Biography of the novel coronavirus_part 1

More than an introduction to COVID-19
Biography of the
Novel
Coronavirus
This document contains the basic information
of COVID-19, the origin of the disease, various
signs and symptoms of it.
This also elaborates on how the disease is
transmitted between people, and how often it
happens.
PART 1
The document has combined information about the above-mentioned topics, which are collected from
various trusted sources; however, readers may find the facts similar to some other sites too.

2 PART 1
Sudipta Das Dip
sudiptodas194@gmail.com
What is SARS-CoV-2 Virus
The cause of COVID-19 is the Coronavirus. These are a huge, diverse group of
the virus, and you cannot see them with your naked eyes; we will need strong
microscopes to be able to see them. The term ‘Coronavirus’ refers to a crown.
The shape of the virus justifies the meaning. The virus has another layer
surrounding it the main body which resembles like a crown.
There are various kinds of coronaviruses, and they infect an ample range of birds
and mammals. And some are even the cause of some mild respiratory disease in
people, so coronaviruses are not new to the environment. But the virus that
causes COVID-19 is.
The cause of the COVID-19 is a virus named ‘SARS coronavirus 2’. This virus
firstly originated in Bats; which means that the Bats carry this virus and are
infected with this virus all the time. But this virus modified themselves with a
special trick. It developed the ability to transfer between species and infect
people as well. And then it developed another very bewildering trick, to be able to
be transmitted between people, and that's how it came to create the pandemic
that we're experiencing now. So this kind of trick that some coronavirus viruses
have also is not new, so this is the third coronavirus that has been examined
since 2002 which has developed these same traits. All of these coronaviruses
also originated in bats and now can infect people and also can spread from
person to person.
 So the first virus of these types was called Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome, or SARS coronavirus, this was the first SARS coronavirus
which emerged in Guangdong, China in 2002.
 The next virus that developed this trick was the Middle Eastern
Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus or MERS which emerged in the
Middle East in 2012 and still causes human infections and small outbreaks
in that region.
 At the end of 2019, SARS coronavirus two emerged in Wuhan, China
which was the most recent virus which developed the same trait. And as
the virus is similar to the first SARS coronavirus, it was named SARS
coronavirus 2.
Viruses need to live in other cells, and then they multiply in those cells and go on
to infect other cells in the body.

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Sudipta Das Dip
Natural history of SARS-Coronavirus-2
 What are the effects of SARS CoV 2 infection?
The disease, ‘COVID-19’ is unusual; a wide range of signs and symptoms can be
observed due to this disease. This huge variety of signs and symptoms makes it
difficult to classify. People may observe an illness which is known as COVID-19;
however, not all who have got the infection are sick, some people may not show
any signs and symptoms as well.
Some people may get infected by the virus but will never know. These people are
called Asymptomatic; who may not develop any signs or symptoms but can
infect others unknowingly.
Most people do develop signs and symptoms. But before elaborating on the
various signs and symptoms, let us know what these words mean.
Signs of a disease are the physical
measurements which are performed to
understand a particular disease during
the physical tests. For example, the
body temperature which is a sign for an
illness, or the breathing rate as we can
measure the number of times you are
breathing per minute.
Symptoms are not something which
can be physically examined. We mostly
describe symptoms by seeing how the
patient is feeling. For example,
tiredness is a symptom; when we are
ill, our body gets tired. A loss of taste
and smell is another example of
symptoms, as it is also a feeling.
Fever can be a sign and also a symptom as it the temperature can be
recorded by someone else but you can feel it as well
Certain people develop a slight illness, but it is very light. They do not need to
seek any medication. It may feel just a slight headache, or a very ignorable fever
or some light respiratory illness. Other people may need very serious help as

