COVID-19

COVID-19

Before it was announced on March 11^th 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO), the outbreak of COVID-19 was termed as an epidemic. That is because it had spread to many communities and individuals at the same time. After the announcement, it was termed as a pandemic which meant that the disease was now spreading worldwide at an alarming rate. Through the announcement, WHO was recognizing the inaction and severity and the increasing amounts of deaths and affected countries and its potential to infect more countries. Therefore, it is essential that every country focus on people, preparedness, political leadership, prevention and public health. COVID-19 has been acknowledged that it is the first one to have been caused by a coronavirus. This paper will discuss the COVID-19 disease, examining some of the reasons why it affects other individuals more than others. It will discuss its genetics and other factors that make it spread rapidly across that world.

COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) is a contagious illness resulting from coronavirus, which is a severe acute respiratory syndrome. Individuals having the virus may show no signs of having the disease or have signed similar to those of flu (Xu et al., 2020). These involve shortness of breath, fever, fatigue and cough. Some of the severe symptoms include bluish lips or face, confusion, and difficulties in breathing. These symptoms require one to seek urgent treatment. Signs which are less common include, running nose, sore throat or sneezing other individuals may vomit or diarrhea. In some cases, the disease may lead to more severe cases like multi-organ failure, pneumonia or death. The condition has an incubation period which may vary between two to six days or between eight to 14 days.

The disease spreads primarily due to close contacts between people through respiratory droplets from sneezing and coughing. The other way respiratory droplets can be released is through breathing. Nevertheless, the illness is not generally airborne. The other way that the virus can spread is when one touches a contaminated surface and then touching their face (Pan et al., 2020). The virus is most infectious when the signs have not revealed themselves. The virus is said to last up to 72 hours on depending on the surface. Its presence in faeces has also sparked research on how it can infect people.

The coronavirus disease mostly affects the lungs because it primarily enters the cells of the host through angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) (Lipsitch et al., 2020). ACE2 is the most in terms of the amount found in type II alveolar cells found in the lungs (Pan et al., 2020). The coronavirus has a unique glycoprotein known as peplomer or a “spike” which it uses to attach itself to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 through which it accesses the cell of the host. Therefore, it is deduced that the density of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 determines how severe the disease will be. It is also determined that reducing activities of ACE2 may assist in protecting the host. The other hypothesis is the increment of ACE2 by utilizing angiotensin II that blocks receptors which can protect an individual, but they need to carry out further tests. The other organs that the virus affects are the gastrointestinal organs. That is because there is a large amount of ACE2 within the duodenum, glandular cells, small intestine and endothelial cells (Lipsitch et al., 2020).

Measures recommended reducing the spread of the virus have been proposed and include people staying at home, avoiding places that are crowded areas, washing hands regularly with soap and running water. The other prevention measure is practising excellent respiratory hygiene. Since the virus can also be spread by touching infected surfaces, one is advised not to touch the nose, eyes or mouth before washing his or her hand. It is recommended that one should cover his or her nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing with a tissue which should be disposed off after use. Another preventive measure is the covering to the mouth and nose with once elbow when sneezing or coughing. After any cough or sneeze, an individual should consider washing or disinfecting their hands. Strategies of social distancing such as the closing of schools, non-essential jobs, stopping mass gatherings and banning travels are also aimed at reducing the pandemic. Other approaches to social distancing include staying 1.2 meters away from one another (Pan et al., 2020). These precautions are adequate because washing hands washes way the pathogens while keeping distance ensures that one does not contract the virus through the air.

The reason behind Italy being affected more than other countries is because most of its population is made up of older adults (Remuzzi & Remuzzi, 2020). The disease affects the elderly than the younger demographic. Other countries are less affected because their population is mostly young people. Most people affected by COVID-19 are the older people. That is because as individuals grow old, their immune system also declines, making them more susceptible to the illness. The systems fighting diseases in a person’s body wears down with increasing age and therefore find it hard to fight new infections like the coronavirus disease.

The other reason is that older individuals have a high chance of contracting chronic diseases. The longer a person lives, there is a high chance his or her cells will multiply in dangerous ways. This causes more damage which in turn causes malfunctions in the body systems. Social distancing also plays a significant role in affecting older people having the virus. It has become challenging to help them, especially since most of them said that they were lonely even before the illness struck (Anderson et al., 2020).

In comparison to other coronaviruses, COVID-19 is different because it has severe effects, especially among the older generations. The other difference is its ability to spread through surfaces and its requirement of personal hygiene. However, most coronaviruses are generally airborne, making the disease similar to the other.

Governments have gone to extremes like lockdowns to contain the spread of the disease. This is because it is a dangerous disease which may eventually result in death. The reason why most countries have resorted to such extremes is that the disease greatly affects those at the age of 65 and above. Such individuals mostly have chronic ailments making them vulnerable to COVID-19 (Anderson et al., 2020). The disease is also dangerous in the way it spreads. Such measures are made to reduce the rate at which it spreads. Most countries are trying to avoid incidences, where the hospitals are overwhelmed by a lot of sick patients. This would result in poor health care provision leading to more fatal cases.

COVID-19 is bound to have significant long-term effects when one considers the demographic losses that have already occurred. The primary impact will be on the global economy, which has already begun taking a hit. With most countries locking down and stopping international trade, the economy will take a wrong term. The impact of this will mostly be felt by developing countries whose economies are week. The long-term effect would be the loss of jobs among individuals and little social trust. The loss of employment is as a result of companies shutting down due to loss of business. The agricultural sector will also be hit hard because the production of crops will not be going on. It will affect the sustainable development goals that saw counties trying to manage poverty and hunger.

In conclusion, COVID-19 is a pandemic that majorly affects the respiratory system. It mainly affects the ACE2 found in the lungs. It has flu-like symptoms which can lead to serious effects such as pneumonia and organ failure resulting in death. The disease mostly affects old individuals, and this is one of the reasons why other countries are more affected than others. The reason why older individuals are affected is because their immune system is lower compared to younger individuals. Other factors that contribute to this is because they are more prone to chronic diseases. Other factors include preventative measures such as social distancing, is making it worse for older individuals. The prevention measures must be taken seriously. Such practices like staying at home and keeping a one-meter distance from each person will ensure the reduction in the spread of the disease.

References

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Lipsitch, M., Swerdlow, D. L., & Finelli, L. (2020). Defining the epidemiology of COVID-19 — Studies needed. New England Journal of Medicine, 382(13), 1194-1196. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmp2002125

Pan, F., Ye, T., Sun, P., Gui, S., Liang, B., Li, L., Zheng, D., Wang, J., Hesketh, R. L., Yang, L., & Zheng, C. (2020). Time course of lung changes on chest CT during recovery from 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pneumonia. Radiology, 200370. https://doi.org/10.1148/radiol.2020200370

Remuzzi, A., & Remuzzi, G. (2020). COVID-19 and Italy: What next? The Lancet. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(20)30627-9

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