Background
The Wuhan Coronavirus was first alerted to on 31 December 2019 in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, in the form of symptoms of pneumonia. (WHO, 2020) During the onset, the virus could not be matched to any existing viruses at the time.
2019-nCoV to COVID-19. It was only later properly identified as a coronavirus and given its temporary name 2019-nCoV on 7 January 2020 and renamed at COVID-19 in 11 February 2020. Since then, the World health Organisation (WHO) has been working closely with Chinese authorities to identify and treat the virus.
The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses calls it the “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2”, or SARS-CoV-2. this is because it is related to the virus that caused the SARS outbreak in 2003. However, to avoid confusion with SARS, WHO calls it the COVID-19 virus when communicating with the public.
What is the Coronavirus?
Before we dive into the COVID-19, it is useful to understand that Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold, and even prior pandemics such as Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS).
SARS
In 2002 SARS spread virtually unchecked to 37 countries, causing global panic, infecting more than 8,000 people and killing more than 750.
MERS
MERS appears to be less easily passed from human to human, but has greater lethality, killing 35% of about 2,500 people who have been infected
Some common symptoms of this virus family include lower respiratory tract illnesses like pneumonia and bronchitis. SARS was allowed to spread in 2002 (Boseley & Devlin, 2020) after being left virtually unchecked to 37 countries, causing global panic and infecting 8000 people and killing at least 750. MERS is a less infectious coronavirus that spread in 2012, but is more lethal than SARS, killing 35% of 2500 infected.
What is the COVID-19?
COVID-19 is the newly-discovered member of the Coronavirus family. While it has never been seen prior to the aforementioned discovery, studies have shown that it has similarities to other Coronaviruses such as SARS and MERS, and among all known Coronavirus, has the closest genetic relation to the Bat CoV RaTG13, or Bat Coronavirus. (Peng Zhou, et el, 2020). Unfortunately, due to its recency (Smith-Schoenwalder, 2020), there is currently no vaccine or cure available for the virus.
It is also reported that the The Wuhan Coronavirus is able to spread from person to person via a number of ways, and also has visible symptoms that can be identified to avoid potential disease carriers. The human-to-human transmission has occurred already.
What Other Coronaviruses Have There Been?
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS) are both caused by coronaviruses that came from animals. Although MERS is believed to be transmitted to humans from dromedaries, the original hosts for both coronaviruses were probably bats. There are suspicions now that the new coronavirus may have originated in bats or snakes, and possibly then was transmitted to humans via an intermediary species.
SARS
In 2002 SARS spread virtually unchecked to 37 countries, causing global panic, infecting more than 8,000 people and killing more than 750.
MERS
MERS appears to be less easily passed from human to human, but has greater lethality, killing 35% of about 2,500 people who have been infected
What are the Symptoms Caused by the COVID-19?
It shares symptoms with various other coronaviruses, thus making it hard to distinguish from the common cold.
According to the Centres of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one is at risk (Boseley & Devlin, 2020), the virus causes pneumonia. The affected person should be experiencing fevers, as well as the usual symptoms of lower respiratory illnesses such as coughing, fevers and difficulty in breathing. In severe cases (Esfandiari, 2020), there can be organ failure. As this is viral pneumonia, antibiotics are of no use. The antiviral drugs that is used against flu will not work. If people are admitted to hospital, they may get support for their lungs and other organs as well as fluids. Recovery will depend on the strength of their immune system. Many of those who have died are known to have been already in poor health.
What are the Infection Method? How is it Spreads?
COVID-19 has been confirmed to spread via human-to-human transmission. This is mainly via coughing, kissing, and making contact via saliva. (Betsy McKay, 2020)
Conclusion
Despite its recency, there is a lot we know about COVID-19. While what we currently know about the Coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan is based on other Coronaviruses that have presented themselves as pandemics in the past, as well as other more common coronaviruses like the common cold and the bat coronavirus, the information presented is useful in the battle against the virus. The information we have about the Wuhan coronavirus will only continue to grow, to the point that vaccines and cures can be made.
References
Betsy McKay. (2020). When did the outbreak start? The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-we-know-about-the-wuhan-virus-11579716128
Boseley, S., & Devlin, H. (2020). What is the coronavirus and how worried should we be? What is the virus causing illness in Wuhan? What other coronaviruses have there been? The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jan/25/what-is-the-coronavirus-wuhan-china-virus-symptoms
Esfandiari, S.(2020). Here Are The Symptoms of The Wuhan Coronavirus , According to a New CDC Warning, (Cdc), 1–4. Retrieved from https://www.sciencealert.com/here-are-the-symptoms-of-the-wuhan-coronavirus-according-to-a-new-cdc-warning
Hua Zhi, Goh (2020), What is the Wuhan Coronavirus? LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-wuhan-coronavirus-hua-zhi-goh
Tettner, R. (2020). New coronavirus from China: Everything you need to know What is a coronavirus ?, 1–17. Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/new-china-coronavirus-faq.html
Peng Zhou, Xing-Lou Yang, Xian-Guang Wang, Ben Hu, Lei Zhang, Wei Zhang, Hao-Rui Si, Yan Zhu, Bei Li, Chao-Lin Huang, Hui-Dong Chen, Jing Chen, Yun Luo, Hua Guo, Ren-Di Jiang, Mei-Qin Liu, Ying Chen, Xu-Rui Shen, Xi Wang, Xiao-Shuang Zheng, Kai Zhao, Quan, Z.-L. S. (2020). Discovery of a novel coronavirus associated with the recent pneumonia outbreak in humans and its potential bat origin, (Feb 2019), 1–13. Retrieved from https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.01.22.914952v2
Smith-Schoenwalder, C. (2020). What to Know About the Wuhan Coronavirus. US News. Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com/news/world-report/articles/2020-01-24/what-to-know-about-the-wuhan-coronavirus-from-china
WHO. (2020). Novel Coronavirus ( 2019- nCoV ). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
Reference Guide
Goh, M. H. (2016). A Manager’s Guide to Implement Your Infectious Disease Business Continuity Plan, 2nd Edition. GMH Pte Ltd.
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For this period, the content will include the managing and implementing of the Pandemic Influenza plans.
