How Does The Coronavirus Spread

Since the advent of the Coronavirus, the whole world has been shaken by the speed and deadly rate of spread. Governments around the globe have been making concerted efforts through their various medical bodies to find a lasting solution to this scourge that has claimed millions of lives.  Various measures have also been put in place to help curtail the transmission of the virus; hence the lockdowns, compulsory use of face masks, regular hand washing, use of alcohol-based sanitizers, social distancing. Adherence to these measures will help buy time to prevent a global catastrophe until a cure or a vaccine is found.  However before then, there is a need to understand how coronavirus transmits, that way, you can take the precautions so you do not get infected or infect others.

Individual Transmission

Specialists think that the virus that causes the Coronavirus transmits mostly from individual to individual. However, there are various ways this type of transmission takes place:

 Transmission by air

Studies done thus far have shown that the virus can stay active in the air for close to 3 hours.  The possibility of It getting into the lungs is high if an infected person exhaled and because you are close by, you inhale it.

 Surface transmission

 Touching contaminated surfaces is another way to get infected with the new coronavirus. Touching surfaces in high traffic zones can be responsible for this. The tendency of an infected person to have sneezed or coughed on the surface is high. You might touch a door handle that is contaminated and then accidentally touches your mouth, eyes, or nose. The virus is equally active on surfaces like plastic and stainless steel for two to three days; to avert this tendency, clean and decontaminate all high-traffic areas and surfaces in the home and workplace.   

 Aerosols

The droplets of an infected person's sneeze, cough, or talks, are referred to as aerosols. These droplets take the virus into the air from the mouth or nose. Any person within 6 feet of the infected can inhale it into their lungs.

Excreta

Research also proposes that virus specks can be found in infected people feces; however, professionals are not sure if the infection can be transmitted through contact with an infected person's feces. If such a person shares conveniences with you and they could infect things and persons they touch.

Oftentimes, the virus is transmitted from persons that exhibit symptoms.  In some cases, it is possible to transmit it to others without exhibiting any symptoms.   This is referred to as asymptomatic transmission. It also possible to transmit the virus before noticing any sign of infections; it is referred to as the pre-symptomatic transmission.

Communal Transmission

During some instances, an individual can connect the dots to trace how they got infected with the virus because they have been in contact with a sick individual. In a few other cases, the source of infection cannot be traced.  Community transmission is when an individual gets infected with the virus without having been with a sick person.  It has been discovered that some pets tested positive to the new coronavirus; although not all these animals exhibited signs of illness, some exhibited placid symptoms. The animals probably got infected from close contact with infected humans.  Health officers are still examining the Coronavirus but so far there is no proof that pets are functional in the viral transmission.

Rate of transmission

Experts reported that it is envisaged that any person infected with the Coronavirus will transmit it to two or three others. Another research postulates that number increases, with a single sick person infecting between four to seven others.  Hence, by comparing, an infected person will most likely infect an average of one to two others.

Transmission through food packages/ deliveries

It is not certain that the Coronavirus can be transmitted from food packages and general deliveries. The pertinent thing is to reduce your contact with others.  When shopping, ensure to keep at least 6 feet distance from others in the store. That might not happen all the time, so in addition, put on a face mask.  If you make use of a delivery service, you can instruct them to leave your food packages at your front door. Then wash your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds before and after bringing the items into your home. For extra caution, you can clean down glass, metal, or plastic containers or package with soap and water.

Flattening the Curve

You might be familiar with a graph referred to as ‘flattening the curve.’ It simply means slowing down the rate of the Coronavirus infection rate.  All through the graph is a line that indicates the number of sick people in hospitals in a particular area. When the tall curve moves above the line, it is translated to mean that too many people are sick at once which means the region will not have enough facilities to attend to all infected persons that need treatment. The flatter curve translates to when the transmission rate of the virus slows down. The same figure of persons might be unwell, but the infection rate occurs over a longer time frame; that way, hospitals have time and resources to attend to more people.

 Safeguarding yourself

The most profound way to slow the rate of transmission of the virus is to reduce considerably your contact with other persons. This will help flatten the curve. The ways to achieve this are: Avert from traveling; work from home if possible; socialize with family and friends media platforms like the internet and phone as opposed to meeting physically; If it is pertinent for you to go out, maintain the 6 feet physical distancing from people; adhere to local and state government authorization on putting on of face masks when outdoors; wash your hands regularly.  If you feel unwell, self-isolate in a different bedroom away from your family members. Do your shopping transactions online as often as possible. Keep your pets indoors and away from animals outside your home. Cats should specifically stay indoors always.