Coronavirus

What is Coronavirus (Coronavirus), COVID-19 - The so-called New Coronavirus Disease is actually a disease caused by a virus. The only common aspect of being evaluated in the flu category is that it is caused by a virus.

What is Coronavirus (coronavirus)?

Coronavirus is a large family of viruses. It consists of "genetic material" in the center, surrounded by an "envelope" and "protein protrusions".

The coronavirus is a disease with several varieties, which was identified in 1960. The virus, which is mostly seen in animals, was first detected in humans. The current outbreak first appeared in December 2019 in Wuhan, China.

What are the Symptoms of Coronavirus?

• Coronavirus (Coronovirus) disease, high fever (39 degrees) that starts suddenly after an incubation period of 2-14 days,
• It is characterized by respiratory symptoms such as cough and shortness of breath.
• Some patients may also have a sore throat and runny nose.
• The disease usually has a moderate to severe clinical course. Most of the people who have severe disease and die due to this disease are elderly (65 years of age and over), people with underlying diseases, lung diseases, organ failure, cancer, diabetes, immunosuppressive diseases, organ transplants, people who use immunosuppressive drugs.
• The disease is relatively mild in young healthy adults.

How is Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Diagnosed?

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) is diagnosed with diagnostic kits developed specifically for this disease. However, in order for the diagnosis to be made in clinical examination, the following symptoms must be observed.

• Bouts of cough that do not go away
• Fever of unknown origin that does not go down
• Nausea that won't go away
• Intestinal problems (diarrhea)
• Difficulty breathing and shortness of breath

COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus Disease and Symptoms

Since it resembles a king's crown in shape, it is called "corona", which means crown in Latin.

Corona Virus (Corona Virus) raises fever. It is stated that the incubation period is as short as 4 days and maximum 14 days. During the incubation period, the person may not show any symptoms. But after this period is completed, symptoms may include weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite, sore throat, cough. New Corona Virus is no different from Influenza Virus in terms of symptoms.

How coronavirus is transmitted

The novel coronavirus (Covid-19), like other coronaviruses, is thought to be transmitted through respiratory secretions. Droplets of respiratory secretions containing the virus, which are dispersed from sick people during coughing, sneezing, laughing and talking, come into contact with the mouth, nose and eyes of healthy people and cause them to get sick. In order for the disease to be transmitted from person to person in this way, contact closer than 1 meter is required. In the light of current knowledge, it can be said that the new coronavirus (CoVid-19) is not transmitted through foods such as meat, milk and eggs.

It is necessary to distinguish between the influenza virus and the coronavirus. The antigenic change in influenza happens very quickly. The disease-causing and spreading power of influenza is faster and more intense. Sars, Mers Cov and New Corona viruses have different antigenic structures and are different. In the recent outbreak, although the etiological source is not yet clear, it is claimed to have been transmitted by eating seafood in the city of Wuhan. The coronavirus was found to be transmitted to humans from different seafood. Then, not those who eat these foods, but the people who get the germ infect those around them with their respiratory outputs. It is claimed that it then infects healthcare workers.

Who is at Risk for Coronavirus? People in the Risk Group

The Elderly Should Pay More Attention.

Children under the age of two and people over 70 are at risk. They should be careful when entering crowded places. They should be careful when approaching people. Water and soap are very important for hygiene. If necessary, a surgical mask can be worn. Of course, those who are sick also have responsibilities. When sneezing, we need to cover it with our hands, throw the handkerchief in the trash and wash our hands.

Ways to Prevent Coronavirus

There is no vaccine yet developed to protect against coronavirus (coronavirus). For this reason, the most effective method of protection for now is to avoid contact with people infected with the virus. To date, no person infected with CoVid-19 has been detected in our country. Therefore, no special precautions need to be taken in the community for the time being.

However, during the winter months when many flu and cold-causing viruses are circulating among people, precautions should be taken not only to protect against CoVid-19 but also against all other respiratory viruses.

The precautions we take to prevent the transmission of coronavirus, upper respiratory tract infections, also apply to the new coronavirus (CoVid-19).

