2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19): Common Virus or Deadly New Infection?

Is this new germ on the block something to worry about?

We can’t turn on the news this week without hearing more and more about the new virus discovered in Asia, and it’s expansion (both actual and potential) around the globe.

What is this virus?

Coronavirus is the name of a large family of viruses. Many coronaviruses infection children and adults year-round in the United States, and usually just cause the common cold. However, this particular virus, at least by preliminarily reports, has caused people to be more severely ill; this early signal harkens to other severe coronaviruses (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or “SARS”, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome or “MERS”). This new coronavirus has been named by health officials as “2019-nCoV” because it was discovered in 2019, and is a novel Coronavirus. It is too early in the outbreak to know the full spectrum of illness that 2019-nCoV causes, but at this time the leading symptoms have been identified as fever, cough and difficulty breathing. There have been reports of severe respiratory disease and death in a handful of those known to be infected, but illness have mostly been mild in others.

Why is everyone so concerned?

Whenever there is an outbreak of a novel infection, this causes a lot of fear and anxiety, because don’t know what to expect or how severe or widespread the outbreak will be. With viral illnesses in particular, there are often no targeted treatments (as opposed to bacterial infections, most of which we can treat with antibiotics), so this adds to panic. 

Another feature of this virus that has caused concern is that it’s been confirmed that this virus can spread from person to person. So, for example, we cannot simply steer clear of a geographical region or farm animals, to keep ourselves safe. People move around the world at great speed, making the containment of human-to-human transmission difficult. 2019-nCoV, like many other viral illnesses, has a certain latency period (which has not yet been fully defined), allowing for people to travel before knowing they’re ill, which can allow for further spread. 

Do I need to be worried?

At this time, it’s hard to say how widespread this outbreak will be, and if it will impact Americans as it has those in Wuhan, China. As the United States confirmed its first case of 2019-nCoV this week, and extensive efforts have been made to contain those who are potentially sick and harboring the virus. There is no need to panic, but we of course hope that containment efforts are effective and those who are infected get appropriate care and recover quickly.

What can I do to protect my family?

As with any respiratory viral season, influenza outbreak, or other outbreak, we recommend the tried and true wisdom of washing your hands, containing your cough, staying home when ill, and avoiding large gatherings of people where you can come in frequent contact with sick people. 

We recommend that you stick to credible sources of information on the topic of 2019-nCoV. This is a popular media topic, but one that should not be sensationalized! The most credible sources of the most up-to-date information include the CDC’s page dedicated to 2019-nCoV: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

If you’re considering international travel, the CDC’s traveler’s health page has excellent updated information, and can help you figure out if you may be traveling to an area of concern: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

We at Inspired Biometrics are committed to empowering parents to best care for their children through education and support. Check into www.inspiredbiometrics.com often for tips and educational posts.

Written by Rosey Olivero, MD

CSO and Co-Founder of Inspired Biometrics 02/24/2020

https://healthbeat.spectrumhealth.org/covid19-kawasaki-inflammatory-condition-in-children-qa-with-pediatric-infectious-disease-expert/