It is the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), a new strain of coronavirus that causes an infectious disease. The virus and the disease it causes were never known before. It spread across the world starting from Wuhan city of Hubei, a province in China, during December 2019.
The source of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has not been identified; however, most of the cases were epidemiologically linked to the seafood and animal market in Wuhan, China, as the initial spread happened amongst the shoppers who were present there. There are current studies taking place to determine the actual source of the disease.
Symptoms can include mild to severe respiratory illness with fever, dry cough, shortness of breath and difficulty in breathing. Some patients experience body aches, muscle pain, headaches nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, diarrhea, nausea or loss of sense of smell.
There is no specific treatment for COVID-19, However, the treatment depends on enhancing the immunity level of patients, treating the symptoms and easing complications.
Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) strains are spread from person to person through contaminated droplets, that would travel from a sick person through coughing or sneezing or through touching an infected surface, then touching the eyes, nose and/ or mouth.
Currently there is no available vaccine that protects against novel coronavirus.
The “incubation period” means the time between catching the virus and beginning to have symptoms of the disease. Most estimates of the incubation period for COVID-19 range from 1 to 14 days, and most commonly, the first symptoms start to appear around five days from the date of infection.
Please put on a mask, inform your supervisor who should coordinate with the company’s single point of contact (SPOC) to notify the Dubai Health Authority’s hotline 800342, start isolating yourself and most importantly do not panic