COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the coronavirus which was discovered during the outbreak in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The impacts of COVID-19 are not fully known, and symptoms range from very mild to life-threatening.
Known Facts:
- Higher death rate than the seasonal flu.
- At-risk groups for developing serious complications include people aged 65+ and those with underlying medical conditions. Around 1 out of every 6 people who get COVID-19 become seriously ill and develop difficulty breathing. Most people (80%) with COVID-19 will feel like they have a bad cold or the flu. Some people will require hospitalization. Some people will have mild or no symptoms.
- No vaccine and no approved therapeutics to slow the course of its toll on the human body are available.
- Transmission is most likely to occur when people are in close contact, or in poor ventilated areas - even if infected people display no symptoms.
- It takes around five days for COVID-19 infection to develop symptoms. During this time the virus can already be transmitted.
- Symptoms may include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.