Coronavirus: it’s not the apocalypse

Coronavirus cases have been discovered worldwide. Days go by and people have a terrible fear of being infected and this has become a general obsession, but it is also a great marginalization of the Asian world to the four corners of the world for fear of being infected.

What is this respiratory virus and how does it react?

In general, upper respiratory infections are distributed according to the affected area. Respiratory virosis mainly affects the nose, throat (pharyngitis) and sinuses (sinusitis). Sometimes conjunctivitis can occur in one or both eyes. Symptoms are mainly triggered by the body’s autoimmune response to infection, rather than by the actual destruction of viruses on tissue. The main prevention method is to wash your hands, possibly using a protective medical mask, for increased effectiveness. The cold may sometimes turn it into viral or bacterial pneumonia (secondary pneumonia).

Respiratory virosis is the most common disease that causes infection in humans. There is no cure, but the symptoms can be treated. Usually an adult can be infected 2-3 times a year and a child 6-12 times. These infections have existed in humans since Antiquity.

Respiratory virosis is an infection of the upper respiratory tract. The pathogen most often discriminated against is the rhinovirus (30 to 80%), a type of picornavirus containing 99 known serotypes. The other types involved can be coronaviruses (~ 15%), influenza (10-15%), adenoviruses (5%), parainfluenza (paralegal viruses), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), enteroviruses ( other than rhinoviruses) and the human metapneumovirus. Often several viruses are present. In total, more than two hundred different types of viruses are associated with the common cold.

Coronaviruses are very widespread in nature, producing in humans and animals (birds, pigs, cattle, horses, rodents, bats, cats, dogs) respiratory tract infections and gastroenteritis, some very severe and some mild or even not clinically expressed. In humans, they have a high affinity for macrophages, respiratory and enteric epithelia, producing more than a third of nasopharyngitis and other respiratory conditions (especially in autumn and winter), gastroenteritis and a form particular of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). They constitute the second viral group, after rhinoviruses, responsible for the induction of nasopharyngitis, the common cold in humans. In late December 2019, a new 2019-nCoV coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was discovered in Wuhan, China, causing severe pneumonia with high mortality. Human and animal diseases caused by coronaviruses are called coronaviruses. Coronaviruses are transmitted directly by the respiratory route (drops) or by the faecal / oral route. There is no specific or preventive antiviral treatment (vaccine) in human coronavirus infections, the treatment being only symptomatic.

The virion has an external coating of lipoproteins, which contains viral proteins: glycoprotein S (structural protein of the tips), coating protein E, membrane protein (M), hemagglutinin esterase (HE). The genome is made up of a single, single-stranded, single-stranded linear ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecule that has 25 to 33 kilobases, the largest known viral RNA. The RNA genome and the N protein form a helical nucleocapsid, surrounded by the outer envelope. RNA is infectious, serves as a genome and viral mRNA. Genome transcription is a complex process that involves the synthesis of eight intermediate subgenomic negative strands of RNA; the five structural proteins are translated from subgenomic RNA.

Coronaviruses were discovered in the early 1930s, when it was proven that avian infectious bronchitis in chickens was caused by a virus now known as avian infectious bronchitis virus.

The first human coronaviruses were discovered in the 1960s by researchers at the Common Cold Unit in Salisbury, UK, who showed that common colds can be caused not only by rhinoviruses, but also by a coronavirus. The first discoveries were the infectious bronchitis virus in chickens and two viruses in the nasal cavities of human patients with colds, which were later called human coronavirus 229E and human coronavirus OC43. Other members of this family have since been identified, including SARS-CoV in 2003, HCoV NL63 in 2004, HKU1 in 2005, MERS-CoV in 2012 and SARS-CoV-2 (formerly known as 2019-nCoV) in 2019; most of them have been implicated in serious respiratory tract infections.

The first case was registered in November 2002 in China, Guandong province; in the following months, the disease was reported in more than 8,000 people (including 1,706 health professionals). Of these cases, 774 died, with a fatality rate of 9.6%. The epidemic has spread to 29 countries on 5 continents. No other cases were reported after this epidemic from 2002 to 2003.

