With over 100,000 confirmed cases in more then 130 countries and thousands of deaths
globally the coronavirus has taken the world by storm.
Schools, companies and even entire cities have been shut down in an effort to try and
minimize the damage caused by this virus.
In the midst of this chaos many questions about what exactly this coronavirus is have
risen.
So in this video we’ll be tackling the basics of this microscopic monster.
First things first.
The Coronavirus is not one specific type of virus, it’s actually a family of viruses
which includes the infamous SARS and MERS virus.
The specific type of coronavirus which you’ve been hearing about in the news recently is
called the 2019 novel coronavirus.
Coronaviruses are primarily present in animals such as cattle and horses and especially bats.
It’s pretty rare for members of the coronavirus family to be transmitted from animals to humans
with the exception of a couple strains such as SARS MERS and COVID 19.
The virus can spread through droplets released from an individual coughing or sneezing and
person to person contact.
Upon being infected with the virus individuals often experience fever greater than 38 degrees
Celsius in addition to coughing and shortness of breath which is pretty similar to what
is seen in patients with the influenza virus.
Now despite all the cases you’re hearing about in the news, recent estimates found
that the mortality rate of the virus was surprisingly low….about 2-3% .
The danger the virus brings is that it poses a severe threat to the elderly and individuals
with severe chronic diseases such as lung and heart disease as well as diabetes.In fact
One analysis of the reported deaths from Earl December 2019 to late February 2020 in Hubei
China found that the highest proportion of those deaths belonged to individuals who were
60+ years old.
This is why the world is locking down on this virus with many social distancing precautions....to
prevent corona from spreading to elderly patients with a weakened immune system who can’t
fight it off as easily as the youth.other factors as well can influence how fast or
slow a virus spreads such as the weather.
Although we aren’t certain how the spread of the coronavirus is determined by environmental
factors it has been noted in other viruses such as the influenza virus that higher temperatures
and more humidity hindered the transmission of the virus since more moisture in the air
means airborne viruses don’t have as clear a path to spread far.
So maybe that could play a role in the transmission of this disease depending on which geographic
area you live in.So what’s being done to fight this pandemic.
Unfortunately as of the making of this video there is no official vaccine or antiviral
drug against the Coronavirus and contrary to whatever myth is going around the flu vaccine
unfortunately does not double as coronavirus protection but scientists are working hard
around the clock to come up with a vaccine.
Additionally there have been other interesting proposals for treatments against the virus.
For instance at Northeastern University, chemical engineer Thomas Webster proposed the idea
of using nanoparticles in the fight against Corona.
The nanoparticles would basically attach on to the virus and through some combination
with infrared light therapy disrupt the structure of the virus preventing it from being able
to infect hosts and reproduce in them.
Even better is the fact that nanoparticles can be sprayed onto contaminated surfaces
and objects therefore allowing us to theoretically destroy the virus before it can make its way
into a host.
Of course though a lot more research is needed on this before this proposal can be turned
into an actual method.
Scene 5: While Scientists and Engineers are racing against time to cure us of Corona you
can follow basic rules such as washing your hands with soap and water, avoiding close
contact with sick people, and perhaps most importantly staying at home when you're sick
to minimize risk of spreading the disease to others.
Anyways I hope this video helped you understand some basic information about the corona virus
so you can be more well-informed on the topic and if there is anything more about the virus
you want to know share your thoughts in the comments below.
If you found the video helpful, share it with your friends and family so they can learn
more as well.
And as always stay safe and healthy and don’t forget to stay tuned for more science videos.