Top 10 Unknown Facts About Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)

Top 10 Unknown Facts About Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)

About Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV):

The 2019 novel coronavirus also known as the Wuhan coronavirus, is a contagious virus that causes respiratory infection. This is a zoonotic virus and shows similarities with SARS-CoV virus and bat coronaviruses which proved that this virus is originated from the bat. Here is a list of top 10 facts about this Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

Facts About 2019-nCoV:

1:First Outbreak in Wuhan, China:

An outbreak of 2019-nCoV was first detected in Wuhan, China, in mid-December 2019, likely originating from a single infected animal. The virus subsequently spread to all provinces of China and to more than twenty other countries in Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania.

2:Declaration as a Global Health Emergency:

On 30 January 2020, 2019-nCoV was designated a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO). As of 4 February 2020, there were 20,604 confirmed cases of infection, of which 20,416 were within mainland China.

3:How to Spread:

Human-to-human transmission of the virus has been confirmed. Coronaviruses are primarily spread through close contact, in particular through respiratory droplets from coughs and sneezes within a range of about 6 feet.

4:Real Cause of this Virus:

Animals sold for food are suspected to be the real cause of this virus because many of the first identified infected individuals were workers at the Huanan Seafood Market as a result of which they were exposed to greater contact with animals.

5:Family of this Virus:

2019-nCoV belongs to the broad family of viruses known as coronaviruses.

6:Another Name(Acute Respiratory Disease):

The disease caused by 2019-nCoV has been temporarily designated "2019-nCoV acute respiratory disease" by the WHO. No specific treatment verified by medical research standards is available as of February 2020.

7:Symptoms of the Disease:

Some of the symptoms of this disease are fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath, etc.

8:Treatment With Anti-HIV Drug:

On 2 February 2020, doctors in Thailand claimed to have treated a patient successfully with a combination of the anti-HIV drugs lopinavir and ritonavir in combination with the influenza drug oseltamivir.

9:Vaccine Preparation:

In January 2020, several organizations and institutions began work on creating vaccines for 2019 n-CoV based on the published genome -

*In China, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention is developing a vaccine against the novel coronavirus. The team of Yuen Kwok-Yung at the University of Hong Kong, which previously participated in work on the SARS coronavirus during its 2003 outbreak, has also announced that a vaccine is under development there but has yet to proceed to animal testing. Shanghai East Hospital is also developing a vaccine in partnership with the biotechnology company Stemirna Therapeutics.

*The Imperial College Faculty of Medicine in London has funding to develop a vaccine and take it to animal testing, a phase of research it expects to complete by mid-February 2020.

*The Public Health Agency of Canada has granted permission to the International Vaccine Centre at the University of Saskatchewan to begin work on a vaccine. This institution aims to start production and animal testing in March 2020, and human testing in 2021.

*In Australia, the University of Queensland is investigating the potential of a molecular clamp vaccine that would genetically modify viral proteins to make them mimic the coronavirus and stimulate an immune reaction.

10:Mortality Rate Due to the Virus:

Overall mortality and morbidity rates due to infection from 2019-nCoV are unknown. But the WHO has suggested that the mortality rate is approximately 3%. The total number of deaths attributed to the virus was 427 as of 4 February 2020.