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Sudipta Das Dip
they can feel very sick, and can also be the cause of death in some person who
develops some severe diseases.
There are many signs and symptoms of COVID-19 which include people
developing a fever, getting fatigued, or having chills. Some will have muscle
pain, some will experience cough. Many people link COVID-19 with some sort of
respiratory disease, but not all people infected with COVID-19 suffer from
coughing.
 People infected with COVID-19 also claim that they have lost their ability
to smell and taste.
 Some face difficulties while breathing and feel as if they are short of
breath, which is a serious symptom of this disease.
 Some may also have a headache or a sore throat.
Note that people may have any of these common signs or
symptoms, few of these or all of these signs and symptoms. So
there is no accurate way to define COVID-19. We should know all
the possible signs and symptoms one may have.
Some signs and symptoms may also be similar to some different diseases as
well which are non-specific. So these signs and symptoms may be obverted in
other illnesses too. For example, fever, cough, muscle aches are common
among people and it is difficult to anticipate if one has been infected with the
virus or not, without a proper test.
There are some signs and symptoms which are more specific to COVID-19. One
is the loss of smell and taste by the patient, which is very rare in other kinds of
infection. There are some signs and symptoms which shows the case is getting
worsen and the patient is severely infected. People should immediately consult a
doctor when they experience something of that sort, for example, a very high
fever or an increasing breathing problem.
Patients need to quickly seek medical emergency if they experience some kind of
warning signs and symptoms like bluish lips or face, which means that they are
facing difficulty while breathing; resulting to decrease in the level of oxygen in
their body. These people feel that they are not getting enough air in, even if they
are breathing much faster compared to their usual rate. Chest pain while
breathing is also a serious symptom and needs instant care. Anyone who

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experiences some new confusion, or they are confused about events, or people
and surroundings, or what's happening, or they are facing difficulties to wake
up, should seek instant emergency care. All of these are signs that the patient
is not getting enough flow of oxygen in their body, which is a very serious
condition. And they should seek urgent care as soon as possible.
Congestion in the lungs is one of the ways that COVID-19 causes extreme
disease or death. Our lungs are the means of getting oxygen into our body. And
if the lungs do not function properly, we will not get enough flow of oxygen.
 The incubation period of SARS-CoV-2
The time from when someone is infected until they develop symptoms is known
as the incubation period. Usually, this involves a few numbers of days. So the
incubation period for SARS-CoV ranges between 2 to 14 days. Most of the
people infected with this virus, develop signs and symptoms between 2 to 14
days after they're infected.
 5% of all people who are infected with this virus will develop signs or
symptoms within two days. So it can be very quick.
 And 50% of people infected with the virus, will develop signs and
symptoms within five days. So 1/2 of everyone infected will develop signs
and symptoms just five days after infection,
 95% of all people who are infected will have developed signs or
symptoms by 14 days.
 What is the infectious period
The time at which someone infected with SARS-Coronavirus-2 can transmit
the virus to other people is called the infectious period. For people who have
been infected with COVID-19 disease, their infectious period starts two days
before they show their signs and symptoms. And they could infect other
people throughout they are cured of the illness.
We define the end of their infectious period as being at least 10 days after the
start of their illness. And as long as their symptoms are improving, and they
have not had a fever for the past three days, we could assume that they are no
longer infected with the virus. However it is a bit tricky to identify exactly when

