Covid-19 first came to public attention on December 29, 2019, when it was announced that four people working at a market in Wuhan, China, selling seafood and live animals, and numerous people who visited the market around the same time, had been diagnosed with symptoms of lung infection (pneumonia). After examining samples taken from patients, it was determined on January 7 that the virus causing the disease belonged to the Coronavirus family, like SARS (2002) and MERS (2012). The virus was named SARS-CoV-2, and the disease it causes was named COVID-19. It has been reported that the SARS-CoV-2 genome is 70% similar to the SARS Coronavirus. In February 2020, the World Health Organization declared this disease a pandemic. According to official records, approximately 700 million people worldwide have contracted the disease since its emergence, and unfortunately, 7 million people have lost their lives due to the disease. In our country, according to official records, the number of reported cases is approximately 17 million, with 102,000 deaths.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause disease in humans and have been detected in some animal species (cats, camels, bats). Coronaviruses circulating among animals can mutate over time and gain the ability to infect humans, leading to human cases. However, these viruses only pose a threat to humans after they gain the ability to spread from person to person. SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that emerged among people who visited a live animal market in Wuhan and has also gained the ability to spread from person to person.

How does the disease spread?

It is believed that the novel coronavirus spreads through respiratory secretions, like other coronaviruses. Respiratory droplets containing the virus, which are spread into the environment when infected individuals cough, sneeze, laugh, or talk, come into contact with the mucous membranes of healthy individuals, causing them to become ill. Close contact (within 1 meter) is necessary for the disease to spread from person to person in this way.

Based on current information, it can be said that Covid-19 is not transmitted through food (meat, milk, eggs, etc.).

What are the symptoms of the disease?

The disease is characterized by a sudden onset of high fever (39 degrees), cough, and shortness of breath after an incubation period of 2-14 days. Some patients have experienced sore throat, runny nose, and loss of taste and smell. The disease generally has a moderate to severe clinical course. The majority of those who become severely ill and die are older individuals (>65 years) with underlying conditions (lung disease, organ failure, cancer, diabetes, immunosuppressive diseases). The disease is relatively mild in young, healthy adults.

Diagnosis

Although the clinical findings of the disease suggest a diagnosis, a definitive diagnosis can be made by laboratory testing, which detects the virus's genetic material in swab samples taken from the throat and nose using polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

How can the disease be prevented?

Many vaccines have been developed to prevent the disease, and the mRNA vaccine, which has been shown in scientific studies to provide the best protection, is currently the vaccine still being administered for prevention. The effectiveness of inactivated virus vaccines and other vaccines produced during the pandemic has declined over time due to mutations in the virus. SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus, and one of the most important characteristics of these viruses is that they mutate very frequently. Therefore, the virus changes its structure very quickly and can both increase its ability to cause disease and escape the immune response created by the body more quickly. For this reason, vaccines developed against the disease are rapidly updated to be effective against the variants that are prevalent in circulation. For this reason, mRNA vaccines developed against new variants continue to be used in many countries. Unfortunately, these updated vaccines are not available in our country. Therefore, the most effective method of protection in our country for now is to avoid contact with the virus (infected individuals). For this reason, the most important methods of protection are for individuals, especially those in risk groups, to wear masks in crowded, enclosed spaces and for the entire community to pay attention to hygiene rules.

Is there a treatment for the disease?

Many drugs effective against coronaviruses have been developed to date. However, these drugs are not available in our country. For those who experience mild symptoms, the main treatment is supportive care. Paracetamol can be used for fever, muscle, and joint pain. If individuals in the risk group experience lung infection and associated breathing difficulties, they must be hospitalized and given supportive care (oxygen support, fluid administration, etc.).