Coronavirus outbreak
Everything you should know about the coronavirus outbreak
Where has the new coronavirus come from?
Coronavirus was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, a city in China’s Hubei province with a population of 11 million, after an outbreak of pneumonia without an obvious cause. The virus has now spread to over 200 countries and territories across the globe, and was characterized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020.
It is currently unclear where the virus has come from. Originally, the virus was understood to have originated in a food market in Wuhan and subsequently spread from animal to human. Some research has claimed that the cross-species transmission may be between snake and human; however, this claim has been contested.
Mammals such as camels and bats have been implicated in previous coronavirus outbreaks, but it is not yet clear the exact animal origin.
How contagious is COVID-19?
Increasing numbers of confirmed diagnoses, including in healthcare professionals, has indicated that person-to-person spread of Coronavirus is occurring. The preliminary reproduction number (i.e. the average number of cases a single case generates over the course of its infectious period) is currently estimated to be between 1.4 to 2.5, meaning that each infected individual could infect between 1.4 and 2.5 people.
Similarly to other common respiratory tract infections, MERS and SARS are spread by respiratory droplets produced by an infected person when they sneeze or cough. Measures to guard against the infection work under the current assumption that COVID-19 is spread in the same manner.
How is COVID-19 diagnosed?
As this coronavirus affects the respiratory tract, common presenting symptoms include fever and dry cough, with some patients presenting with respiratory symptoms (e.g. sore throat, nasal congestion, malaise, headache and myalgia) or even struggling for breath.
In severe cases, the coronavirus can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and death.
The case definition for COVID-19 is based on symptoms regardless of travel history or contact with confirmed cases. Diagnosis is suspected in patients requiring admission to hospital with signs and symptoms of pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome or influenza, and in those with a new, continuous cough or fever who are well enough to stay in the community. A new symptom, a loss or changed sense of normal smell or taste (anosmia), was added on 18 May 2020.
How did the coronavirus spread so much during Peru’s quarantine?
The virus has been spreading fast in Peru ever since the country confirmed its first case on March 6. The country surpassed 1,000 cases 25 days later, and 10,000 cases two weeks after that, on April 14. Some 70% of cases are concentrated in Lima, the sprawling coastal capital which is home to a third of the population. Iquitos, in the Peruvian Amazon, the world's largest city that cannot be reached by road, has also been hit hard.
The problem is that for many in the South American country, life is still structured in a way that makes it difficult for many people to avoid close contact with others, “The government’s [quarantine] strategy works for the 30% of Peru that is employed in the formal sector, that’s been growing economically,” he says. “But there’s another 70% of Peru, which is informal, that doesn’t have access to basic services of health, education, nutrition, or to pensions and financial safety nets.”
How is the government responding to the increasing infections?
Police have been cracking down on people breaking quarantine rules, but working without personal protective equipment (PPE),thousands of officers have fallen sick themselves. Going forward, the priority for security forces will be enforcing health protocols at food markets, President Vizcarra said May 22. He also announced an extension of quarantine measures until June 30. But certain businesses, including salons and food delivery services are now allowed to reopen.
The government said May 25 that the number of new infections is leveling off in Peru, in what Vizcarra calls a “non-flat plateau”. But the following day the WHO included Peru in a list of Latin American countries where the rate of infection is “still accelerating.” The number of new infections per day has topped 5,700 since May 26, with a peak of 6,154 on May 27.
The President of the Republic Martin Vizcarra on Wednesday reported that 70% of patients have recovered from COVID-19 in Peru.
How many people have recovered from the virus in Peru?
"252,246 patients out of the 366,550 Peruvians who tested positive —of a total of over 2 million samples— have managed to recover to date," he expressed. "This data is relevant because it represents almost 70% of the total citizens infected in the country," he stressed.
The vaccine against this infection will not be available in the country before the end of 2020. For that reason, the top official indicated that the only way to protect ourselves against the virus —in the short term— is by acting responsibly. "If we let our guard down, anything can happen in the next six months," he warned.
"Now, we only have three ways to directly combat the contagion and all three depend on all of us supported by permanent hygiene, that means, hand washing with soap and water or some disinfectant; social distancing; and avoiding crowds or meetings of any kind. Don't be overconfident," he concluded.
Ernesto Benavide – AFP/ Getty Images
Sources: The Pharmaceutical JournalDOI: 10.1211/PJ.2020.20207629
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