The first cases of infection with the MERS-CoV virus appeared in June 2012 in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. In May 2015, 1180 cases were confirmed and 483 (41%) deaths were reported. Middle East countries – Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates – were mainly affected, but cases imported to the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States and Asia been reported. The largest epidemic outside the Middle East occurred in South Korea in 2015, affecting several hospitals and 185 people, causing 36 deaths (19.5%). From 2012 to November 2019, 2,494 cases of MERS-CoV infection and 858 deaths have been reported to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Respiratory infections, including severe acute respiratory infection (SARI), nCoV infection occurred in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, where it has spread to most Chinese provinces and several countries worldwide, including Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, Russia, Finland, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, Austria, Croatia and Switzerland. As of February 26, 2020, 81,027 cases of nCoV infection and 2,763 deaths had been confirmed.

China has announced the lowest daily figure for more than two weeks, bringing the national death toll to 2,663 due to the coronavirus.

The National Health Commission also reported 508 new confirmed cases of the virus, all but nine of which were detected in the central province of Hubei, where the epidemic began in December.

This national figure for new infections is up from Monday’s, which was 409.

Several Chinese provinces have not reported any new cases for several days and the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday that the epidemic has « leveled off » in China.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the epidemic in China had peaked between January 23 and February 2 and that the daily number of new cases had « declined steadily since then ».

However, Bruce Aylward, a WHO expert who heads a joint WHO-China mission, worried on Monday the outbreaks of the disease in other countries « which are multiplying with exponential growth rates ».

In South Korea, a US soldier has tested positive for the coronavirus, military officials said on Wednesday, noting that he was the first contaminated US soldier.

The soldier was stationed in Carroll camp, 30 kilometers north of Daegu, the epicenter city of the epidemic, the American army said in a press release, specifying that the soldier was placed in auto-quarantine in his residence located outside the military base.

Xi Jinping, secretary general of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), chaired a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on the Prevention and Control of the New Coronavirus Epidemic (COVID-19) on Wednesday. .

In response to a call from the CPC Central Committee to all Party members, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji and Han Zheng all made donations to support prevention work and of COVID-19.

At the meeting, Xi noted that the positive trend in preventing and controlling the epidemic is expanding and that economic and social development is rapidly recovering, while the situation in Hubei Province and its capital Wuhan remained complex and severe, the risk of a rebound of the disease in other regions could not be ignored.

« It is important, at this moment, to make constant efforts in the fight against the epidemic and to accelerate the work of economic and social development in all its aspects ».

He urged Party committees and governments at all levels to understand precisely the evolutions of the epidemic and socio-economic development to ensure victory in the popular battle against the disease and achieve the goals of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and the eradication of poverty.

Observers around the world said Sunday’s speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping demonstrated the country’s governance capacity and the strength of its social system in the fight against COVID-19.

In his speech, Mr. Xi, also secretary general of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission, stressed the unremitting efforts made in preventing and controlling the epidemic of the new coronavirus and the coordination in promoting economic and social development.

Under the leadership of the CCP, China has pooled all of its resources in the shortest possible time to fight the new coronavirus, highlighting the strengths of its social system, observes Russian political scientist Victor Porojenko.

Nina Ivanova, President of the Belarusian Society for Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, believes that the progress made by China in the fight against COVID-19 proves that the decisions and measures taken by the Central Committee of the CCPs were « precise and efficient ».

The Chinese government has taken swift and decisive action to prevent the spread of the epidemic, has conducted active international cooperation in the research and development of anti-virus drugs and vaccines, while continuing to adjust policies to explore the driving forces of the economy, says Eduardo Regalado, researcher at the Cuban Center for International Politics.

Regalado said he believes China will continue to use its political leadership to the full, allocate all of its resources to end the epidemic as soon as possible, and minimize the negative impact on the economy.

Pui Jeng Leong, a veteran of the press in Brunei, judges that the firm measures taken by China to fight against COVID-19 testify to « openness », « transparency » and a « highly responsible attitude ».

