COVID-19 Information

What is COVID-19?

On February 11, 2020, the World Health Organization announced an official name for the disease that is causing the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak. The new name of this disease is coronavirus disease 2019, abbreviated as COVID-19. In COVID-19, “CO” stands for corona, “VI” for virus, and ”D” for disease. Formerly, this disease was referred to as “2019 novel coronavirus” or “2019-nCoV.”

There are many types of known human coronavirus, including some that cause mild upper-respiratory tract illnesses. Sometimes coronaviruses that infect animals can evolve and make people sick and become a new human coronavirus.

Today, the scientific community is learning more about COVID-19 every day. Symptoms vary for people who have COVID-19. People who get COVID-19 can have serious, life-threatening complications. Some groups, including seniors and people who have certain underlying medical conditions, are at risk of severe illness as a result of COVID-19.

There is no way to know how COVID-19 will affect the individual. If the individual get sick, they may spread the disease to friends, family, and others around them.

 

Spread of COVID-19

Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this virus is commonly spread during close contact from person to person, including between people who are physically near each other within about 6 feet. This virus spreads less commonly through contact with contaminated areas.

COVID-19 infections occur through exposure to respiratory droplets when a person is in close contact with someone who has the virus. Respiratory droplets may cause infection when they are inhaled or deposited on mucous membranes. It is also possible that a person could get infected by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or eyes. These droplets also can land on surfaces and objects. As the respiratory droplets travel further away from the person with COVID-19, the concentration of these droplets would decrease.

This spread is referred to as airborne transmission which is similar to how measles, chicken pox, and tuberculosis are spread. COVID-19 virus seems to spread more effectively than influenza, but not as well as measles.

There is evidence that in certain environments, people with COVID-19 seem to have infected others who were more than 6 feet away. These transmissions occurred within enclosed spaces that had inadequate ventilation. Another scenario is when the infected person was breathing heavily while singing or exercising.

Under these circumstances, scientists believe that the amount of infectious smaller droplet and particles produced by the people with COVID-19 became more robust enough to spread the virus to other people. The people who were infected were in the same space during the same time or shortly after the person with COVID-19 had left.

Available data show that it is much more common for the virus that causes COVID-19 to spread through close contact with a person who has COVID-19 than through airborne transmission.

People who are infected may be asymptomatic. They do not show symptoms, but they can spread the virus to others. CDC noted that a small number of pets worldwide, including cats and dogs, reported to be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, mostly after close contact with people with COVID-19.

Scientists are still learning about how the virus spreads and the severity of illness it causes. For this reason, the best way to prevent illness is to take steps to avoid being exposed to the virus and to slow the spread.

 

Protect Yourself and Your Community

Here are some tips that you can take to protect yourself and your community.

  • Avoid being in crowded indoor spaces and make sure indoor spaces are properly ventilated. Being outdoors and in spaces with good ventilation reduces the risk of exposure to infectious respiratory droplets.

  • If you are not feeling well, stay home and isolate from others.

  • Routinely clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.

  • Be mindful of your health and be alert for symptoms such as fever, cough, inability to smell or test, and other symptoms of COVID-19. Follow CDC guidance if symptoms develop.

  • Get vaccinated. CDC made its recommendations on who should get vaccinated first. Vaccination is important for those who may experience life threatening symptoms such as elderly and people with certain medical conditions. People with underlying medical conditions may get a vaccine as long as they have had not experienced a severe or immediate allergic reaction to the first dose of vaccine or any of the ingredients in the vaccine.

Read more on COVID-19 vaccinations here.