The number of people infected with the coronavirus worldwide has already exceeded two million, with 130,000 deaths. According to research, nearly 80% of those infected have no or mild symptoms. The rest experience a severe form of Covid-19.
The most reliable way is to wash your hands regularly and thoroughly with soap and water. The coronavirus spreads when an infected person coughs and tiny droplets of virus-laden mucus become airborne. They can enter a healthy person’s body through the respiratory system or by touching a surface where a droplet of infected sputum has landed and then touching your face-nose, eyes, or mouth. To avoid infection, try to avoid close contact with an infected person, cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing with a disposable tissue and discard it immediately, and do not touch your face with unwashed hands. According to doctors, face masks do not provide effective protection.
Properly washed hands reduce the risk of contracting any type of infection, including coronavirus.
Coronavirus infects the lungs. Symptoms of the disease begin with a high fever, followed by a dry cough that can lead to difficulty breathing. The cough may be severe, lasting an hour or more, or there may be three or more attacks in a day, and if you have coughed before, the new cough will be noticeably stronger. British otolaryngologists also note cases of loss of smell in infected individuals.
A 34-year-old Belarusian woman told the BBC how she had COVID-19 in the UK. Many social media users complain of loss of taste and smell, and some have tested positive for coronavirus. However, experts are hesitant to draw definitive conclusions, pointing out that people sometimes temporarily lose their sense of taste and smell with the common flu or cold.
Scientists have observed that, on average, symptoms appear five days after infection, but for some people this period may be longer. The World Health Organization reports that the incubation period can be up to 14 days, but some doctors say it can be up to 24 days. The most contagious person is considered to be one who is actively showing symptoms of the coronavirus, although there is reason to believe that the virus can be transmitted from an infected person even in the absence of pronounced symptoms, i.e., during the incubation phase. Initial symptoms may be mistaken for other common winter infections such as SARS or the flu. A recent study published in the British Medical Journal found that 78% of people infected with the coronavirus have no symptoms or a mild form of the disease. The results are consistent with research conducted at the epicenter of the virus outbreak in Italy, where 50-70% of infected individuals showed no symptoms but posed a serious threat to others. Another study in Iceland showed that about 50% of patients who tested positive for coronavirus were unaware that they were sick.