Despite some disruption caused by the epidemic, this observer believes that China can do a good job in overall planning for epidemic prevention and socio-economic development because « the vast Chinese market is very resilient » and « The national system to combat COVID-19 has great advantages ».

Ismatoulla Bekmouratov, a professor at the State Institute for Oriental Studies in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, believes that Xi’s speech comprehensively reviewed the measures taken by his country since the start of the epidemic and that he presented clear guidelines for the next stages of this struggle and for promoting socio-economic development.

These Practical Measures Demonstrated the CCP’s Principle of Serving the People with All Your Heart, he said, adding that the determined and energetic measures taken by China have once again proven that the strength of the Chinese social system is a factor. essential for China to overcome all difficulties, including the epidemic.

In Europe, Italy is the country most affected by the epidemic: since February 22, cases of people infected with Covid-19 are increasing (322 cases and 12 deaths). It is the first country outside of China to put cities in quarantine (11 cities for two weeks). The European Union does not wish to restore border controls at the moment.

In Milan and two weeks of quarantine for eleven cities: Northern Italy is preparing to experience days of anxiety and restrictions after a sudden and spectacular outbreak of cases of the new coronavirus in five days.

Italy now has 152 cases including three deaths, making it the most affected country in Europe, since the viral pneumonia epidemic started in December in China. The most numerous cases were identified in Lombardy (region of Milan) with 112 contaminations and 22 in Veneto (region of Venice).

Before this incident, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, interviewed on the public broadcaster Rai Uno, had called for « not to succumb to panic and to follow the instructions of the health authorities ». « We should not be afraid that the number of cases will further increase, » he added.

The government has adopted a very strict decree-law which puts eleven cities in isolation, including ten within the perimeter of Codogno. « Neither entry nor exit will be permitted unless there is a specific exception, » said Giuseppe Conte.

Ten laboratories across Switzerland will now be able to carry out coronavirus tests. Their capacity is 1000 tests per day, announced Wednesday the Minister of Health Alain Berset. Until Monday, the tests were carried out by the Geneva reference laboratory. The capacity has more than tripled since last week, noted the federal adviser.

The Federal Office of Public Health confirmed late Tuesday the first case of coronavirus in Switzerland. He is a Ticino in his seventies. He is in solitary confinement in a clinic in Lugano and is doing well.

The first case of coronavirus does not change anything in the system implemented in Switzerland, said Alain Berset. « Other cases may appear and the situation may change every day. »

The Confederation will maintain its strategy as long as it controls the chains of transmission of the disease. The additional measures announced on Monday remain in place. Tests on people with flu-like symptoms are stepped up.

The border and airport information campaign for travelers and commuters, with flyers and posters, will start on Thursday. The emergency telephone line has been reinforced and a campaign on hygiene to be adopted will also be launched on Thursday.

The emergency telephone line set up by the Swiss authorities on the coronavirus is under assault, Medgate said on Wednesday. The most frequent questions concern travel or hygiene measures.

« We will have a few more calls than Tuesday, » Medgate said half an hour before the end of the line’s opening hours, set at 6 p.m. They were 1370 Tuesday and 1500 Monday. The emergency line had already registered an increase at the end of last week, with 170 calls on Saturday and 270 on Sunday, after the first cases of coronavirus disease 2019 discovered in Italy.

Thirty employees answer questions in the three national languages. The teams were reinforced after the announcement of a first case of coronavirus Tuesday in Ticino.

Many requests relate to travel, to Asia, but also to Italy in recent days. Swiss authorities do not issue travel restrictions, but « do not recommend stays in China, » said Medgate. Other requests relate to the hygiene measures to be taken to protect against the disease.

The goal: to be ready with treatment or even a vaccine to counter the next epidemic.

Basic research consists in identifying the pathogenic mechanisms which cause a high lethality but also the modes of interspecies transmission, or the receptors present on the surface of human cells capable of recognizing emerging coronaviruses.

The researchers hope to develop very broad spectrum antivirals that will protect individuals from complications related to the emergence of one or more new coronaviruses in the future. The teams are also trying to identify immunizing proteins in order to develop a vaccine.