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the end of the infectious period is, but these are some of the common markers
that we use to identify when someone is no longer infectious.
Asymptomatic people who are infected with SARS-CoV-2 but may never
develop any kind of symptoms are equally infectious. For people like these, it
is more difficult to determine their infectious period. It's more difficult to define
when they could infect some other people. But, typically, we assume that the
period will be about 10 to 14 days, and we should assume that it started
before they had taken a test which showed that they were infected, and will
last for at least 10 days after the test.
Note that people can infect others before they become fall sick
before they have the idea that they're sick, and strongly on the
day that they're sick. And they can continue to be infecting
others and transmit the virus throughout their illness period, as
long as that illness period lasts. So that's going to vary from
person to person, but we'll take to be a very minimum of ten
days.
 Variation in the stages of risk for COVID-19
Not all people who have COVID-19 are at the same level as the risk.
 People who are most likely to get the severe disease when they get
infected by COVID-19 are people who are more than the age of 65. So, the
risk factor increases, as the age increases.
 Obese people are also at the top of the chart among the people at risk.
 This does not mean that only aged people or people with obesity, or any
chronic disease suffer from severe illness due to the virus.
Sometimes, very healthy people or someone fit and young can also get
severely ill. But it is rare and a very small percentage of infection.
 Children have the least chance of getting severely ill but the statement is
not always valid.
 People suffering from diabetes, hypertension, or any kind of lung disease
such as emphysema or asthma or COPD which is also known as a chronic
obstructive pulmonary disorder are also at high risk of danger.

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 People with any kinds of problems related to heart, kidney or in the liver
are also considered to be in threat to get severely infected.
 People with weak immune system lack the power to fight the virus and has
the chance to infect them severely.
 Death due to COVID-19
How can COVID-19 be the cause of death?
If someone has a problem in their lungs and those cannot recover, then
the patients lose their ability to breathe properly on their own.
This will cause damage to all the other organs in the body. The reduction
of oxygen flow in the body may result in heart attacks, strokes, kidney
failure or any other clotting disorders.
People who cannot seek help as soon as possible, when they are infected;
they are at a very higher risk of death.
Death due to COVID-19 is rarely observed among younger people.
However, may happen.
Death is mostly noticed among older people who are also suffering from
some other chronic diseases.
Note that it is important to help this group of people more and
more and keep them aware of the fact that they might get
infected. And also help them to build a strong immune system
and guide them know about the precautions they should take.
Treatment for SARS-CoV-2
Till now, there is no particular medication for COVID-19. For now, the treatment
is to support the immune system of a patients’ body, until and unless the immune
system is ready to fight the virus. However, people with lungs diseases need
extra support and care to cope with the inability to breathe in their usual way.
They should be given instant medical support and ventilations to help them to
breathe at their usual rate.

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There is no particular treatment for COVID-19 till date. As like other viral
infection, the treatment for mild symptoms with COVID-19, is mainly supportive
treatment - like Paracetamol, lots of fluid, rest, vitamin C to boost up immune
system. They can be treated at home. As it a viral disease antibiotic (which is
mainly use for bacterial infection) is rarely necessary.
But people with other chronic diseases like lung disease, heart disease, diabetes,
immunodeficiency, elderly (over 70), needs extra care and support as they can
deteriorate quickly with Covid-19 infection.
For them treatment in hospital is required to support their breathing, to monitor
their lung function and other organ function carefully. People infected with Covid-
19 without any other diseases also can deteriorate any time while they are
having treatment at home. Then they should be transferred to hospital as soon
as possible.
How to diagnose COVID-19?
There are 2 laboratory tests available to diagnose COVID-19.
One of them is called the RT-PCR test, where RT-PCR stands for a polymerase
chain reaction. This is a diagnostic test which helps to identify the virus in
someone’s body. The test also has another name, Molecular test. People opt for
the RT-PCR test when they have an active infection, people who have active
signs and symptoms of COVID-19. The test identifies the RNA also known as the
genetic material of the virus. This provides information if the virus is present and
multiplying itself in one’s body or not. For performing the RT-PCR test, a sample
of swab is collected either from the mouth, nose or the throat as these are the
parts of our respiratory system because that is the region where the virus
reproduce and replicate itself. If the RT-PCR test is positive that means that the
person is infected with COVID-19 as the traces of the virus was found in the
sample during the test.
The other available test is known as the antibody test which checks if the
antibodies to the virus are present or not in our blood. Antibodies fight with the
viruses and bacteria and are produced by our immune system. So, this test helps
us find specific antibodies to the virus in one’s blood. An antibody called IgG
antibodies starts to develop when someone suffers from illness but they are

