The fear of the Coronavirus has gripped everyone, from the corner of Tibet to the home of Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, as his wife, Sophia Trudeau has tested positive to the Coronavirus infection. Read this before joining the panicky crowd! Here are 3 major questions people are frantically searching answers for as far as the disease is concerned:

1. Isn’t this another monster disease from Hell that will never have a cure?

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that can cause illnesses ranging from common cold to a severe disease such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV). So, scientists have had some ideas about how Coronaviruses act. However, Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a new strain that was discovered in 2019, and efforts have been put in place to quickly understand how it behaves and infects humans. For Coronaviruses are zoonotic, which means that they are transmitted between animals and people.

At the moment, the only medical approach to treating the Coronavirus disease is to treat its known symptoms, such as fever, cough, and shortness of breath, which appear 2-14 days after exposure to the disease.

2. So, if it is treatable, why are people still dying?

Some reasons why people die from the Coronavirus disease include:

• Those who previously have heart-related diseases; they may die from the complications caused by COVID-19.
• People with low immune system, because their bodies are unable to fight the disease.
• Those with known lung problems.
• People with diabetes.

However, when compared with the other Coronavirus diseases, COVID-19 still has the lowest fatality rate (As shown below).

3. So, how do I protect myself?

Instead of being panicked, these are the sensible steps you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• If water is not available, you can use a hand sanitizer that has at least 60% alcohol.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with hands you haven’t washed.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick. If the cases of Coronavirus infections are rising in your community, practice distancing yourself from people in a crowd or at the public places. You can choose to avoid gatherings of people altogether.
• Wear a facemask.
• Clean and disinfect your surroundings.

If you happen to experience any of the symptoms described above, isolate yourself inside your home so that you won’t infect other people around you. Immediately seek medical treatment by going to the hospital.