COVID 19: The Virus, the Myths, and the Facts

Throughout human existence, Mankind has encountered and tackled varying disease conditions. The year 2019 marked the start of another notable disease condition that would quickly affect the lives of everyone, the world over. Yes, you guessed right, it’s Covid19.

The first case of an unknown disease claiming lives in the city of Wuhan in China was officially made known to the World Health Organisation on 31 December 2019. It was at the time thought to be a variant of pneumonia, not for long though, as on 7th January 2020 the Chinese authorities had already identified the novel coronavirus as the cause of these deaths and was temporarily named “2019-nCoV”.

While the rest of the world moved on with life, watching from a distance, the casualties caused by the new deadly disease condition continued to pile up. So much so the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern less than a month after becoming aware of the disease condition, eventually declaring it a pandemic on 11 March 2020.

With Covid-19 no longer hiding behind the boundaries of the unknown, we must have a firm knowledge of this threat to human existence. Coronaviruses (CoV) have been in existence as a broad family of viruses known to cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases, while the novel coronavirus (nCoV) as was first identified in Wuhan, China, is a new strain that had not been previously seen in humans.

With the continuous growth of knowledge about this disease condition, Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is now understood to be an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Studies have shown the virus spreads from an infected person’s mouth or nose in small liquid particles when they cough, sneeze or speak. Infection sets in on breathing in the virus if you are near someone who already has COVID-19, or by touching a contaminated surface and then your eyes, nose or mouth before washing your hands.

Over time, the myths associated with Covid19 continued to gain fame, but thanks to scientists tirelessly working to understand the virus, some of the most popular myths have been proven wrong. These include:

• Covid can be transmitted by mosquitoes.
• Drinking alcohol prevents infection.
• Rinsing the nose regularly with saline prevents covid.
• Covid is transmitted in only cold regions but not in hot humid regions.
• Covid19 affects only the rich and famous.

Separating the facts from the myths is an essential way to protect yourself and those around you from being infected by the virus. Another essential way to protect yourself from Covid is getting tested. With the fight against Covid growing by the day, facilities have been put in place by most governments to make testing easier. For instance, covid testing in Los Angeles is available at no cost in many accessible locations around the city.

Washing of hands and maintaining a safe distance, as well as the use of facemask has proven to be effective ways of curbing the spread of the virus. Mankind is yet again at a point of preserving its existence by effectively tackling the covid-19 virus, you can have a part and that starts with getting tested.

As we defeat the COVID-19 epidemic, every winter, we will still face influenza and air pollution invading our human body. It is recommended that everyone take precautions or purchase kn95 masks from China in bulk.