Coronavirus disease 2019
COVID-19 is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever,[7] fatigue, cough, breathing difficulties, loss of smell, and loss of taste.[8][9][10] Symptoms may begin one to fourteen days after exposure to the virus. At least a third of people who are infected do not develop noticeable symptoms.[11][12] Of those who develop symptoms noticeable enough to be classified as patients, most (81%) develop mild to moderate symptoms (up to mild pneumonia), while 14% develop severe symptoms (dyspnea, hypoxia, or more than 50% lung involvement on imaging), and 5% develop critical symptoms (respiratory failure, shock, or multiorgan dysfunction).[13] L'anziani anu un risicu più altu di sviluppà sintomi severi. Certi cumplicazioni risultatu in a morte. Certi pirsuni cuntinueghjanu à sperienze una varietà di effetti (longu COVID) per mesi o anni dopu l'infezione, è i danni à l'organi sò stati osservati.[14] Studi pluriennali nantu à l'effetti à longu andà sò in corso.[15]
A trasmissione di COVID-19 si verifica quandu e particelle infettive sò respirate o entranu in cuntattu cù l'ochji, nasu, o bocca. U risicu hè più altu quandu a ghjente hè vicinu, ma i picculi particelle in l'aria chì cuntenenu u virus ponu esse suspesi in l'aria è viaghjanu per distanze più longu, in particulare in casa. A trasmissione pò ancu accade quandu a ghjente toccu l'ochji, nasu, o bocca dopu avè toccu superfici o oggetti chì sò stati contaminati da u virus. A ghjente resta contagiosa finu à 20 days and can spread the virus even if they do not develop symptoms.[16]
Testing methods for COVID-19 to detect the virus’s nucleic acid include real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‑PCR),[17][18] transcription-mediated amplification,[17][18][19] and reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT‑LAMP)[17][18] from a nasopharyngeal swab.[20]
Several COVID-19 vaccines have been approved and distributed in various countries, many of which have initiated mass vaccination campaigns. Other preventive measures include physical or social distancing, quarantining, ventilation of indoor spaces, use of face masks or coverings in public, covering coughs and sneezes, hand washing, and keeping unwashed hands away from the face. While drugs have been developed to inhibit the virus, the primary treatment is still symptomatic, managing the disease through supportive care, isolation, and experimental measures.