What is Corona Virus?
A novel coronavirus is a new coronavirus that has not been previously identified. The virus causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is not the same as the coronaviruses that commonly circulate among humans and cause mild illness, like the common cold.
In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The most recently discovered coronavirus causes coronavirus disease COVID-19.
What is COVID-19?
COVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.
What is the source of Virus?
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. Some cause illness in people, and others, such as canine and feline coronaviruses, only infect animals. Rarely, animal coronaviruses that infect animals have emerged to infect people and can spread between people. This is suspected to have occurred for the virus that causes COVID-19. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) are two other examples of coronaviruses that originated from animals and then spread to people.
How does it spread?
The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person. Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
It may be possible that a person can get COVID- 19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.
Currently there is no evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 associated with food.
What are the Symptoms?
Reported illnesses have ranged from mild symptoms to severe illness and death for confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.
The following symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure.*
- Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
Emergency warning signs include:
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion or inability to arouse
- Bluish lips or face
If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19 get medical attention immediately.
How do I protect myself?
- 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 readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60%
- Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed
- Avoid close contact
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick
- Put distance between yourself and other people if COVID-19 is spreading in your community. This is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very
- Take steps to protect others, stay home if you are sick, except to get medical care.
Who are at higher risk?
- Older adults
- People who have serious chronic medical conditions like:
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Lung disease
What are the Precautions?
- Avoid touching your face, nose, eyes, etc.
- Clean and disinfect your home to remove germs: practice routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces like tables, doorknobs, light switches, handles, desks, toilets, faucets, sinks & cell
- To the extent possible, avoid touching high-touch surfaces in public places – elevator buttons, door handles, handrails, handshaking with people, etc. Use a tissue or your sleeve to cover your hand or finger if you must touch something.
- When you go out in public, keep away from others who are sick, limit close contact and wash your hands
- Avoid crowds as much as
- Avoid non-essential
- Contact your healthcare provider to ask about obtaining extra necessary medications to have on hand
- Be sure you have over-the-counter medicines and medical supplies (tissues, etc.) to treat fever and other symptoms. Most people will be able to recover from COVID-19 at
- Have enough household items and groceries on hand so that you will be prepared to stay at home for a period of time.
What do I do if I am sick?
- Cover coughs and sneezes
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your
- Throw used tissues in the
- Immediately wash your hands 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.
- Wear a facemask if you are sick, if you are NOT sick: You do not need to wear a facemask unless you are caring for someone who is sick (and they are not able to wear a facemask).
- Clean and disinfect the house – To disinfect, most common disinfectants will
Will warm water stop the spread of COVID-19?
It is not yet known whether weather and temperature impact the spread of COVID-19. Some other viruses, like the common cold and flu, spread more during cold weather months but that does not mean it is impossible to become sick with these viruses during other months. At this time, it is not known whether the spread of COVID-19 will decrease when weather becomes warmer. There is much more to learn about the transmissibility, severity, and other features associated with COVID-19 and investigations are ongoing.
Can someone who has been quarantined for COVID 19 spread the illness to others?
For COVID-19, the period of quarantine is 14 days from the last date of exposure, because 14 days is the longest incubation period seen for similar coronaviruses. Someone who has been released from COVID-19 quarantine is not considered a risk for spreading the virus to others.
Am I at risk if I go to a funeral for someone who died from COVID-19?
COVID-19 is a new disease and we are still learning how it spreads. There is currently no known risk associated with being in the same room at a funeral or visitation service with the body of someone who died of COVID-19 but People should consider not touching the body of someone who has died of COVID-19. There may be less of a chance of the virus spreading from certain types of touching, such as holding the hand or hugging after the body has been prepared for viewing. Other activities, such as kissing/washing should be avoided before, during, and after the body has been prepared, if possible. If washing the body or shrouding are important religious or cultural practices, families are encouraged to work with their community cultural and religious leaders and funeral home staff on how to reduce their exposure as much as possible. At a minimum, people conducting these activities should wear disposable gloves. If splashing of fluids is expected, additional personal protective equipment may be required (such as disposable gown, face shield or goggles and facemask).
What should I do if I had a close contact with someone who has COVID-19?
