Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak—An Important Update From World Health Organisation.

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Mar 18, 2020
7 min read

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Basic protective measures against the new coronavirus

Stay aware of the latest information on the COVID-19 outbreak, available on the WHO website and through your national and local public health authority. Most people who become infected experience mild illness and recover, but it can be more severe for others. Take care of your health and protect others by doing the following:

Wash your hands frequently

Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.

Why? Washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands.

Maintain social distancing

Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.

Why? When someone coughs or sneezes they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease.

Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth

Why? Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and can make you sick.

Practice respiratory hygiene

Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.

Why? Droplets spread virus. By following good respiratory hygiene you protect the people around you from viruses such as cold, flu and COVID-19.

If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early

Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance. Follow the directions of your local health authority.

Why? National and local authorities will have the most up to date information on the situation in your area. Calling in advance will allow your health care provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This will also protect you and help prevent spread of viruses and other infections.

Stay informed and follow advice given by your healthcare provider

Stay informed on the latest developments about COVID-19. Follow advice given by your healthcare provider, your national and local public health authority or your employer on how to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.

Why? National and local authorities will have the most up to date information on whether COVID-19 is spreading in your area. They are best placed to advise on what people in your area should be doing to protect themselves.

Protection measures for persons who are in or have recently visited (past 14 days) areas where COVID-19 is spreading Instructions From W.H.O

Follow the guidance outlined above.
Stay at home if you begin to feel unwell, even with mild symptoms such as headache and slight runny nose, until you recover. Why? Avoiding contact with others and visits to medical facilities will allow these facilities to operate more effectively and help protect you and others from possible COVID-19 and other viruses.
If you develop fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical advice promptly as this may be due to a respiratory infection or other serious condition. Call in advance and tell your provider of any recent travel or contact with travelers. Why? Calling in advance will allow your health care provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This will also help to prevent possible spread of COVID-19 and other viruses.

Global research on coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

WHO is gathering the latest scientific findings and knowledge on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and compiling it in a database. We update the database daily from searches of bibliographic databases, hand searches of the table of contents of relevant journals, and the addition of other relevant scientific articles that come to our attention. The entries in the database may not be exhaustive and new research will be added regularly.

COVID-19 coronavirus: Top ten most-affected countries

One Asian country and six European countries are among the ten most affected list of countries with coronavirus, while more European countries are witnessing a surge in cases. As many as 11 European countries are among the top 15 countries with the highest number of coronavirus cases in the world.

As the coronavirus reaches more than 100 countries and the WHO declares nCoV as a global pandemic, Pharmaceutical Technology lists the top ten most affected countries by the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in China, by the number of cases.

China

China, including Hong Kong and Macau, is the worst affected country by the novel coronavirus (nCoV) outbreak, officially named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO).

China witnessed more than 3,000 deaths and approximately 74% of the global coronavirus cases as of 09 March, which quickly came down to approximately 58% by 13 March and to 40% by 18 March as the number of cases in rest of the world surged and Europe became the new epicentre.

Hubei is the most-affected province within China and Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei, is the city affected worst by the coronavirus. Hubei has witnessed more than 67,000 coronavirus-positive cases and continues to report deaths, although at a slower rate than before.

The number of cases in China, however, has been on the decline starting March due to the rapid control measures and response by the Chinese government.

Italy

Coronavirus is getting severe in Italy, making it the most-affected in Europe as well as outside Asia. Travel to Italy and Italians travelling to other countries during the outbreak has been traced to have caused COVID-19 spread.

Once confined to Northern Italy, COVID-19 cases have spread to entire Italy leading to a nation-wide lock-down. The Italian government’s early measures such as closing educational institutions temporarily might have limited the spread, although the aged population continues to be a concern.

Coronavirus deaths in Italy increased by five times in the second week of March, from 366 on 08 March to 2,503 on 17 March. Total cases reached 31,506, which is approximately 40% of those in Mainland China.

Iran

Iran, another country from where coronavirus spread to rest of the world, currently has more than 16,000 confirmed cases and has reported 988 deaths. Iran has been suspected to have delayed revealing about the spread of corona virus in their country and under-reporting the cases.

A number of countries have traced their coronavirus-infected having contracted the disease during travel to Iran. Many government officials and politicians including MPs in Iran have contracted coronavirus, some of who died.

Amid fears of further coronavirus spread, Iran announced the temporary release of approximately 70,000 prisoners, according to Mizan news agency.

Spain

Spain has overtaken South Korea in the number of coronavirus cases in the third week of March. Since the first coronavirus case confirmed on 01 February, the Spanish COVID-19 nCoV-infected cases got closer to 1,000 in early hours of 09 March and rose sharply to more 11,800 on 17 March. A minister in Spain has contracted coronavirus, while the King and Queen are also being tested.

Spain is currently the second most-affected European country with coronavirus. Spanish coronavirus death toll too has increased sharply to reach close to 533 as a nation-wide lock-down continues affecting millions of its residents.

Tourism, a crucial sector for Spain, is expected to face an adverse impact due to the global coronavirus fears. The Spanish government has advised companies to ask employees to work from home to avoid spread.

Germany

Coronavirus cases in Germany, which borders France and Switzerland, crossed 9,300.

Similar to its neighbour France, Germany too banned public events involving huge crowds in order to prevent spread. Trade fair, The Hannover Messe, has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak situation.

Coronavirus death toll in Germany is, however, comparitively lesser, with 26 deaths reported as of 17 March.

South Korea

South Korea is among the Asian nations most hit by coronavirus outside China due to its proximity to the latter. Coronavirus cases in South Korea started surging in February and crossed 8,413 on 18 March.

Deaths due to coronavirus in South Korea reached 84. The country is being assisted by China, whose experience in containing the outbreak has resulted in controlling the local spread of the epidemic.

France

France is the fourth most-affected European nation by the coronavirus. COVID-19 nCoV cases in France have reached 7,730, while death toll reached 175.

The French government has banned public gatherings. The popular Louvre Museum in Paris was temporarily closed as a precautionary measure. The Paris city has reported COVID-19 coronavirus-positive cases, apart from other regions including Amiens, Bordeaux, and Eastern Haute-Savoie.

A worker at Disneyland Paris was reported by Reuters as having contracted the coronavirus. France currently has only a few clusters with coronavirus. The ongoing outbreak remains a concern to the French tourism industry as coronavirus fears are resulting in a drop in visitors.

USA

Coronavirus situation in the US is grim with the cases and deaths increasing fast. The US COVID-19 cases more than doubled in three days and increased further to cross 6,000 on 17 March, while the death toll crossed 100.

Community spread and delayed testing is currently a major concern to Americans as enough test kits are not available across states.

The first coronavirus case in the US was confirmed on 21 January, but the cases surged from the second half of February.

Switzerland

Switzerland, a popular tourist destination, is the fifth most affected European country by the novel coronavirus outbreak. The positive COVID-19 coronavirus cases in Switzerland, whose borders are close to Milan, Italy, reached 2,700 on 17 March.

Some of the major cities in Switzerland, such as Geneva and Zurich, have reported confirmed coronavirus cases.

Deaths in Switzerland due to coronavirus increased to 27. The Swiss hotel and tourism industries will be affected if the coronavirus situation continues to stay for long.