SANIYA RAFIQ KASAB

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is defined as illness caused by a novel
coronavirus now called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-
COV-2; formerly called 2019-nCoV), which was first identified amid an outbreak of
respiratory illness cases in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. It was initially reported
to the WHO on December 31, 2019. On January 30, 2020, the WHO declared the
COVID-19 outbreak a global health emergency. On March 11, 2020, the WHO
declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, its first such designation since declaring H1N1
influenza a pandemic in 2009. The name COVID-19 was chosen to avoid stigmatizing
the virus's origins in terms of populations, geography, or animal associations
The virus has now spread to over 200 countries and territories across the globe. As of
25 January 2021, there were 97,832,595 laboratory confirmed cases of coronavirus
disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection globally, with 2,120,877 reported deaths. The
number of cases and deaths outside of China overtook those within the country on 16
March 2020[3].As of 24 January 2021, there have been 3,647,463 confirmed cases
of the virus in the UK and 97,939 of these have died (in all settings, within 28 days of
the test). The case definition for COVID-19 is based on symptoms regardless of travel
history or contact with confirmed cases.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelDiagnosis is suspected in patients with a
new, continuous cough, fever or a loss or changed sense of normal smell or taste
(anosmia). A diagnostic test has been developed, and countries are quarantining
suspected cases derived from "coronavirus disease 2019. WHO is working in
collaboration with scientists, business, and global health organizations through the
ACT Accelerator to speed up the pandemic response. When a safe and effective
vaccine is found, COVAX (led by WHO, GAVI and CEPI) will facilitate the equitable
access and distribution of these vaccines to protect people in all countries. People
most at risk will be prioritized. While we work towards rolling out a safe and effective
vaccine fairly, we must continue the essential public health actions to suppress
transmission and reduce mortality.

This article gives a brief overview of the new virus and what to look out for, and will be
updated weekly. It provides answers to the following questions:As this coronavirus
affects the respiratory tract, common presenting symptoms include fever and dry
cough, with some patients presenting with respiratory symptoms (e.g. sore throat,
nasal congestion, malaise, headache and myalgia) or even struggling for breath.
In severe cases, the coronavirus can cause pneumonia, severe code respiratory with
syndrome, kidney failure and death