- Stay home except to get medical care
- Separate yourself from other people and animals in your home
- Call ahead before visiting your doctor – If you have a medical appointment, call the healthcare provider and tell them that you have or may have COVID-19. This will help the healthcare provider’s office take steps to keep other people from getting infected or
- Wear a facemask
- Cover your coughs and sneezes
- Clean your hands often
- Avoid sharing personal household items
- Clean all “high-touch” surfaces everyday
- Monitor your symptoms
Should I be tested for COVID-19?
If you develop symptoms such as fever, cough, and/or difficulty breathing, and have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19 or have recently traveled from an area with ongoing spread of COVID-19 then you must be tested for COVID-19.
Can a person test negative and later test positive for COVID-19?
In the early stages of infection, it is possible the virus will not be detected.
Should I be concerned about pets or other animals and COVID-19?
At this time, there is no evidence that companion animals including pets can spread COVID-19. While this virus seems to have emerged from an animal source, it is now spreading from person-to-person. There is no reason to think that any animals including pets might be a source of infection with this new coronavirus, However, since animals can spread other diseases to people, it’s always a good idea to wash your hands after being around animals.
What about animal products?
This is a rapidly evolving situation and information will be updated as it becomes available.
What effect does coronavirus have on pregnant women?
Pregnant women do not appear to be more severely unwell if they develop coronavirus than the general population. As this is a new virus, how it may affect them is not yet clear. It
is expected the large majority of pregnant women will experience only mild or moderate cold/flu like symptoms.
More severe symptoms such as pneumonia appear to be more common in older people, those with weakened immune systems or long- term conditions. There are no reported deaths of pregnant women from coronavirus at the moment.
Pregnant women are always more vulnerable to getting infections than a woman who is not pregnant. If someone have an underlying condition, such as asthma or diabetes, she may be more unwell if she has coronavirus.
What effect will coronavirus have on baby if one diagnosed with the infection?
As this is a very new virus, we are just beginning to learn about it.
- There is no evidence to suggest an increased risk of miscarriage.
- There is also no evidence that the virus can pass to developing baby while one is pregnant (this is called vertical transmission).
- It is therefore considered unlikely that the virus will cause abnormalities in baby.
Some babies born to women with symptoms of coronavirus in China have been born prematurely. It is unclear whether coronavirus caused this or the doctors made the decision for the baby to be born early because the woman was unwell.
Will baby be tested for coronavirus if mother is positive?
Yes, if mother have suspected or confirmed coronavirus at the time baby is born, baby will be tested for coronavirus.
Is it possible to breastfeed the baby if one has suspected or confirmed coronavirus?
Yes. At the moment there is no evidence that the virus can be carried in breastmilk, so it’s felt that the well-recognised benefits of breastfeeding outweigh any potential risks of transmission of coronavirus through breastmilk.
The main risk of breastfeeding is close contact between mother and the baby, as they may share infective airborne droplets, leading to infection of the baby after birth.
If one chooses to breastfeed the baby, the following precautions are recommended:
- Wash hands before touching your baby, breast pump or bottles
- Try and avoid coughing or sneezing on baby while feeding at the breast;
- Consider wearing a face mask while breastfeeding, if available
- Follow recommendations for pump cleaning after each use
- Consider asking someone who is well to feed expressed breast milk to the baby.
Are antibiotics effective in preventing or treating the COVID-19?
COVID-19 is caused by a virus, so antibiotics do not work.
Is there a vaccine, drug or treatment for COVID-19?
Not yet. To date, there is no vaccine and no specific antiviral medicine to prevent or treat COVID-2019. However, those affected should receive care to relieve symptoms. People with serious illness should be hospitalized. Most patients recover thanks to supportive care.
Possible vaccines and some specific drug treatments are under investigation. They are being tested through clinical trials.
Is there anything I should not do?
- Smoking
- Wearing multiple masks
- Taking antibiotics
- In any case, if you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing seek medical care early to reduce the risk of developing a more severe infection and be sure to share your recent travel history with your health care provider.
If you have any concerns regarding this matter please feel free to call our office on 08 9220 5200 to speak with your SFR financial advisor.