WASHINGTON, D.C., 8 JUNE 2020 The rapid and overwhelming shock of the coronavirus epidemic, as well as the draconian measures taken to manage it, have sent the world economy into a tailspin. The world economy is expected to contract by 5.2 percent this year, according to World Bank estimates.
What impact did the COVID-19 economic crisis have on people during the pandemic?
The COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences were devastating. Tens of millions of individuals lost their employment in the early months of the crisis. While employment began to improve after a few months, unemployment remained high in 2020.
COVID-19 was declared a pandemic when?
SARSCoV2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) is a coronavirus strain that produces COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), the respiratory ailment that is causing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The virus was previously known as human coronavirus 2019 and had a preliminary designation of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) (HCoV-19 or hCoV-19). The World Health Organization labeled the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020, and a pandemic on 11 March 2020, when it was first discovered in Wuhan, Hubei, China. SARSCoV2 is a single-stranded RNA virus with a positive sense that is infectious in humans.
SARSCoV2 is a severe acute respiratory syndromerelated coronavirus (SARSr-CoV) virus that is related to the SARS-CoV-1 virus that caused the SARS outbreak in 20022004. It has zoonotic origins and is genetically similar to bat coronaviruses, implying that it originated from a bat-borne virus. The question of whether SARSCoV2 was transmitted directly from bats or indirectly through intermediary hosts is still being investigated. The virus has limited genetic variability, implying that the SARSCoV2 spillover event that brought the virus to humans happened in late 2019.
When no members of the community are immune and no preventive measures are adopted, epidemiological studies suggest that each infection will result in an average of 2.4 to 3.4 additional infections between December 2019 and September 2020. Some succeeding forms, on the other hand, have become more contagious. Close contact and aerosols and respiratory droplets expelled when talking, breathing, or otherwise exhaling, as well as those produced by coughs or sneezes, are the most common ways for the virus to spread. It binds to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a membrane protein that regulates the reninangiotensin pathway, and thereby enters human cells.
What organs are the most vulnerable to COVID19?
The SARS-CoV-2 virus has the ability to infect a wide spectrum of body cells and systems. COVID19 primarily affects the upper respiratory tract (nose, sinuses, and throat) as well as the lower respiratory tract (windpipe and lungs). Because the virus enters host cells through the receptor for the enzyme angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is most prevalent on the surface of type II alveolar cells in the lungs, the lungs are the organs most impacted by COVID19. To attach to the ACE2 receptor and enter the host cell, the virus uses a unique surface glycoprotein termed a “spike.”
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected people’s personal lives?
Physical or social separation is one of the finest instruments we have to avoid getting exposed to COVID-19 and delay its spread, in addition to other regular precautions. Having to physically detach yourself from someone you care about, such as friends, family, coworkers, or your church group, can be difficult. It may also force you to alter your plans, such as needing to conduct virtual job interviews, set up dates, or go on university visits. Young adults may also have difficulty adjusting to new social norms, such as skipping in-person events or wearing masks in public. It’s critical to encourage young individuals to take personal responsibility for their own safety and that of their loved ones.
Is it possible to get COVID-19 through sex?
Whether you’re engaging in sexual activity or not, any close contact (within 6 feet or 2 meters) with an infected person can expose you to the virus that causes coronavirus illness 2019 (COVID-19). When a person with the virus coughs, sneezes, or talks, respiratory droplets are discharged.
Coronaviruses have been around for how long?
Although some estimates place the common ancestor as far back as 55 million years or more, reflecting long-term coevolution with bat and bird species, the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of all coronaviruses is thought to have lived as recently as 8000 BCE. The alphacoronavirus line’s most recent common ancestor was around 2400 BCE, the betacoronavirus line around 3300 BCE, the gammacoronavirus line around 2800 BCE, and the deltacoronavirus line around 3000 BCE. Bats and birds are ideal natural reservoirs for the coronavirus gene pool because they are warm-blooded flying vertebrates (bats for alphacoronaviruses and betacoronaviruses, and birds for gammacoronaviruses and deltacoronaviruses). Coronaviruses have evolved and spread widely due to the huge number and diversity of bat and bird species that host viruses.
