Coronavirus

THE CORONAVIRUSES

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that were discovered in the 1960s but whose origin is unknown. Its different types cause different illnesses, from a cold to severe respiratory syndrome (a severe form of pneumonia). Most coronaviruses are not dangerous. Although they are more frequent in autumn or winter. In its appearance it is very similar to a crown or a halo, present in both humans and animals. CORONAVIRUS TYPOLOGY: Symptoms common to a cold. People contract a coronavirus at some point in their lives, usually during their childhood. They have very high recovery rates. In recent years, three major epidemic outbreaks caused by coronaviruses have been described: SARS-CoV: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. It is a severe form of pneumonia. It causes respiratory distress and fever above 38 degrees. (SARS, known as SARS and SARS), its frequency has always been higher in East Asia. It began in November 2002 in China, affected more than 8,000 people in 37 countries and caused more than 700 deaths. SARS-Cov mortality has been estimated between approximately 9 to 12%. Longer life expectancies for young patients. MERS-CoV: The coronavirus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). It causes serious respiratory problems, with coughing and shortness of breath. It can be asymptomatic. In more serious cases with expectoration of blood, diarrhea and vomiting. First outbreak in 2012 in Saudi Arabia, has reached Europe and the United States. Until October 2019, more than 2,400 cases of infection in different countries, with more than 800 deaths. Lethality 35%. COVID-19: At the end of December 2019. A new coronavirus in the city of Wuhan (China). Since then, the trickle of new infections with the SARS-CoV-2 virus (initially called 2019nCoV), shows a genetic sequence that coincides with SARS by 80%. It has been continuous and its transmission from person to person has accelerated, although it is too early to determine the fatality rate, so far it is low. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the situation a pandemic. Health professionals insist on the need to follow preventive measures and avoid social alarm. The most affected country in Europe is Italy. CAUSES To date, the origin of these viruses is unknown. In any case, it is known that certain animals, such as bats, camels, act as reservoirs. The contagion generally occurs through the respiratory route, through respiratory droplets that people produce when they cough, sneeze or speak. Everything seems to indicate that the new coronavirus, COVID-19 or DE WUHAN (China), has an animal origin, related to a live animal market. In origin, the MERS-CoV coronavirus is a zoonotic virus that is transmitted from animals to people. The virus is believed to have originated in bats and was transmitted to camels sometime in the distant past. The SARS coronavirus had its origin in bats, later jumping to some other species of small mammal, such as the civet, and finally to humans. SYMPTOMS In general, the main symptoms of coronavirus infections can be the following. It will depend on the type of coronavirus and the severity of the infection: • Cough. •    Throat pain. •    Muscle pains. •    Fever. • Difficulty breathing (dyspnea). •    Headache. • Chills and general malaise. • Secretion and runny nose, although sometimes it does not present. • Gastrointestinal symptoms •

