Library · Disease
COVID-19
Make it clearer
COVID-19 is the illness caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2, and it spreads very easily.
It is passed mainly through respiratory droplets, those tiny particles that come out when we talk, cough or sneeze, in close contact with someone carrying the virus. And here is the uncomfortable part: that person may have symptoms, may not have them yet, or may never have them at all. Infection travels in what comes out of the mouth when we talk, not in the person who looks sick.
The median time from exposure to the first symptoms is about five days. What happens after that varies a great deal: some people feel nothing, and some end up with acute respiratory failure, meaning the lungs can no longer take in enough oxygen, with septic shock, which is a collapse of the circulation caused by the infection, or with several organs failing at once.
In brief
COVID-19 is a highly contagious viral illness caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
It spreads mainly through respiratory droplets, in close contact with someone carrying the virus, whether they have symptoms, do not have them yet or never develop them.
Infection travels in what comes out of the mouth when we talk, not in the person who looks sick.
The median incubation period is around five days, and the illness ranges from no symptoms at all to acute respiratory failure, septic shock and multiple organ failure.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingFeatures, Evaluation, and Treatment of Coronavirus (COVID-19), StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated