The ABC of coronavirus: what it is, how it is spread, who it affects and how it is prevented

(CNN Spanish) - In late 2019, reports emerged of a mysterious illness in China. It was identified as a new type of coronavirus, believed to come from a seafood market in Wuhan, the capital of China's central Hubei province.

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Since then, hundreds of thousands of global cases and thousands of deaths have been confirmed. Authorities are now trying to stop the spread of the virus, restricting the travel of millions of people and introducing strict quarantines.

Starting Monday, March 9, CNN began using the term pandemic to describe the current coronavirus outbreak because many epidemiologists and public health experts argued that the world is already experiencing a pandemic due to the new coronavirus. On March 11, the World Health Organization declared that the new coronavirus outbreak is a pandemic.

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Symptoms | How it spreads | How to prevent it | The cases in Latin America | The contagion map | What doesn't work | Pets | Frequently asked questions | The difference between coronavirus, allergy and flu

What is a coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses that are common among animals. In rare cases, they are what scientists call zoonotic, meaning they can be transmitted from animals to humans, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC. The new coronavirus was designated by the WHO as COVID-19.

Symptoms of a coronavirus

Viruses can make people sick, usually with mild to moderate disease of the upper respiratory tract, similar to a common cold. Symptoms of the coronavirus include a runny nose, cough, sore throat, possibly a headache, and perhaps fever, which can last for a couple of days.

For those with a weakened immune system, the elderly and the very young, there is a possibility that the virus may cause lower and much more serious respiratory tract disease, such as pneumonia or bronchitis.

There are a handful of human coronaviruses that are known to be deadly.

Middle East respiratory syndrome, also known as the MERS virus, was first reported in the Middle East in 2012 and also causes respiratory problems, but those symptoms are much more severe. According to the CDC, three to four out of 10 patients infected with MERS died.

Check out the latest coronavirus news here

Severe acute respiratory syndrome, also known as SARS, is the other coronavirus that can cause more severe symptoms. First identified in the Guangdong province of southern China, according to the WHO, it causes respiratory problems but can also cause diarrhea, fatigue, shortness of breath, shortness of breath and kidney failure.

Depending on the age of the patient, the mortality rate with SARS varied from 0 to 50% of cases, with older people being the most vulnerable.

The new coronavirus is currently believed to be milder than SARS and MERS and take longer to develop symptoms. Patients to date have experienced a mild cough for a week followed by shortness of breath, causing them to visit the hospital, explains Peter Horby, professor of emerging infectious diseases and global health at the University of Oxford. So far, about 15% to 20% of cases have become severe and require, for example, ventilation in the hospital.

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How it spreads

See the evolution of the coronavirus spread around the world https://t.co/GmIRjloSnK pic.twitter.com/n9XYnifwL6

- CNN in Spanish (@CNNEE) March 12, 2020

Viruses can be spread by human contact with animals. Scientists believe that MERS started on camels, according to the WHO. With SARS, scientists suspected that civet cats were to blame.

When it comes to person-to-person transmission of the virus, it often occurs when someone comes in contact with an infected person's secretions, such as cough drops.

Depending on how virulent the virus is, a cough, sneeze, or handshake can cause exposure. The virus can also be spread by touching something an infected person has touched and then touching their mouth, nose, or eyes. Caregivers can sometimes be exposed by handling a patient's waste, according to the CDC.

Person-to-person transmission for the new coronavirus has been confirmed, but experts are now trying to understand who transmits it the most, who is most at risk, and whether transmission occurs primarily in hospitals or in the community. SARS and MERS were largely transmitted within hospitals, Horby said. Some people also consider themselves "superprocessors," a term that the WHO asks not to use.

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Who is affected?

MERS, SARS, and the new coronavirus appear to cause more serious illness in older people, although uncertainty remains about the latest outbreak. According to Horby, the average age is people 40 and older, he said.

Coronavirus treatment

There is no specific treatment, but research is ongoing. Most of the time, the symptoms will go away on their own and experts advise seeking early care. If symptoms feel worse than a standard cold, see your doctor.

Doctors can alleviate symptoms by prescribing pain or fever medications. The CDC says that a room humidifier or a hot shower can help with a sore throat or cough.

Drink plenty of fluids, rest and sleep as much as possible.

How can you prevent it?

There is no vaccine to protect against this family of viruses, at least not yet. Trials for a MERS vaccine are underway. The US National Institutes of Health They are working on a vaccine against the new virus, but it will take months for clinical trials to begin and more than a year for it to become available.

You may be able to reduce your risk of infection by avoiding sick people. Try to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water and for at least 20 seconds.

Consciousness is the key. If you are sick and have reason to believe that it may be the new coronavirus due to a trip to the region or contact with someone who has been there, you should inform a healthcare provider and seek early treatment.

Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, and disinfect objects and surfaces you touch.

If you're traveling to China, be aware of the symptoms and avoid live animal markets, which is where the last outbreak in Wuhan started.

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Measures that do not work against coronavirus (and that would be counterproductive)

In the face of the coronavirus outbreak, many are looking for effective measures to prevent the disease. However, some of these practices could even be counterproductive.

The cases in Latin America

MIRA: What we know about coronavirus cases today in Latin America

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The map of contagion worldwide

The number of new coronavirus cases is changing rapidly. A real-time tracking map shows us how fast.

The Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering map tracks coronavirus cases worldwide.

The tool collects data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (CDC), the World Health Organization, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC) and the Chinese website DXY, which aggregates data from the China National Health Commission and the CCDC. The results provide a global overview of coronavirus cases in real time.