• Attention should be paid to hand hygiene. Hands should be washed with normal soap and water for at least 20 seconds. It is not necessary to use antiseptic or antibacterial soap.
• Avoid contact with mouth, nose and eyes without washing hands.
• Avoid contact with sick people (at least 1 m away if possible).
• Hands should be washed, especially after contact with sick people or their environment.
• Since there are no people diagnosed with coronavirus infection in our country today, healthy people do not need to wear masks.
• It is recommended that people with any viral respiratory infection (such as influenza, flu) cover their nose and mouth with a disposable tissue paper when coughing or sneezing, use the inside of the elbow when tissue paper is not available, throw away the used tissue and wash their hands afterwards.
• It is also recommended that people who are ill should avoid crowded places if possible, cover their mouth and nose if they have to, and use a medical mask. It is recommended to use the disposable mask for a maximum of 6-8 hours, replace it with a new one, throw away the used mask and wash hands afterwards.

Impact of Coronavirus Disease in the World

As of 26.02.2020, the number of definitively proven patients is 78196 worldwide. Of these people, 30078 have recovered and 2718 have died. At this point, the number is updated with new cases.

What are the Corona Virus (Coronavirus) Treatment Methods?

Today, there is no specific drug that has been shown to be effective against coronaviruses. For this reason, patients are given treatments that will reduce their complaints and support impaired organ functions, if any.

People who have personally traveled to China and other countries where the disease has been seen in the last 14 days or who have close contact with someone who has traveled; If they have symptoms such as fever, cough, respiratory distress, they should definitely apply to the nearest health institution.

People with cancer, those receiving immunosuppressive treatment, those with kidney disease, and those receiving bone marrow transplantation are at risk for the coronavirus.

In which organisms can coronavirus cause disease?

Coronaviruses can cause diseases in birds and mammals. Those that cause disease in humans are called "Human coronavirus (HCoV)". They often cause mild upper respiratory tract infections in winter and spring.

Does the new coronavirus cause death in every person it infects?

As a result of the investigations, it has been found that people over the age of 65 and those with comorbidities such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, COPD and those who have to use immunosuppressive drugs are at higher risk of severe disease. According to our current knowledge, it is known that in 10-15% of people infected with the virus, the disease progresses severely, resulting in death in approximately 2% of cases.

Are there other coronaviruses besides the newly found coronavirus?

Until 2002, only two types of HCoV were known to cause infection in humans. HCoV-229E and HCoV-OC43 But in 2002, another HCoV was detected in the Far East, different from these known types.SARS-CoV) SARS-CoV transmitted a severe viral disease from civet cats to humans. The disease spread to approximately 30 countries, 8273 people were infected with the virus, 774 people died from the disease.

Between 2002 and 2012, 2 more HCoVs, different from SARS-CoV, were identified. These were strains that cause mild respiratory infections. They are still circulating among people and causing mild illness.

In 2012, another type of coronavirus was detected in the Arabian Peninsula, different from the known HCovs. (MERS-CoV) This virus was found to originate from dromedary camels. The virus, which is transmitted from camels to humans and causes a severe infection picture, has spread to about 27 countries and 2494 people have been infected with this virus. Of those infected, 858 people died due to the disease caused by the virus. Although the number is decreasing, MERS-CoV is still causing disease.

In the last week of December 2019, at around the same time, 4 people with links to the livestock market in Wuhan, China, developed symptoms of severe respiratory infections. On December 31, 2019, a new respiratory virus was suspected after 44 people developed similar symptoms. The possibility of an outbreak with a new virus was reported to the World Health Organization by national authorities in China on January 3, 2020. Examination of respiratory samples from patients showed that the virus was 80% similar to the previous SARS-CoV, and on January 7, 2020, the coronavirus found in China was recognized as a strain that had not been encountered before. This new virus,Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was named.

This virus is also thought to have originated in an animal and spread to humans, but the source has not yet been identified. After the first cases were seen only in China, it has spread to other countries. Not all of these patients have a history of travel to China. Because of all this information, it is understood that the disease can also be transmitted from person to person.

Should we wear gloves while shopping?

It is very important to wear gloves. Gloves only protect the wearer. If not used correctly, it is a source of contamination for the environment. Let's use gloves in long-term transactions if we can stay with gloves until we complete the work and throw them into medical waste and wash our hands after we are done. In a short-term transaction, for example, not to touch money, if we are doing a short-term job, it is perfect. However, if we are not going to do this, if you are going to touch the common phone, if you are going to touch the common areas, this will mean that a micro-organism will be carried to another place. The gloves you wear for hygiene will be a source of contamination. Except for health personnel, I think gloves should definitely not be worn.

