Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19): Get answers to the most commonly asked questions

About COVID-19

In this section, you will get general information on COVID-19, the way it is transited, its symptoms, and complications. It illustrates the most updated information at this point from the most reliable sources.

What is the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)?

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19), is a viral, respiratory tract infection firstly identified in December 2019. Previously, there were 4 serotypes of coronaviruses causing cold-like symptoms in humans, and 2 other serotypes, namely SARS-CoV causing the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, respectively. However, COVID-19 is the one that causes coronavirus disease and is the reason for the pandemic.^{1, 2}

How is coronavirus spread?

The novel coronavirus is spread through droplet transmission. This means that a susceptible person may get the virus when: ³

• His/her mouth, eyes, or nose are being exposed to the respiratory droplets of an infected person when the latter is sneezing or coughing. This occurs when the social distancing is not maintained (6 feet distance)
• He/she touches the infected objects and then touches his/her mouth, nose or eyes

Today, researchers are studying additional routes of COVID-19 transmission such as through contaminated air or food. However, there is no evidence of such transmission so far.

How long does coronavirus stay on surfaces?

Recently, the researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) came up with the estimated timeframe of COVID-19 surviving on the surfaces of different materials. The table below summarizes that information. ⁴

Some factors may slightly alter these numbers such as humidity and weather.

What is the incubation period for coronavirus (COVID-19)?

In the majority of cases the period between being infected and developing the first symptoms (the incubation period) for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is 5-6 days. However, this period may extend to 14 days.

What are the symptoms of coronavirus?

The list of COVID-19 symptoms include but is not limited to: ⁵

• Coughing
• Difficulty breathing
• Fever
• Chills
• Muscle pain
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste and/or smell
• Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea (rarely reported)

What are the complications of coronavirus?

The table below summarizes the known COVID-19 related health complications mentioned by the British Medical Journal (BMJ). ⁶

Who is at higher risk of the severe form of COVID-19?

Based on the available information, some people are at higher risk of getting the severe form of COVID-19 and related complications. These people are: ⁷

• Adults aged 65 and older
• Individuals that reside in the long-term care facilities or nursing home
• Individuals with underlying medical conditions such as:

1. Chronic lung diseases
2. Chronic heart illnesses
3. Chronic kidney diseases
4. Diabetes
5. Asthma
6. Liver diseases
7. Low immunity level
8. Obesity

Prevention of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)

Nowadays, no vaccine against COVID-19 is available. This means that you may only protect yourself through avoiding the infection. In this section you will find information on the known preventive recommendations for the novel coronavirus. ^{8, 9}

Wearing face masks

The purpose of wearing face masks is to protect others from getting the infection. The thing is that a significant number of COVID-19 positive individuals do not experience any symptoms and are not aware of their health status. However, these people may spread the infection to others and endanger the lives of those who are at risk of developing a severe form of the disease.

By wearing a face mask, it is possible to decrease the number of infected people by 75%.

• What should be done?

1. Everybody should wear a cloth face mask in public
2. You must sanitize your hands prior to putting on the face mask
3. Continue maintaining social distancing while wearing a face mask

• What should not be done?

1. Avoid touching the face mask while using it (wash your hand once you touch it)
2. Do not place a mask on children aged 2 years old or younger
3. Do not place a mask on unconscious people
4. Do not place a mask on people who are unable to take it off without someone’s help
5. Do not wear mask if you have difficulty breathing

Wearing gloves

Gloves are meant to protect you from getting COVID-19. However, it is always better to frequently wash and sanitize your hands rather than to wear gloves.

• What should be done? ¹⁰

1. Wear disposable gloves when you are a caregiver of a sick person (especially when touching the common objects and having contact with the blood, stool, saliva and other body fluids of the sick person)
2. Wear when cleaning and/or disinfecting the home

• What should not be done?

1. Do not use gloves in other situations (they will not fully prevent the transmission of the virus)

Maintaining proper hand hygiene

• What should be done?

