COVID-19/ Coronavirus Disease 2019 General Information Compiled by: Belachew Weldegebriel (bellachew@gmail.com) Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia

1. C O M P I L E D B Y : B E L A C H E W W E L D E G E B R I E L
E - m a i l : b e l l a c h e w @ g m a i l . c o m
J I M M A U N I V E R S I T Y
J I M M A , E T H I O P I A
Corona Virus (COVID 19)

2. Definition
 COVID 19 stands for Corona Virus Disease 2019
which originated in Wuhan Province of China and
quickly spread across the world.
 Corona is a large group of viruses which can
infect both humans and animals with cold related
diseases.
 The intensity of the infection ranges from common
cold to acute respiratory syndrome.

3. Epidemiological Data
The outbreak of Corona virus was reported in Hubei
Province of China the end of December 2019.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared that it has
already reached the status of a pandemic on 11 March 2020.
The pandemic had spread to 114 countries across the globe
at the time.
More than one million cases of the disease are predicted just
with in few days.
The disease has sacrificed the life of 52,855 people across the
world leaving world leaders and health workers in a
perplexing situation due to high surge of patients and
suspected people to health facilities and quarantine centers.
The old are much more likely to get infected and die from
corona virus infection, the young are certainly not immune
from it.

4. Cases of COVID-19 in Highly Affected
Countries

5. Pathophysiology of COVID Infection

6. How long does the virus stay alive on different
materials?
 Paper – 4-5 days
 Wood (tables, chairs) – 4 days
 Metal (Scissors) – 2 days
 Glass – 4 days
 Gloves – 4-5 days
 Other plastic products – 5 days
 It is advisable to clean our hands with soap and
water before and after using the utensils. It is
necessary to keep these household utensils clean as
well.

7. Sign and Symptoms of Corona Virus
Infection
 Fever
 Cough
 Fatigue
 Pneumonia
 Shortness of breath
 Vomiting and Diarrhea in some cases
 After being infected, people may carry the virus from
a couple of days to 14 days before they start to notice
any of these symptoms.

9. Diagnosis
 Suspect cases are screened for with nucleic acid
amplification tests (NAAT) such as RT-PCR.
 Routine confirmation of cases of COVID-19 is based on
detection of unique sequences of virus RNA by NAAT such as
real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction
(rRT-PCR) with confirmation y nucleic acid sequencing when
necessary.
 Serological Testing
 Serological surveys can aid investigation of an ongoing
outbreak and retrospective assessment of the attack rate or
extent of an outbreak. In cases where NAAT assays are
negative ad there is a strong epidemiological link to COVID-19
infection, paired serum samples (in the acute ad convalescent
phase)could support diagnosis once validated serology tests
are available. Serum samples could be stored for these
purposes.

10. Diagnosis
 Viral Sequencing
 In addition to providing confirmation of the presence of the virus
regular sequencing of a percentage of specimens from clinical cases
can e useful to monitor for viral genome mutations that might affect
the performance of medical countermeasures, including diagnostic
tests.
 Various diagnostic test mechanisms are being developed to test
COVID 19.
 COVID test from Roche
 FDA approved Cepheid – the test developed by California, US
based Cepheid – which takes only 45 minutes to determine if
someone has COVID-19
 To test for COVID 19, a health care provider uses a long swab to
take a nasal sample. The sample is then sent to a lab for testing.

11. Antibodies test Approved by FDA
 The test checks for protective antibodies in a finger
prick of blood, revealing whether a patient has ever
been exposed to the coronavirus and nor may have some
immunity.
 That’s an important difference from current tests, which
look for fragments of coronavirus genes that indicate
an ongoing infection.
 It may show that it’s safe for people who are immune to
the coronavirus to leave their homes and rejoin the
workforce
 Also, antibody testing could provide a better idea of how
widespread coronavirus infection is in the population
and improve calculation of the death rate.

12. Case Definition of COVID-19
 Suspect Case
 A. A patient with acute respiratory illness (fever and at least one
sign/symptom of respiratory disease (e.g. cough, shortness of
breath), AND with no other etiology that fully explains the clinical
presentation AND a history of ravel to or residence in a country or
area or territory reporting local transmission of COVID-19 disease
during the 14 days prior to symptom onset
Or
 B. A patient with any acute respiratory illness AND having been in
contact with a confirmed or probable COVID-19 case in the last 14
days prior to the onset of symptoms;
Or
 C. A Patient with severe acute respiratory infection (fever and at
least one sign/symptom of respiratory disease (e.g. cough, shortness
of breath) AND requiring hospitalization AND with no other
etiology that fully explains the clinical presentation.

