(Authors note: This article is being written with the most up-to-date information from the Center for Disease Control and World Health Organization. Links to the CDC [1] and WHO [2] pages on COVID-19 can be found in the footnotes of this article. As this is an ongoing outbreak, the information known about this organism and its spread will be constantly evolving. Aspects of this article will become outdated as the spread of COVID-19 continues and as we learn more about this novel strain. All other references used for this article, unless stated explicitly in the text, can be found in the footnotes.)

COVID-19 is the newest strain of coronavirus to capture major media attention. The term “COVID-19” is an acronym for “Coronavirus Disease 2019” and was first reported in Wuhan, the capital of China’s Hubei province in December 2019. Outbreaks of this nature are frightening because the exact breadth and scope of the spread cannot be anticipated. However, coronavirus did not appear overnight and has actually been in the public eye for longer than you might realize. The SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ) outbreak of 2002 was also caused by a strain of coronavirus which originated in China [3]. Even more recently, the MERS (Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak of 2012 was caused by yet another strain of coronavirus [4]. Although these are all distinct species of coronavirus and may not be directly comparable to COVID-19, they illustrate how new species of coronavirus have been a source of concern for some time.

For the sake of our discussion here, we should clarify the distinction between COVID-19 and coronaviruses as a whole. There are many, many, many different species of coronavirus in the world. During the course of this article the term “coronavirus” will be used to broadly describe the group of viruses in that family, specifically those which can infect humans. The coronavirus family also includes a number of viruses which do not typically infect humans, which we will not discuss here. COVID-19 is a specific species of the coronavirus, which is causing the current outbreak of infections.

So, what is coronavirus? Like all viruses, it reproduces inside the cells of the organisms that it infects. Viruses must hijack the internal workings of a cell to produce copies of themselves. Coronaviruses, including COVID-19, spread by respiratory droplets. These droplets are produced whenever a person coughs or sneezes. The droplets can be spread between people who are in close proximity to each other. They can also be spread if the droplets are sprayed onto surfaces (like tables, door handles, counter-tops, etc.) and then someone comes into contact with the affected surface. In the current age of global travel, the COVID-19 virus has spread internationally as unsuspecting travelers have picked up the virus and carried it with them. (Of note, coronavirus is not associated with Corona beers or its associated alcoholic beverages. We shouldn’t even have to discuss that, but a recent CBS News poll showed that some Americans actually think Corona beers can spread COVID-19. So, for the sake of completeness when covering this topic, it should be well understood that coronavirus does not come from drinking Corona.)

Many people are affected with coronavirus every year. It is usually associated with upper respiratory tract infections, or “the common cold”, across a variety of age groups [5]. Symptoms of coronavirus infections often include a runny nose and nasal congestion, both usually clear up on their own without any treatment. Cases of coronavirus-related upper respiratory infections tend to be seasonal, peaking in late winter or early spring before declining. You may have had a coronavirus infection in the past and gotten over it without any issues. Historically, most of the cases of coronavirus in the United States are not serious and require little to no treatment

In the case of COVID-19, it is suspected that the virus crossed over from animals to humans. Viruses originating from animals have the potential to become incredibly dangerous because the human body has never been exposed to them before. Your immune system grows by learning to attack infectious organisms that enter your body. If a disease has only ever existed in animals and has never been exposed to humans, your body does not have a specific way to fight that illness. This is why vaccines allow your body to build an immune response to an infection before you ever acquire it, by presenting the body with parts of the infectious agent so that the body can learn to fight against it. There is a certain amount of “built-in” or innate immunity that your body possesses, but this is not sufficient to ward off all types of infections. Once you have been infected by the organism, you will develop symptoms as your body tries to fight off the infection.

The CDC reports that symptoms of COVID-19 have ranged from very mild to severe. Patients with COVID-19 can experience fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Symptoms are estimated to occur 2-14 days after a person has been exposed to COVID-19, with this estimation being based off what was previously seen with MERS infections [1]. As you may have noticed, these symptoms could also be seen with a variety of other illnesses. Unless you have been around someone who has a known infection with COVID-19 or there is known COVID-19 in your community, it is much more likely that these symptoms are coming from another infectious organism.

The CDC’s most recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly report from February 28th, 2020 (published early online on 2/25/2020) indicates that older adults, people with underlying health problems, and people with compromised immune systems are at greatest risk for more severe infections of COVID-19[6]. The same report indicates that there have been 53 cases of COVID-19 in the United States, with 0 deaths. However, the most recent WHO report on COVID-19 (published on March 4th, 2020, at the time this author is writing) reports that there have been a total of 108 confirmed cases in the United States with 6 total deaths; as this WHO report is more recent, it likely gives a more accurate representation of the COVID-19 spread in the United States. The most recent WHO report also shows that there have been 67,332 cases of COVID-19 and 2,871 deaths in China’s Hubei province since the outbreak began. It should be noted that a similar death rate may not be seen in the COVID-19 cases in the United States, due to differences in available medical resources and levels of preparedness for COVID-19 that China did not have prior to the outbreak. Mortality rates have not been consistent across all countries with COVID-19 outbreaks; for example, South Korean mortality has been markedly lower, with 5,328 reported cases and only 32 deaths at this time.

With all this in mind, what should Americans be doing about COVID-19? Since there is no vaccine or specific treatments for COVID-19 at this time, the best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to the virus. The CDC has no current recommendations for COVID-19 prevention, outside of what they always recommend for respiratory illnesses: frequently disinfecting objects that you use on a regular basis, proper hand washing, staying home if you feel sick, and covering your coughs to prevent the spread of germs (which you should probably be doing anyway if you spend any time around people). None of these recommendations are groundbreaking and should be common sense for most Americans. Of note, the CDC does not recommend the use of face masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Face masks are only indicated for people with known COVID-19 infections or people who deal directly with COVID-19 patients. Treatment of known COVID-19 cases is mostly supportive at this time and there is not strong evidence of any drugs that can effectively treat people with confirmed COVID-19. The CDC also recommends travel restrictions to China and Iran, due to the high disease prevalence in those countries. If you have specific questions about the CDC’s risk assessment for other countries with known COVID-19 outbreaks, please refer to the link at the bottom of this article [8].

Hopefully this article has provided you with a more complete understanding of the current coronavirus outbreak. The situation could change in the near future, but there is currently no cause for concern unless you are at risk of exposure to someone with COVID-19. Armed with this new information, keep a close eye on the upcoming headlines and health advisories from government agencies. Media organizations can sometimes over-exaggerate the severity of an outbreak, but err on the side of caution and do your research if a reliable source says that there is evidence of a COVID-19 outbreak near you.

As always, thank you for reading!

1. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
2. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
3. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sars/symptoms-causes/syc-20351765
4. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/mers/index.html
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2595130/pdf/yjbm00155-0028.pdf
6. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6908e1.htm?s_cid=mm6908e1_w
7. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200304-sitrep-44-covid-19.pdf?sfvrsn=783b4c9d_2
8. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html