A coronavirus is a common virus that affects your nose, sinuses, or upper throat. Most of the coronaviruses are not very dangerous. But some of them like, 2019 novel coronavirus can be fatal. Coronaviruses can be divided into four categories: alpha, beta, gamma, and delta. They can infect both animals and humans. The gamma and delta mostly infect the birds, while alpha and beta reside in mammals.
In humans, coronavirus spreads in the same way as other cold-causing viruses do, such as:
- Touching the hands or face of an infected person.
- Coming into contact with the surfaces or using things that the infected person has touched or used.
- Being around infected people coughing and sneezing.
It is very common to catch coronavirus once in your lifetime, especially as a young child. In the United States, coronavirus is active the most during fall and winter seasons. But you can get infected at any time of the year.
Common Symptoms
The symptoms of coronavirus are:
- Sneezing
- Runny nose
- Coughing, and
- Fever in some cases
In most of the cases, a person cannot distinguish whether it is a coronavirus or any other type of cold-causing virus, like a rhinovirus. To figure out what type has infected you, you can get tests from the lab by giving your blood or mucus samples.
Prevention and Aftercare
You can do the following to help prevent the infection:
- Don’t touch your nose, eyes, and mouth with your hands or fingers
- Try not to be too close to infected people
- Thoroughly wash your hands with soap and warm water
There is no vaccine for coronavirus, so you can treat it in the same way you treat a common cold:
- Get plenty of rest and avoid overexertion
- Drink lots of water
- Take over-the-counter medicine to relieve fever and sore throat.
- Gargling using warm salt water can ease a sore throat.
If you think you might be a victim of coronavirus attack, try to follow the prevention and aftercare instructions described above. However, if your health condition worsens, immediately seek medical help. Visit Family Diagnostic Clinic or call us on 281-351-680.
