Novel Corona The Virus: What's The Science & How Am I Dealing With It?

Novel Corona The Virus (SARS-CoV-2)! Responsible for the ongoing global pandemic referred to as COVID-19! Reared it's ugly head in China and spread to other parts of Asia and the Middle East to cause chaos; landed in Europe to cause pandemonium and lock down in major Cities; visiting parts of Africa and causing untold panic; refusing to spare Australia; rocking the polity dangerously in the USA and other parts of the Americas; and threatening to explode in the UK, where I am currently located, with number of positive cases and deaths appearing to increase on a daily basis! Novel Corona the Virus! What is the SCIENCE  and how am I dealing with it?

👀:hopkinsmedicine.org

In relation to the Science, permit me to state clearly that, as a junior Doctor in the British system, I am not in a position to claim personal authority to any particular knowledge on this subject matter  but following several  hours of targeted literature review, we know that, the Novel Coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, although being a member of a family of Viruses referred to as Corona Viridea in scientific terms, is the first of it's type  and initially appeared to defy everything that, Scientists all around the world, thought they knew about this family of viruses. Ideally, this family of viruses were known for their role as, possible causative organisms of, mild respiratory tract/airway illnesses, including the seasonal common cold, that causes recurrent sneezing, nasal congestion, mild cough due to post-nasal drips and mild fever +/- body aches. While the Novel Coronavirus can and is currently causing  these same symptoms in many cases, Clinicians in the fore front of fighting against this disease in the most affected parts of the world, have recorded severe symptoms that go beyond the respiratory system , as illustrated  in the image below by, Sagar Aryal, a passionate Microbiologist and Scientific blogger.

👀: microbe notes.com

This particular family of viruses, amongst others, is transmitted via coming in contact with, what we can vaguely refer to as, infected micro-liquid based bubbles called "droplet nuclei", usually formed and spread, when an infected person coughs or sneezes without adequately covering their mouth or nose or, perhaps did cover with their hands and failed to wash the same hands adequately with soap and water, before touching hard surfaces like , the handles of doors etc; thus the scientific idea behind the generally advised preventive measures of, adequate hand washing with soap and water for 20 seconds, social distancing and wearing of appropriate face masks, for those who do.

👀: condor.co.uk

 As a lot of people already know, the Novel Coronavirus is pretty much transmitted in the same fashion but with all the measures put in place by experienced Government and Public Health Authorities to prevent/slow down spread, why are the number of cases and deaths rising exponentially in various parts of the world and leading to lock down situations, with the potential threat of global economic meltdown? This is the big question yet to be appropriately answered by the global Scientific Authority and as the Science continues to evolve, the best we can do is, as much as possible, adhere to current advise of adequate and repeated hand washing, social isolation and self isolation in line with laid down guidance, where necessary. Last I checked, approximately  216,000 confirmed cases and over 8,000 deaths world wide have been recorded; figures that will sadly increase by tomorrow and in the unforeseeable future to come. Thank goodness for the over 84,000 who are reported to have recovered from the disease.

Being equipped with the basic science summarized above, how am I dealing with the situation? Knowing that I am in the UK, where the situation appears to be  evolving really fast, some friends, family and esteemed readers of our Blog, having been contacting me to confirm if I and my family are well. I guess, you were wondering if I had tested positive, after reading the caption of this post? Well, I haven't but anyone can, if utmost care is not taken and, as with everyone else in the United Kingdom, I am making sure to adhere to the strict guidance that can be found in the references below and avoiding unnecessary social gatherings or public travels, as much as possible. My deepest condolences go out to, all families who have lost and may lose a loved one, in the difficult days to come. Our hope and prayer is that, this bad dream ends sooner than expected and we all learn vital lessons, that can make the world a better place to dwell in.

By - Dr. Oghenekevwe Daniel Ogidigben

REFERENCES:

* WHO|Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Advice For The Public

* NHS|Coronavirus (COVID-19)/Advice

* NHS|About Coronavirus (COVID-19) - NHS 111 Online

* UKGOVERNMENT|Coronavirus(COVID-19): UK Government Response

* CDC|Coronavirus (COVID-19)