1. Everyone should properly wash their hands with soap and water (minimum 20 seconds) as frequent as it is possible
2. If there is no available soap and water it is recommended to sanitize your hands with alcohol sanitizers (should contain minimum 60% alcohol)

• What should not be done?

1. Never touch your eyes, mouth and nose with dirty hands

Maintaining social distancing

• What should be done?

1. Keep at least 6 feet distance between you and sick person
2. Maintain social distancing even if the sick person is your family member

• What should not be done?

1. Do not visit crowded places
2. Avoid gathering in groups

Cleaning the surfaces

• What should be done?

1. Clean and sanitize the commonly used objects (for example, doorknobs, mobile phone, light switches, keyboard and etc.)
2. Disinfect with special detergents
3. For electronic devices follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for sanitizing them (if it is no such information, use a spray or a wipe that contains a minimum 70% of alcohol).
4. Clothes and shoes should be changed right after entering the house from a crowded place. Wash your clothes with soap and/or detergent and dry them properly. Please note, the clothes should be washed with the warmest appropriate water for that particular material. Your hands should be cleaned afterward.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) vs. common flu comparison

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as other respiratory infections have similarities with flu.

We have tried to make a comparison and show you the differences between COVID-19 and flu for you to be able to understand recognize your condition and make proper actions. You will also learn how contagious and deadly each of these two conditions is.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing

At this point, there 2 available tests for COVID-19, namely an antibody test and viral test. The first one shows whether you have been previously infected with COVID-19 or not (should not be used if you think you are currently sick). Whereas, the viral test detects the current infection.^{11, 12}

Who needs to be tested?

First of all, you should know that the final decision on whether a person needs to be tested or not is up to health providers. However, there is a CDC guideline for both antibody and antigen testing.

• Testing for antigens

These tests are needed for those who are currently infected with COVID-19. However, it doesn’t mean that every sick person should undergo testing. According to the CDC, COVID-19 positive people will mainly recover on their own without any complications and a need for special treatment. These tests are first recommended to the priority groups which are:

1. Hospitalized individuals that have symptoms
2. Healthcare facility workers
3. Those who live in long-term care facilities
4. Those who live in other congregate living units (for example prisons)
5. Individuals having symptoms of COVID-19
6. Asymptomatic individuals prioritized by health care workers because of epidemiological, monitoring or other reasons

Remember: You need to contact your healthcare provider prior to deciding to get tested for COVID-19.

• Testing for antibodies

This tests are not made for those who currently has an active COVID-19 infection. It is mostly recommended to people who wants to know whether they have been previously infected or not. This is because antibodies develop at least 1-3 weeks after the exposure to the virus.

The table below summarizes the COVID-19 testing recommendations.

What tests do we perform?

At our clinic, we perform the antibody testing.

How accurate are the COVID-19 antibody tests?

It is known that current commercial antibody tests (ones that are available in private clinics) have some limitation with sensitivity (ability to identify COVID-19 antibodies among sick people) and specificity (ability to detect exclusively COVID-19 antibodies and not of other coronavirus types). Whereas the CDC‘s antibody tests have about 99% and 96% specificity and sensitivity respectable.

Will a person develop immunity to COVID-19 after being infected?

At this moment there is no answer to this question. However, various studies are conducted to be able to find out whether antibodies that are developed after getting COVID-19 can protect from re-infection or not, what concentration of antibodies will result in protective immunity, and for how long will this immunity last.

How is the test done?

Tested sample and technique is different for 2 test types.

• The antibody test is done through a blood test.
• The viral test is done by taking a sample from the respiratory tract of a person.

How fast will I get the results?

The required time for your test results to be ready depends on the type of the test. So, your test result will be ready:

• Within few days for antibody testing
• On the same or next day for antigen testing

What if result of the test is positive?

The figure below describes the actions that should be taken by you once you learn you are COVID-19 positive. ¹³

Coronavirus (COVID-19) treatment

Currently, there is no specific care for COVID-19. The only suggested way of COVID-19 management is supportive care.