Coronavirus facts: Most people will get a mild infection, but the pattern is clear in the most severe cases. A World Health Organization examination of data from 56,000 patients suggests:
6% become critically ill – lung failure, septic shock, organ failure and risk of death
14% develop severe symptoms – difficulty breathing and shortness of breath
80% develop mild symptoms – fever and cough and some may have pneumonia
This information is from a massive study by the Chinese Centres of Disease Control
- The incubation period – between infection and showing symptoms – lasts up to 14 days. People will be most infectious when they have symptoms, but there have been suggestions some can spread the virus even before they are sick
- It looked at 44,000 people and showed 2.8% of infected men died, compared with 1.7% of women. And 0.2% of children and teenagers died compared with nearly 15% of people over the age of 80. The quality of the antibodies you produce when you’re 70 is a lot worse than when you’re 20. The proportion dying from the disease appears low (between 1% and 2%)
- “Smoking damages your lungs. This may be a particular problem in China, where estimates suggest 52% of men smoke compared with just 3% of women.
- There is very limited information on the symptoms of Covid-19 in children, but they appear to be mild – fever, runny nose and a cough.
- There have been some cases with more severe complications. Those with other health problems, such as a weakened immune system or severe asthma, will be at greater risk
- The number of new cases reported has fallen dramatically in recent days even as infections are surging in other countries. The World Health Organization has praised Beijing’s response.
- Officials reported only 99 new cases on Saturday, down from around 2,000 a day just weeks ago, and for the second day in a row, none were detected in Hubei Province outside of its capital, Wuhan, the centre of the outbreak.
Coronavirus facts – Prevention:
People who think they may be affected by coronavirus need to call the NHS 111 phone service for further advice. They should not go to their GP, or A&E.
- The best thing is regular and thorough hand washing, preferably with soap and water.
- Coronavirus spreads when an infected person coughs small droplets – packed with the virus – into the air. These can be breathed in, or cause an infection if you touch a surface they have landed on then your eyes, nose or mouth.
- So, coughing and sneezing into tissues, not touching your face with unwashed hands, and avoiding close contact with infected people are important for limiting the spread.
- Face masks do not provide effective protection,