Can coronavirus be treated with antibiotics?

Covid 19 is a viral infection. Antibiotics do not work in the treatment of viruses. Drugs called antiviral are used in the treatment of viruses. Antibiotics work for infections caused by bacteria. Let's not forget this.

Can coronavirus live on inanimate surfaces?

The virus can live on inanimate surfaces, but how long it can live is important. If there is no living cell on the surface, the virus will lose its vitality with dryness, heat, cleaning the environment with disinfectant. The virus lives on inanimate surfaces for 24 hours. It would be good if we disinfect the environment frequently.

Are there any benefits of vinegar and kefir against coronavirus?

Vinegar is a good disinfectant. It can be used for surface cleaning. If there is mud on the greens eaten raw, washing with water and then cleaning with vinegar is a good method to destroy invisible micro-organisms. Kefir is a good probiotic. It has been shown to prevent many diseases. I don't know the content of the kefir sold ready-made in the markets. We can prefer kefir made at home. Of course, pickles, kefir, vinegar, these are all things that increase our immune system indirectly. Let's not rely on sentences such as we should consume things like head, trotter soup, kefir to protect against the virus. None of them are successful methods for complete protection against the virus. There is only one method to protect yourself from the virus and that is to wash your hands with soap and water.

Are There Coronavirus in Materials from China?

It is very wrong to think that materials from China are infected with the virus. For any virus to remain alive, it must remain inside a living cell. On inanimate surfaces, the virus loses its vitality in a short time. We knew that the coronavirus disappears within 24 hours, but it is said that it can stay alive for up to 3 to 4 days. For this reason, we say that materials from China are not contagious. However, you can clean it with disinfectant without discrimination.

How Should We Clean When We Come Home From Outside?

• We need to do this not only during the coronavirus outbreak but always. The outside environment is dirtier, we believe this.
• We take off our shoes outside the house, we hang our coat by the door, we put our umbrella aside, we take off our clothes.
• We have to take off our shoes and take off our clothes and put them in the dirt. Then we wash our hands.
• We should wash our hands with soap and water.
• If we have done a very dirty job, we should take a shower, but we cannot say to do this every day. After that, we can go to the common area and rest in our room.
• We can also put our coats outdoors and ventilate for a few hours.

Can my pet get coronavirus 19?

So far, Covid 19 has only been observed to have receptors in bats other than humans.

Will the flu vaccine protect you from Covid 19?

The flu vaccine protects us from seasonal flu, Infroanza. However, think of it this way, the coronavirus infection causes infection more easily in people with a reduced immune system. If you have seasonal flu, if you are over 65 years old and have another underlying disease, this indicates that you will have a more severe coronavirus infection. We recommend that you get the flu vaccine once a year, no matter what. However, you should know that the flu vaccine will not protect you from Covid 19. Corona and Influenza are different viruses. However, the flu vaccine will make your illness milder.

Which type of mask should we use?

This is a question many people wonder. What people do is very important. We physicians, people who have close one-on-one contact with the patient, wear simple surgical masks. I recommend you too. However, someone who will take a sample from a suspect should wear masks with special protection, that is, masks we call N95. Apart from that, I definitely do not recommend using masks more than once, knitting masks, wearing crocheted masks and I say that they should not be used.

Does Every Coughing Person Have Covid 19 Virus?

Do you smoke, first of all, you need to use it. Any food getting into our throat can also make us cough. Cough is a reflex. It is an effort to remove a substance from the body in the respiratory tract. Coughing is not the only symptom of Covid. It is a chain of symptoms. A person who coughs should not think they have Corona. However, if you have a high fever, runny throat, runny nose, consult a health institution.

Does cologne and hand sanitizer protect us from the disease?

Cologne contains alcohol. It contains up to 80% alcohol. It is a disinfectant that helps to keep the hands clean, not to clean the hands, but to keep the clean hand clean. The frequency of use of cologne is very important here. Continuous use can lead to a skin disease called dermatitis. Cologne protects us from infection, but we should not constantly wash our hands with cologne like water. If there is a visible contamination on our hands, we should resort to water and soap, not alcohol-based things. We should wash our hands with tap water and soap. After that, if we think that the place is risky in terms of microorganisms, we can use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.