Coronavirus: The Lowdown

Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has been declared a pandemic by WHO. This illness can affect your lungs and airways, but how is it spread and what preventative measures are in place?

The World Health Organization has labeled the outbreak of Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) as a pandemic. But what exactly is it and how are we equipped to deal with it in the UK? Dr. Helen Wimalaratna explains more about coronavirus and what we know about it, so far.

There are 596 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK - 387 in England, 36 in Scotland, 18 in Northern Ireland and 19 in Wales. In total, 27,476 people have been tested for the disease so far. 10 people have died. After a COBRA meeting today, the government is expected to announce that it is stepping up its response to the coronavirus with a 'delay' phase.
What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
The main symptoms of coronavirus are:

coughing
a high temperature
difficulty breathing
Some people get seriously ill and die from multiple organ failure, but many people infected have very mild symptoms or none at all.
What do you do if you think you have coronavirus?
You may need to isolate yourself if you have traveled to an area affected by a coronavirus, or have been in close contact with an infected person.

Spending 15 minutes within 2m (6ft) of someone with the virus, or having face-to-face contact, increases your risk of contracting the disease.

Health authorities attempt to trace everyone an infected person has spent time with. They will then tell those people whether they need to self-isolate.
If you have traveled recently, countries and areas with a higher risk of coronavirus are:

Cambodia
China
Hong Kong
Iran
Italy
Japan
Laos
Macau
Malaysia
Myanmar (Burma)
Singapore
South Korea
Taiwan
Tenerife – only the H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel
Thailand
Vietnam

For 14 days after returning from China or other specified areas, you will be asked to isolate yourself. You should:
stay at home and avoid close contact with people
not go to work, school or public any areas
not use public transport

rely on delivery services, friends or family for errands such as grocery shopping
avoid visitors to your home (friends, family or delivery people can drop off food, though)
do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital
use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service to find out what to do next
How can you stop germs spreading?

At present, there is no vaccine for coronavirus, but there are certain things you can do to prevent the infectious disease from spreading that are simple yet effective:
cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or even your sleeve when you cough or sneeze.
do not cover sneezes with your hands.

throw used tissues in the bin straight away (catch it, kill it, bin it)

wash your hands with soap and water often – pop hand sanitizer gel in your bad for when soap and water are not available
to avoid close contact with unwell people
do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands haven't been cleaned