COVID-19 FAQ

What is COVID-19?

COVID-19 is an illness caused by a type of coronavirus. Coronaviruses are common and are transmitted in fashions similar to the cold viruses. Almost everyone gets a coronavirus infection at least once in their lifetime and recovers without consequence. Infections more commonly occur in childhood. In general, coronaviruses are not life-threatening. However, when a coronavirus that infects animals jumps to humans, they tend to cause more serious illness. Examples of diseases caused by coronaviruses that originated in animals and spread to people include:

• Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
• Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)

Where did the virus originate?

At the end of 2019, a brand new or novel coronavirus was identified as the cause of many pneumonia cases in Wuhan, a city in China. It spread rapidly, resulting in an epidemic throughout China. Due to people traveling in and out of that area, the virus was able to spread globally. Now we see an increasing number of cases worldwide. Since the first reports,COVID-19 infection has spread to include more than 400,000 confirmed cases worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a public health emergency in late January 2020 and upgrade it to a pandemic in March 2020. COVID-19 stands for Coronavirus Disease 2019. The actual virus that causes COVID-19 is SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2).

We do not know the exact source of this virus. So far, investigations in China have identified a seafood market that sold live animals as the place where most patients with the infection had either worked or visited.

What does COVID-19 stand for?

Coronavirus 2019

• CO-Corona
• VI-virus
• 19-2019, the year the virus was identified

Are there other names for COVID-19?

You may hear others refer to COVID-19 as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This is the name given to the actual virus that causes COVID-19. COVID-19  is also called the novel coronavirus. Novel means new, so this means it is a virus that is new to the medical community.

Why is COVID-19 a pandemic?

• Infection cases are worldwide
• Deadly Infection
• Highly contagious
• No vaccine
• No reliable treatment

How is the virus spread?

 Early reports suggest that person-to-person transmission occurs through respiratory droplets. Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 most commonly happens during close exposure to a person infected with COVID-19, primarily via respiratory droplets similar to the spread of influenza (flu). The virus is released when an infected person talks, coughs, or sneezes. If you are nearby, the droplets can land in your mouth, nose, or eyes, and inhaled into your lungs. Airborne transmission from person-to-person over long distances is unlikely. Droplets typically do not travel more than six feet and do not linger in the air. However, one investigator found that under experimental conditions, the virus remained alive on a surface for 72 hours. Infection can also occur if you touch an infected surface and then touch your eyes, nose, or mouth.

What if I am exposed to someone with COVID-19 Infection?

Your risk of becoming infected after being exposed is based on three factors.

• The number of people you interact with
• The physical closeness of your contact
• The duration of your contact

If exposed to someone with known COVID-19 you should:

• Consider antigen testing (usually nasal or throat swabs)
• Self-quarantine for 14 days
• Self-monitor for symptoms
• Seek medical care

How soon after exposure should I get tested?

For antigen testing (the test for active infection), there is no need to delay testing. You may get tested right away.

What if I am infected with the virus?

If infected with COVID-19, your body will take one of four pathways:

• No symptoms- asymptomatic (but still contagious).
• Mild Symptoms- symptoms similar to severe flu.
• Severe Symptoms- symptoms requiring hospitalization.
• Critically Ill- requiring admission to the intensive care unit of a hospital, possibly needing a ventilator to help with breathing. These patients have the highest risk of dying.

If you are exposed to COVID-19, symptoms tend to appear within 14 days, and most commonly in 4-5 days. A report from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention that included approximately 44,500 confirmed cases found that:

• 81% had mild symptoms
• 14% had severe symptoms
• 5% became critically ill

Who is at risk of becoming severely ill?

All persons infected with COVID-19 have the potential of becoming critically ill from the disease. However, we know that certain conditions increase that risk.

• Older Adults
• Cardiovascular disease
• Diabetes mellitus
• Hypertension
• Chronic lung disease
• Cancer
• Chronic kidney disease
• Obesity
• Pregnant and breastfeeding 

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

Frequently reported signs and symptoms of patients admitted to the hospital include:

• Fever 77–98%
• Dry Cough 46%–82%
• Muscle Aches 35%
• Fatigue 52-70%
• No Appetite 40%
• Shortness of breath 3-30%

Less commonly reported respiratory symptoms include sore throat, headache, loss of smell, coughing up thick mucus or, blood. You may also experience gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea and nausea before developing fever and respiratory symptoms. You may also be infected and have no symptoms (asymptomatic). Among more than 44,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in China as of February 2020, most (77.8%) occurred in patients aged 30–69 years.