See the map in real time here

The coronavirus case map is updated in real time as more cases are confirmed by global health agencies.

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What is a pandemic?

The deadly pandemic of the new coronavirus has highlighted the science of the disease, raising the question: what exactly is a pandemic?

An outbreak is the appearance of cases of diseases that exceed what is normally expected, according to the World Health Organization. An epidemic is more than a normal number of cases of illness, specific health-related behavior, or other health-related events in a community or region.

However, a pandemic is defined as the "global spread" of a new disease.

The previous pandemic reported in the world was the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic, which killed hundreds of thousands worldwide.

Keep reading

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Frequently asked questions

If I travel by plane, how do I stay safe? Since the cabin of an airplane continues to circulate air, will I get sick if another passenger is sick? What exactly does "older adults" mean? What is the age threshold? Should I avoid the Chinese, Koreans, or Italians? CNN readers have been asking sharp questions about the coronavirus every day. Here we give the answers.

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Is it allergy, flu or coronavirus? How do you know the difference?

Although the coronavirus is something to be taken seriously, the chances of a person getting it are still low. But if you wonder if that stuffy nose could end up being the worst case scenario, CNN spoke to Dr. Greg Poland, professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the Mayo Clinic and director of the Vaccine Research Group at the Mayo Clinic, about differences between typical allergy, cold and flu symptoms and those associated with coronavirus.

→ Read more

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Coronavirus outbreak could be devastating in poorer countries

When the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the new coronavirus to be a public health emergency of international concern, it did so out of fear of the difficulties that smaller or less developed countries have in containing the virus.

The flu-like respiratory illness is highly contagious and the outbreak has overwhelmed hospitals in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where it was first identified. Chinese authorities closed entire cities, suspended public transport, and closed schools, businesses, and factories in an effort to contain it.

Countries close to China in Southeast and East Asia have borne the brunt of infections outside the continent, with Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand registering local transmissions.

Some of those nations with coronavirus infections and their neighbors are among the poorest and most disaster-prone countries in the world.

Experts have expressed fear that the health care infrastructure in these countries could collapse under the weight of an outbreak, seriously damaging their economies, causing mass displacement and causing other virus-free deaths.

→ Read more

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Everything travelers need to know about the new coronavirus

Much is still unknown about the outbreak of the coronavirus, and health authorities ask to be very vigilant.

This means that those who travel or travel the world must be aware of the virus, stay away from the most impacted areas and take some of the preventive measures they would use to avoid the flu and other diseases.

→ This is everything travelers should know about the coronavirus outbreak.

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New study opens our eyes on how coronavirus is spreading and how little we know about the disease

A study published in the JAMA medical journal found that 41% of the first 138 patients diagnosed at a hospital in Wuhan, China, allegedly became infected at that hospital. Dr. Tom Frieden is the former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. and a former New York City Department of Health commissioner, explains why it's great news. In plain language, Frieden says, that means that almost half of the initial infections in this hospital appear to have spread within the hospital itself. This is called nosocomial transmission.

→ Read more

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How are doctors caring for people with coronavirus?

In the midst of this panorama, where the numbers of cases continue and continue to increase, are the doctors and health professionals who must care for people with coronavirus or under evaluation for suffering it. But how are they cared for and protected? What security measures must they hail to avoid contagion? The measures that have been determined by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States are very broad.

→ Here we tell you the main measures.

Can pets spread the coronavirus?

He is your furry best friend and something fixed in your home, but could your beloved cat or dog infect you with the coronavirus? Experts agree, almost definitely not.

There were similar fears about the spread of the coronavirus to pets during the SARS outbreak in 2003, when more than 280 people died in Hong Kong. Experts believe that both SARS and Covid-19 likely originated from bats.

Dogs and cats contract some coronaviruses, but not the same as the virus associated with this current outbreak, said Jane Gray, chief veterinary surgeon at the Hong Kong SPCA. Those strains are of a completely different type and do not cause respiratory problems.

In 2003, scientists said the chance of catching SARS, which is also a type of coronavirus, from a cat was extremely remote.

Gray, who worked in Hong Kong during SARS, said the virus was found in a small number of cats, but there was no evidence that they could transmit it to humans.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the US, the main way the disease is spreading is from person to person, either when people are together, or from respiratory drops when an infected person coughs and sneezes.

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The battle for the coronavirus cure entered the realm of patent rights

Chinese researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the epicenter of the global coronavirus outbreak, applied for patent rights to an experimental drug developed by Gilead Sciences Inc., a U.S. pharmacist, which it claims to have applied for the global patent, including China, in 2016. Discussion with Ricardo Antequera, director of the patent and international protection department of Estudio Antequera Parilli & Rodríguez.

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A robot in the middle of Times Square would help recognize symptoms of coronavirus

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Beyond the disease: the economic impact of the coronavirus in China

In China, the coronavirus not only represents a public health crisis, it also takes its toll on commerce and workers. David Culver takes us into the uncertain landscape of commercial establishments in Beijing that reflect the economic impact of the outbreak for those seeking to earn a living there.

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WHO: Coronavirus vaccine could be ready in 18 months

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director of the World Health Organization, gave a press conference from Geneva where around 300 experts from around the world seek to contain the coronavirus. "Wash your hands, keep your distance from someone who sneezes or coughs, when you sneeze cover your mouth, we need to invest in stopping this outbreak," said Ghebreyesus. According to experts there would be the possibility of having a vaccine in 18 months.

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With information from Jen Christensen and Meera Senthilingam and Kristie Lu Stout from CNN