COVID-19 is an infectious disease that is caused by a newly discovered type of coronavirus.

The Coronaviruses themselves are not a new discovery, and many types already exist.

COVID-19 stands for = corona-virus-disease-2019, reflecting the type of disease that it is and the year in which it was initially identified.

The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily by way of droplets of saliva or discharges from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

For this reason, we all must practice personal hygiene like regular hand washing, not touching the face so that droplets are less able to spread into the air.

 COVID-19 Treatment

At the current time, there are no specific vaccines or favourable treatments available for COVID-19. However, there are accelerated clinical trials around the world for a potential breakthrough for a vaccine and cure for COVID-19.

COVID-19 is a virus and antibiotics are not effective in the treatment of COVID-19; this is because antibiotics only work on bacterial infections.

However, antibiotics may be used to treat a secondary bacterial infection that may come about due to COVID-19.

 Where did COVID19 come from?

COVID-19 first came from a food market in Wuhan, China; the Chinese government in has confirmed this. Some scientists believe the virus originated in bats before spreading to another animal, which acted as a ‘host’ before it started to infect humans.

The epidemic started in Wuhan and rapidly spread throughout China; it then spread around the world at a rapid pace.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) officially declared the outbreak of COVID-19 as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on the 30th of January 2020. Then on the 11th of March 2020, the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 as a pandemic. This means that the virus has become prevalent over a whole country or, as in this instance, over the world.

The controversy surrounding COVID-19 emanates from some world leaders who believe that COVID-19 came from a laboratory in China where it was intentionally genetically engineered. Laboratories in Wuhan studying bat coronaviruses have come under scrutiny; one of them is very close to the seafood market where it is claimed that the virus was first identified.

 What groups of people are in danger of catching COVID19?

Everyone is in danger of catching COVID-19. However, as with most diseases, there are some groups of people who are more likely to catch it than others.

It would indicate from the research thus far, children are less impacted by COVID-19, although their ability to spread the COVID19 remains unclear.

It may be that children have the disease but do not show symptoms, but as with most diseases, they are more likely to spread it amongst others than adults are, due to factors such as not having a full understanding of the importance of personal hygiene.

Research shows two specific groups of individuals who are more likely to suffer worse symptoms of COVID-19, which are:

• Those who are 60-years old or over.
• Those who have underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, asthma, and cardiovascular disease.

The World Health Organisation states that the risk of severe disease gradually increases with age, starting from around 40 years. It is therefore important that adults in this age range protect themselves and protect others who may be more vulnerable than they are.

Other groups of people who are at risk include men, who appear to die of COVID-19 more than women, those who are obese, with a BMI over 40, those who smoke and those who have learning disabilities.