27/02/2020
Dear friends
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global health emergency over a new coronavirus that has killed at least 2,442 people following an outbreak in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. A total of 76,936 cases of infection have been reported in mainland China, most of them in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital.
About Coronavirus (CoV)
The virus stems from a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold such as fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties – to more severe diseases, such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV), pneumonia, kidney failure, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and even death. According to the WHO, a novel coronavirus is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.
Human coronavisruses most commonly spread from an infected person to others through:
• The air by coughing and sneezing
• Close personal contact such as touching or shaking hands
• Touching an object or surfaces like door k***s with the virus on it
• Rarely f***l contamination
Incubation period
The incubation period is 14 days. Most infected people show symptoms within five to six days. Basic reproduction number is 1.4-3.9 Ro, which means if infection left unchecked typically results in infection of new cases per established infection and virus can transmit along a chain of at least 4 people.
Symptoms
• Runny nose
• Headache
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Fever
• Feeling of being unwell
• Those with a weakened immune system are more prone to severe infection
Treatment/management
Please note that there is no cure, so the best way of managing the virus is to avoid or limit contact with people who are showing symptoms of the virus and have travelled to China in the past 14 days. Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include:
• Regular hand washing with soap and water
• Avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands
• Covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing
• Thoroughly cooking meat and eggs
• Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.
As a precaution, we need to put in place additional hygiene procedures across all our homes, offices, schools, sites / common areas for use. These include hand wash and hand sanitizers. You are encouraged to follow the ‘how to wash/sanitize hands’ guides through all the steps.
Regards
JOHN WALKER.
