Nearly everyone in the U.S. will be affected in one way or another by the COVID-19 pandemic, the disease caused by the new coronavirus – from stress and anxiety, event closure, or the disease itself. There is cause for concern: the disease can be fatal, and the outbreak in the US is likely to continue become worse.
There’s still a lot that scientists and doctors don’t know about the new coronavirus and the disease it causes. However, with three months of data, it appears that about 80 percent of infected people have mild or moderate illness, about 15 percent have severe illness (requiring hospitalization), and about 5 percent are critical (and respiratory or organ failure ). About 3 percent of people with confirmed cases of the infection in China died, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
However, different groups of people are more likely to fall into the serious or critical categories than others:
The elderly: People older than 60 are at a higher risk of developing a serious case of COVID-19, according to the report data collected by WHO. The highest mortality rate is in people over 80 years old. round 15 percent of people in that age group died of the disease in one set of Chinese patients. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that older people stay away from the crowds and avoid non-essential travel.
Children: Children, on the other hand, don’t seem to get that sick. Very few develop the disease in the first place, and when they do, only a small group develop a serious or critical illness. In China, no young children have died from the virus.
Researchers are still there try to find out why that is so. Children’s lungs may be less prone to infection or their immune systems may be stronger. Children can carry the virus aroundand pass it on to each other and then to their parents and caregivers. Therefore, children still need to wash their hands as much as adults. It is also one of the reasons schools where the virus is spreading are closing.
People with chronic conditions: People with underlying health problems such as high blood pressure, kidney disease, cancer or diabetes are also more likely get very sick or die of COVID-19. For example, about 9 percent of people with diabetes who contracted the virus died, as did about 8 percent of people with high blood pressure. The CDC too recommends that people in this group avoid crowds, stay close to home and stock up on medications for their condition if they can.
Everyone else: Most people who are young or healthy and who contract the virus do not become seriously ill. But if you have the virus, even if you don’t get sick, you can get in touch with people who are more at risk – and pass the virus on to them. That’s why it’s so important to stay at home when you’re not feeling well. Minimizing the number of people infecting each sick is low-tech, but it’s the best way to slow down the spread of a disease like COVID-19. It is the goal of policies such as school closings and event cancellations and why people who may be exposed to the disease are asked to isolate themselves.
Not everyone can work from home, stop public transport or skip large gatherings. like you can Do those things – even though they may seem silly, and even if not many cases have been identified in your area – you can help mitigate the impact of the pandemic.