as much as possible. Deconstruction. At times when different people are in the same environment, the mask must be worn and the mask used must be changed frequently. You also need to keep a distance of at least one and a half meters.
• The hygiene of hands and body should be carried out with the greatest care. The hands should be washed frequently and thoroughly disinfected with plenty of soap and water several times a day for at least 25 seconds.
• Avoid public places, hospitals, and hospital visits whenever possible.
• When coughing or sneezing, care should be taken to cover the nose and mouth.