How can I protect myself?

You can take steps to protect yourself and others during a COVID-19 outbreak.

The best treatment is prevention. Avoid exposure to this virus.

1. Clean your hands often

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
• Do not touch your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

2. Avoid Close Contact (within 6 feet)

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Put distance between yourself and others, especially if COVID-19 is spreading in your community. Stay at least 6 feet away from other people if you need to go out.
• Stay home as much as possible, and especially if you’re sick.

3.    Cover coughs and sneezes

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or the inside of your elbow when you cough or sneeze
• Immediately throw used tissues into the trash.
• Then wash your hands right away with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, clean your hands with a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

4. Wear a facemask 

• If you are sick: You should wear a facemask when you are around other people (e.g., sharing a room or vehicle)- at home or in public. It is strongly recommended that you stay at home as much as possible, when ill.
• If you are NOT sick: You should still wear a facemask when out in public. One way to stop the spread of infection is if everyone wears a mask in public. Face masks will prevent you from spreading the virus if you happen to be infected without showing symptoms. If all, or most people in the community take this approach, this will reduce the spread of the virus in your community.

5.Clean and disinfect

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.
• If surfaces are dirty, clean them: Use detergent or soap and water before disinfecting.

 

Infection Prevention Methods

Clean your hands often
Clean then disinfect surfaces
Practice 6 feet social distancing
Wear a facemask
Stay home as much as possible

How can I stay physically healthy right now?

• Eating healthy meals
• Exercising regularly
• Getting plenty of sleep
• Avoiding alcohol and drugs
• Taking every precaution to avoid infection
• wash your hands frequently
• stay at home
• limit travel

What are the different types of testing available?

There are two types of COVID-19 testing available. An antigen test that test for active infection and an antibody test, which tests for past infection.

What is a COVID-19 Antigen Test?

An antigen test is one that looks for the viral particles in your body. This is used to determine if someone has an active infection and can transmit the virus to others.

What is a COVID-19 Antibody test?

An antibody test is one that looks to see if your body has antibodies to the COVID-19 virus. Antibodies are the proteins your body uses to fight infection. Each time you develop an infection your body sends an army of antibodies to fight it. Once the fight is complete, your body will maintain a memory of that pathogen ( virus, bacteria or fungus). If you ever become infected again, your body can immediately attack. An antibody test is how we determine if you have developed immunity to a particular germ. Because so little is known about the virus that causes COVID-19, we cannot determine if having antibodies is sufficient to protect you if you become re-infected with COVID -19.

If I have COVID 19 infection, when can I resume normal interactions?

The decision to discontinue precautions that prevent spreading COVID-19 is made by you and your provider using either a test-based strategy or a non-test-based strategy.

1. In the test-based strategy, you must meet all three criteria:

• No more fever (without the use of fever-reducing medications)
• Improvement in respiratory symptoms
• Negative results from two COVID-19 tests in a row collected ≥24 hours apart

2. In the non-test-based strategy, you must meet all three criteria:

•  At least three days (72 hours) have passed since your fever stopped (without the use of fever-reducing medications)
• There is an improvement in respiratory symptom
• At least seven days have passed since symptoms first appeared

When will this all be over?

Once a pathogen such as a bacteria or virus has entered humans, it tends to stay around forever. In a few cases, through widespread vaccination, we can eradicate infections, as occurred with certain types of polio. However, we can and will get to a point where the infection is under control through vaccination and reliable treatment. Once an effective vaccine becomes available and is used widely, the transmission rate will be greatly reduced. Additionally, as we learn more about the COVD -19 virus, more effective treatment will become available, reducing the disease’s mortality. Until then, our best measure of protection is prevention.

Additional Resources:

1. Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) Guide to proper handwashing.
2. Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) Guide to Cleaning and Disinfection for Households.