COVID - 19 [Corona Virus]

What is Coronavirus?
Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. *WHO

What is novel coronavirus (COVID-19)?

At first, COVID-19 was known as ‘novel coronavirus’, which means a new strain of coronavirus. Once scientists discovered what this strain of coronavirus was and how to identify it in tests, they gave it the name: SARS-CoV-2.3 When someone gets sick with this virus the illness is called COVID-19. For simplicity, the virus and the disease are being referred to by the same name, COVID-19.4

Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was discovered in 2019 when an unusually high number of people in Wuhan, China, became ill with pneumonia after having an illness similar to the flu. When doctors tested them, they found these people had a type of coronavirus they hadn’t seen before.

Why is it spreading so quickly?
The reason COVID-19 is spreading so quickly is simply that it is a new virus the body does not recognise, and as such has little defence against. To explain this further, viruses are proposed to evolve via two mechanisms:

• Antigenic drift: Occurs when small changes (or mutations) in viral genes lead to changes in the surface proteins of the virus, known as hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA).
• Antigenic shift: Occurs when a major change in viral genes creates new HA and/or new NA proteins, resulting in a new virus subtype. Antigenic shift is theorised to occur when a virus from an animal population gains the ability to infect humans — a proposed mechanism behind the origin of COVID-19, which has been linked to a live animal market.6

As a result of this antigenic shift, the body’s immune system may not recognise the surface proteins of the evolved virus, resulting in increased susceptibility to infection. This viral evolution may account for COVID-19’s increased virulence, as this novel virus represents a newly identified pathogen with no known pre-existing immunity in humans.

How is it spreading?Transmission of COVID-19 occurs when infected droplets are distributed via human-to-human contact, usually when a sick person coughs or sneezes. It may also be spread via contact with contaminated objects as human coronaviruses can remain infectious on inanimate surfaces for up to 9 days.7 Airborne spread has not been reported for COVID-19 and it is not believed to be a major driver of transmission.8 

What are the symptoms of coronavirus?Symptom severity of COVID-19 varies, with mixed reports of severe flu-like symptoms in addition to milder presentations. Primary symptoms to be aware of include:

• Fever, cough and shortness of breath/breathing difficulties.

Affected individuals may also experience additional flu-like symptoms including:

• Headache, muscular stiffness and pain, loss of appetite, malaise/extreme generalised fatigue, chills, confusion, dizziness, rash, night sweats, and gastrointestinal upset.

Who is most at risk?
Individuals at highest risk for severe disease include people aged over 60 years and those with underlying medical conditions.9 Susceptible individuals include:

• The elderly
• Immunocompromised individuals
• People with serious or chronic medical conditions including heart disease, diabetes and lung disease
  
• People who have recently travelled to mainland China, South Korea, Iran and Italy
• Individuals in close contact with a confirmed case of coronavirus, particularly during the infectious period

To put this in context…Media outlets have focused their attention on the spread of COVID-19 and associated fatalities, contributing to alarm and unrest within the Australian community. While you should remain informed on the progression of this outbreak, you should not be alarmed, as the Australian Government is adequately addressing COVID-19 via the ‘Coronavirus Emergency Response Plan’. This scheme involves preventative measures during the early stages of the outbreak, including mechanisms for early detection and effective management of cases and contacts, and has likely contributed to current low incidences of COVID-19 within Australia.


Despite reports of more than 117,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, only 112 cases have originated within Australia.10,11 Further to this, the case fatality rate is approximately 3.6% of confirmed cases reported globally, with an estimated 80% of laboratory confirmed patients experiencing only mild to moderate symptoms followed by recovery (Figure 1).12 Additionally, disease in children appears to be relatively rare. Approximately 2.4% of the total cases reported involved individuals aged under 19 years, with a very small proportion of those developing severe (2.5%) or critical disease (0.2%).13

Comparisons between COVID-19 and common influenza viruses also provide context regarding population impact, with influenza estimated to have affected one billion individuals and caused anywhere between 291,000 to 646,000 deaths worldwide.15

How you can protect yourself from coronavirus

As COVID-19 is a novel virus, there is no vaccine currently available. However, practising good hand and sneeze/cough hygiene provides the best defence against viral infections. These include:

• Washing your hands frequently with soap and water, before and after eating, and after going to the toilet.
• Covering your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, immediately disposing of tissues and using alcohol-based hand sanitiser.
• If unwell, seek immediate guidance from a medical professional. You may be advised to isolate yourself from the general population for up to 14 days to stop viral spread.

The onset and severity of infection in response to viral pathogens is greatly influenced by the virulence of the pathogen and the host’s immune defences (Figure 1). While little can be done regarding the virulence of COVID-19, improving an individual’s immune response is the most effective strategy to protect against any pathogen.

Figure 1: Factors that influence virulence of pathogens (left) offset by physiological and lifestyle components that support immune defences, dictating the body’s response to infection.

What to do if you develop symptoms

If you do develop symptoms associated with COVID-19, including fever, cough, sore throat, tiredness or shortness of breath, seek immediate guidance from a medical professional. You may be advised to isolate yourself from the general population to stop viral spread.

Individuals who have recently travelled to an international high-risk area or who have recently been in contact with a confirmed case are at an increased risk of developing COVID-19 and are advised to contact a medical professional for assistance.

There are several Naturopathic Supplements that can reduce the severity.

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