Bats are the source of several human coronaviruses. Between 1190 and 1449 CE, the human coronavirus NL63 had a common ancestor with a bat coronavirus (ARCoV.2). Between 1686 and 1800 CE, the human coronavirus 229E shared an ancestor with a bat coronavirus (GhanaGrp1 Bt CoV). Alpaca coronavirus and human coronavirus 229E diverged more recently, around 1960. MERS-CoV spread from bats to people via camels as an intermediate host. MERS-CoV appears to have split from numerous bat coronavirus species some centuries ago, despite being linked to them. In 1986, the most closely related bat coronavirus and SARS-CoV separated. SARS-ancestors CoV’s first infected leaf-nose bats of the genus Hipposideridae, then progressed to horseshoe bats of the species Rhinolophidae, Asian palm civets, and finally humans.
Bovine coronavirus of the species Betacoronavirus 1 and subgenus Embecovirus is likely to have originated in rodents rather than bats, unlike other betacoronaviruses. After a cross-species jump in the 1790s, horse coronavirus separated from bovine coronavirus. After another cross-species spillover occurrence in the 1890s, human coronavirus OC43 evolved from bovine coronavirus. Because of the pandemic’s timing, neurological symptoms, and unknown causal agent, it’s thought that the 1890 flu pandemic was triggered by this spillover event rather than the influenza virus. Human coronavirus OC43 is suspected of being involved in neurological illnesses in addition to producing respiratory infections. The human coronavirus OC43 began to diverge into its current genotypes in the 1950s. Mouse hepatitis virus (Murine coronavirus), which infects the liver and central nervous system of mice, is related to human coronavirus OC43 and bovine coronavirus on a phylogenetic level. HKU1 is a human coronavirus that, like the other viruses described, has its beginnings in rodents.
In the context of COVID-19, what is the difference between a pandemic and an epidemic?
The distinction between an epidemic and a pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is that:
- A pandemic is a disease outbreak that has spread to multiple countries or continents. It’s essentially an epidemic that has spread globally and throughout a larger geographical area.
Is long COVID-19 getting a new name?
Some patients with COVID-19 experience symptoms that last for weeks or months after they start to feel better. This is also known as “long COVID.” It’s been given a new name by experts: post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC).
According to recent studies, more than 40% of those who have or have had COVID-19 develop protracted COVID. The percentage of persons who need hospitalization rises to 57 percent.
According to studies, roughly 10% of people with COVID-19 between the ages of 18 and 49 develop extended COVID. For people aged 70 and up, the chances increase to 22%. It can, however, happen to anyone, regardless of whether they are otherwise healthy or have other health issues. It’s possible to have it even if your COVID-19 symptoms were mild or severe previously.
When did COVID-19 become known?
On the 31st of December, the World Health Organization was notified of cases of pneumonia with an unknown origin in Wuhan, China. On January 7, 2020, Chinese authorities identified a novel coronavirus as the cause, which was given the temporary designation “2019-nCoV.”
Coronaviruses (CoV) are a broad group of viruses that can cause everything from a typical cold to more serious illnesses. A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain of coronavirus that has never been seen in humans before. The novel virus was given the name “COVID-19 virus” after that.
The new coronavirus outbreak was declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) by WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on January 30, 2020. There were 98 cases and no deaths in 18 countries outside of China at the time.
The rapid growth in the number of cases outside of China prompted the WHO Director-General to declare the outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020. More than 118 000 cases have been reported in 114 countries by that time, with 4291 deaths.
The WHO European Region had become the epicenter of the pandemic by mid-March 2020, reporting over 40% of all worldwide confirmed cases. The Region accounted for 63 percent of global viral mortality as of April 28, 2020.
WHO has been working around the clock to help countries prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic since the first cases were detected. “Through transparent knowledge-sharing, customized support on the ground, and steadfast solidarity, we will conquer COVID-19,” says Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.
Advice for the public
WHO continues to encourage people to look for their own health and protect others by encouraging them to:
- preserving a social space of one meter (3 feet) between oneself and anybody coughing or sneezing;
- respiratory hygiene (covering your mouth and nose with a folded elbow or tissue when coughing or sneezing, then throwing away the discarded tissue as soon as possible);
- If you have a fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, seek medical help as soon as possible.
- staying informed and following advice on how to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 from your health care provider, national and local public health authorities, or employer.