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mostly found after the recovery of the illness. The IgG antibody test is used to
perform to check if any person had been infected with the virus in the past or not.
Usually, the antibodies are built after 10 to 14 day since we are ill but can be
found only after we are recovered. So this test is opted by people who have
already recovered from COVID-19 or the asymptomatic people who want to know
if they were infected or not. A positive antibody test only says that a person was
infected with the virus but cannot clearly state the date when they were infected.
So, this means that if someone has IgG antibodies on their blood, they have
protection from being infected by SARS Coronavirus in the future. However, they
may not know how effective it is or the duration of the protection to last.
We also need to keep in mind that no tests always give accurate results. In spite
of all the efforts, the test results can be unsatisfactory and can have the wrong
information.
How does the SARS-CoV-2 transmit from one to
another?
There are two main ways in which the COVID-19 can transmit among people.
As we know that the virus reproduces and replicate them in one’s respiratory
tract, the main origin of the transmission is the respiratory tract, mouth, nose or
the throat. When we laugh, talk sneeze, cough, shout, while even singing, there
are small water droplets which come out of our mouth or nose. We sometimes
notice it and sometimes we do not see them. These droplets float on the air
around you and also travel by air. And if the droplets came out of any patient who
is COVID-19 positive, then along with the small droplets, the virus is also
attached, which are very dangerous. If by any chance, those droplets come in
contact with the face, nose, mouth or the eyes of a healthy person, then that
person can also get infected with the virus. This is also known as the direct
transmission of the disease.
Another way that a healthy person can get infected is by indirect transmission.
The virus attached with the tiny droplets in the air can also land on other surfaces
too. When an infectious person releases those droplets to the surroundings,
those droplets can contaminate the places which will come in contact with the

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droplets. So if we touch a place which is already infected with the virus and then
touch our face, mouth, nose, or eyes, we may also get infected with the virus.
The infectious droplets can travel a long distance and also has a very long
lifespan too.
This is the reason why we should always cover our mouth when we sneeze or
cough and also use a mask to protect ourselves, along with always washing our
hands or sanitizing them.
The transmission among people is very difficult to trace if we do not know who
spreads the virus. People who are infected with COVID-19 can infect others
before they develop symptoms. Some people never show any symptoms but
continue to infect others unknowingly. We need to examine the infected people
who show signs and symptoms and also contact those people who had come in
contact with the symptomatic person. This will help in lowering the number of
spreading of the disease.
Transmission is more likely to happen by physical contacts; if someone is
physically around an infected person, then the person is also more likely to have
the traces of the virus. People who are within the 6ft for more than 15 minutes of
an infectious person, then they are in a threat to get infected too. The distance is
set to 6ft because the infected droplets can travel up to 6ft and 15 is the minimal
time to come in contact with those tiny droplets. People sharing the same
surrounding are also in the danger of getting infected by the virus as they may
come in contact with the droplets. Someone who may share food with an infected
person may also develop signs and symptoms of the virus.
Transmission is possible in any way if one is in close contact or physical contact
with any COVID-19 patient. There are some other living conditions too which
increases the risks of transmission of the virus. People living together in a public
place may get quickly ill if they come in contact with any patients. Places like
dormitories, prisons and jails, shelters, or group homes may have a high chance
of transmission if they have any infected patients. There are other places too like
the nursing home which involves a close environment and also physically active
environment as it involves the same accommodation. Places like old age home
are at a very high risk as one of the risk factors is the age and this also involves
close and physical contact.

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Sudipta Das Dip
By Sudipta Das Dip
AS Level, Gems Akademia International School
Proofread and edited by
DR Shomen Sarkar
M.B.B.S, MD
Chattogram, Bangladesh
Dr Shimul Das
M.B.B.S, FRACGP
WENTWORTHVILLE NSW 2145

Biography of the novel coronavirus_part 1

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