This work also allows them to train themselves to study particularly dangerous strains with the aim of developing research and development methods that can be applied quickly. The goal: to be able to react quickly when a new pathogenic coronavirus appears.

A common treatment with chloroquine, a drug commonly used against malaria, has shown signs of efficacy against the coronavirus, Didier Raoult, director of the Mediterranean-Infection Institute in Marseille, told AFP on Tuesday, relying on the results of a Chinese clinical study.

« We already knew that chloroquine was effective in vitro against this new coronavirus and the clinical evaluation made in China confirmed it, » explains Professor Raoult, renowned specialist in infectious diseases, commenting on the first publication on this clinical study of three Chinese researchers in the journal BioScience Trends.

Asked by the BFMTV channel from Rome on this treatment, the French Minister of Health Olivier Véran assured having met on several occasions with Didier Raoult: « He told me about his observations and the studies he was carrying out Obviously, that I sent back to the general direction of health which is in the process of making all the analyzes ”.

« We know that there are indeed interesting studies on an impact in vitro but the studies on the patient have still to be determined, » said the minister.

More interesting news is that « chloroquine is an inexpensive and safe drug that has been used for over 70 years, » the article said.

According to Chinese researchers, a treatment of 500 mg of chloroquine per day for ten days would be sufficient.

« The results obtained so far on more than 100 patients have shown that chloroquine phosphate was more effective than the treatment received by the comparison group in containing the progression of pneumonia, in improving the state of the lungs, in the patient becomes negative for the virus again and to shorten the duration of the disease, according to Professors Jianjun Gao, Zhenxue Tian and Xu Yang, of Qingdao University, China.  »

« The antiviral and anti-inflammatory capacities of chloroquine could play a role in its potential effectiveness in treating patients suffering from pneumonia caused by COVID-19 ».

We can contact the virus by air and it is not necessary to enter directly with the person already infected.

Symptoms mainly suggest an acute respiratory infection (fever, cough), but breathing difficulties and radiologically detectable pulmonary abnormalities are also described, as well as more severe forms. In this case, « the patient may present with acute respiratory distress, acute renal failure, or even multiple organ failure that can lead to death, » says the Department of Health. For now, researchers estimate the overall death rate from the virus at 2.3%.

Available information suggests that the virus can cause symptoms similar to those of moderate flu, but also more severe symptoms. In particular, the disease can progress over time in a patient. As with many infectious diseases, people with pre-existing chronic diseases (hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, liver disease, respiratory disease …) seem more likely to develop severe forms, as are the elderly and immunocompromised .

It also appears that children under the age of fifteen are unlikely to trigger a severe form of coronavirus. These hypotheses were confirmed by Chinese researchers in a study published on February 24 in the journal Jama. Men could also be more exposed.

Five new cases of infection with the new Covid-19 coronavirus were confirmed on Wednesday 26 February by the Director General of Health, Jérôme Salomon. Four patients are hospitalized, including a 55-year-old Frenchman admitted to intensive care in Amiens in serious condition. The fifth, a 60-year-old Frenchman, died on the night of February 25-26 at the Pitié Salpêtrière hospital. A total of seventeen cases of contamination have been identified in France. Eleven patients are cured and discharged from the hospital. The first patient, a Chinese national, aged 80, died on February 14.

An epidemiological investigation, based on « contact tracing », is set up for any new confirmed case, and all the people who have been in close contact with these patients are listed.

According to estimates from February 26, nearly 81000 cases and more than 2760 deaths have been recorded, mainly in China. In this country, tens of millions of people are still in isolation in quarantined Chinese megalopolises. In total, more than 30 countries are now affected by the epidemic. Five continents are affected: Asia excluding China, Europe, America, Oceania and Africa. In addition, 691 cases are still under quarantine on a cruise ship off Japan.

Vaccines against pneumonia, such as the pneumococcal vaccine and the Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) vaccine, do not protect against the coronavirus. The Covid-19 is so new and specific that it is necessary to develop a vaccine of its own. Researchers are still working on its development. According to the Pasteur Institute, the vaccine, if found, would not be available until the fall of 2021.

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