Coughing up blood measures of segurity

There is no vaccine or specific treatment to combat coronavirus infection. Maintain basic hygiene (places where there is a higher risk of transmission, areas where cases have been recorded) • Frequent hand hygiene (with soap and water or alcoholic solutions), especially after being in direct contact with sick people or their environment. • Avoid close contact with people who show signs of respiratory illness, such as coughing or sneezing. • Cover your mouth and nose with disposable tissues (or a cloth) when you cough or sneeze and wash your hands afterwards. (only people who are infected or who think they may be), to avoid shortages. DIAGNOSIS a nose and throat culture, or even a blood test. In suspected cases, perform a chest tomography to determine the symptoms of pneumonia, as well as blood coagulation tests, a biochemical analysis and a blood count. Antibody tests and SARS virus isolation are also performed. An evaluation is carried out on those people who present the symptoms and who may be prone to contracting the virus. Temperature control (with thermal cameras and digital thermometers) of people arriving at an airport from affected areas. Questionnaires are also carried out on travelers; in case of suspicion, they are subjected to evaluation and, where appropriate, transferred to health centers. TREATMENTS There is no vaccine against the human coronavirus that causes a cold, but milder cases can be overcome by following the same steps as a common cold. This does not require medical intervention and simply by washing your hands frequently, resting and drinking plenty of fluids, the symptoms will disappear within a few days. Pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen can also be taken to relieve sore throats or fever. In cases of SARS coronavirus, MERS CoV and COVID-19, hospital admission is usually convenient in severe cases. In cases deemed necessary by doctors, antivirals, high-dose steroids to reduce lung inflammation, and oxygen breathing support are given; Sometimes you may need antibiotics, but only in case of supervening bacterial infections, that is, superinfection. In short, this type of respiratory infection is treated with antivirals (at the discretion of the healthcare professional) and supportive measures. The treatment is usually adapted depending on the severity of the patient, since there are cases in which severe pneumonia occurs, but in others the manifestations are mild. HIGHER RISK PROFILE People over 60 years of age with chronic cardiovascular diseases, obesity, cerebrovascular disease, hypertensive patients, diabetics and smokers, and/or with chronic diseases, some types of cancer or chronic lung disease. Preventive measures should be followed especially by those who suffer from diabetes, kidney failure, chronic lung disease or immunosuppression, since they are at greater risk of suffering from serious illness, as is the case with other types of viral respiratory infections, because they tend to have a poor immune response. In women, the X chromosome and female hormones could exert a protective effect against infection. In cardiovascular diseases there is an excess of inflammation in a chronic and global way. For this reason, when a respiratory infection is established, an exaggerated inflammatory response can occur, which would not only affect the cardiopulmonary level but would affect the entire body, generating complications in other organs. In pregnant women and children, we do not have much information on cases. During pregnancy in case of severe pneumonia, in addition to the maternal risk, this can lead to fetal loss or premature births. This happens the same in other respiratory viral infections and is the basis for vaccinating pregnant women against the flu. In babies they are produced by direct contact, due to the mother’s cough, but they seem to be mild or asymptomatic. Immunodepressed patients, due to acquired immunodeficiencies such as HIV, or immunosuppressed because they have undergone a transplant or receive immunosuppressive treatment for other pathologies, such as chemotherapy for cancer, are a special risk group, although these prevention measures must always be taken into account And not only in the face of the coronavirus. In patients with chronic respiratory disease such as chronic bronchitis, pulmonary emphysema or bronchial asthma. CONCLUSIONS The rapid evolution of the pneumonia outbreak due to a new coronavirus (2019nCoV) has led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Importance. The epidemiological situation on February 3, 2020 is as follows: more than 17,000 infect ated in a long twenty countries (including a case in Spain) and more than 360 deaths, one of them in the Philippines and the rest in China, the

focus of the epidemic. Everything seems to indicate that the 2019nCoV coronavirus has a high transmission capacity: around 4 individuals for each infected person, compared to 1-2 cases per infected person in the case of the flu. However, the mortality associated with the virus that has just emerged would not be too high, if it evolved towards greater transmission and lower lethality. “It has always been said that viruses are not interested in being lethal, but rather in spreading widely and killing little.” Situation as of March 11, 2020 (2:00pm ET) In the Region of the Americas, an additional 356 cases of COVID-19 have been reported from 16 countries and four (4) French overseas territories/regions, for a total of 1,192 cases to date. Additionally, the United States reported that 49 people tested positive for COVID-19 among people repatriated from Wuhan, China (3) and the Diamond Princess cruise ship (46).

Number of cases

Country Confirmed Deaths

Argentina 17 1

Bolivia 2 0

Brazil 34 0

Canada 93 1

Chile 23 0

Columbia 3 0

Costa Rica 13 0

Ecuador 17 0

United States of America* 938 29

French Guiana 5 0

Honduras 2 0

Jamaican 1 0

Martinique 3 0

Mexico 7 0

Panama 8 1

Paraguay 5 0

Peru 13 0

Dominican Republic 5 0

Saint Bartholomew 1 0

Saint Martin 2 0

TOTAL 1,192 32

*Another 49 people tested positive for COVID-19 among the people