According to an article in Science News for Students, the coronavirus is a single stranded RNA virus that has been around for a long time. This virus is round and is enclosed by proteins, giving it its name due to the “corona of the sun”. There are four major types of these viruses, and one of them causes the common cold. They are spread through the air and tend to be very mild affecting the nose and throat. There are two strands that have caused SARS and MERS, resulting in past global outbreaks. These coronaviruses cause severe infection by latching onto proteins that are on the outside of the lungs. This causes a far more serious penetration of the airways than the common cold. The damage to the lungs is what causes these strands to be so deadly. The SARS outbreak killed 1 in 10 people infected. The MERS outbreak killed 3 in 10 infected. The coronavirus has appeared to be less severe killing 4 in 100 people infected.
According to MedlinePlus, there are interesting traits to this coronavirus. The virus can infect both animals and humans. It is spread like a common cold. Infected people who are coughing and sneezing can infect others around them by basic droplet interaction or touching objects people who are infected have touched. This can be a direct or indirect transfer. Symptoms include fever, coughing, and shortness of breath. The incubation period is 2-14 days. There is currently no vaccine. Treatments are just support for the symptoms of the virus like fluids and pain relievers.
WebMD has published an article stating that this outbreak began in Wuhan, China. It is thought to be linked to a market that sold seafood and animals. The virus is thought to have been contracted from one of the animals in the now closed market. The outbreak began on December 30, 2019. There are currently eight cases in the US, but most cases reside in China. There is still a lot of information being processed so a lot of this “factual” information is apt to change once more research can be done. As of now, handwashing and general sanitation is a necessity to contain these outbreaks.
Microbiology with Alicia 