13. Case Definition of COVID-19
 Probable Case
 A suspect case for whom testing for COVID-19 is
inconclusive
 Inconclusive being the result of the test reported
by the laboratory
 Confirmed case
 A person with laboratory confirmation of COVID-19
infection, irrespective of clinical signs and symptons

14. Who should be tested for COVID 19?
 The CDC has identified those who are at the highest
priority for testing including
 Hospitalized patients who show symptoms
 Healthcare professionals who within 14 days of
symptom onset had close contact with a laboratory
confirmed COVID case.
 The World Health Organization (WHO) has been
urging countries around the world to adopt a
comprehensive testing strategy with its director
general Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus calling for
countries to “test every suspected case”.

15.  A test by Abbot Laboratories – five minutes
 A test by Bodysphere Inc. – two minutes
 A serological testing kit which collects the results by
using antibodies in the blood to determine current or past
infection.
 This test can only detect the virus in people who have had
the infection for several days.

16. Transmission
 Covid-19 is not airborne.
 The virus that causes Covid-19 is mainly transmitted through
droplets generated when an infected person coughs sneezes
and speaks.
 These droplets are too heavy to hang in the air. They quickly
fall on floors or surfaces
 You can be infected y breathing in the virus if you are within 1
metre of a person who has Covid-19 or by touching a
contaminated surface and hen touching your eyes, nose or
mouth before washing your hands.
 To protect yourself keep at least 1 metre distance from others
and disinfect surfaces that are touched frequently. Regularly
clean your hands thoroughly and avoid touching your eyes,
mouth and nose.

17. Complications
 In advanced cases, the patient can have very serious
complications which can lead to death, such as:
 Sever pneumonia
 Renal (kidney) failure

18. Complications
 The virus can cause pneumonia which is an
infection causing the air sacs in the lungs to fill with
fluid. It has also been linked to bronchitis which is
an inflammation of the airways in the lungs.
 Elderly people and people who already have a
medical condition such as heart disease or diabetes
are the most at risk of suffering from complications.
 People with weakened immune system are also at a
higher risk. These includes people with HIV, cancer
and people who do not get enough nutrition.

19. How it transmits between people
1. Direct contact with infected patients.
2. Droplets during the patient’s coughing or sneezing.
When people cough or sneeze they spray small
liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which
may contain the virus.
3. Contact with patients tools and then directly
touching the nose, mouth or eyes.

20. Treatment
 Currently, there is no approved antiviral
medication for the infection. Treatment is directed
at relieving symptoms which may include relieving
pain and cough.
 These supportive medical care is provided to help
relieve the acuteness of the symptoms and control
complications.
 The patients must be put on ventilators (oxygen
supply machines) as they experience severe
respiratory distress.
 Bed rest and fluid intake are also recommended.

21. Blood plasma and Off-Label use of
Hydroxychloroquine
 Supposed treatment measures
 The blood plasma of recovered coronavirus patients
 Plaquenil (Hydroxychloroquine) - anti-malarial drug
 From an official standpoint, plaquenil is currently only approved by the
FDA for prescription treatment of conditions such as malaria, lupus, and
rheumatoid arthritis. The United States government has approved
plaquenil for compassionate use (treatment of severely ill patients with
no other recourse) and endorses its use for all corona virus patients. The
medication has nevertheless not been formally approved for treatment of
patients with the novel coronavirus.
 Rumors about anti-retroviral (HIV) drugs like Lopinavir use in
combination.

22. Medication Related Precautions
 Currently there are confusions over the use of
Ibuprofen (Advil) to treat symptoms of COVID-19.
 At the moment, the NHS only recommends taking
paracetamol for Covid-19 symptoms, even though it
admits there is no strong evidence showing
ibuprofen worsens symptoms. The BMJ also states
that ibuprofen should be avoided when managing
COVID-19 Symptoms.

23. Prevention
 There is no vaccine for the prevention of the
acquisition of the new corona virus infection.
 World Health Organization (WHO)

24. Prevention Methods
 Avoid handshaking
 Keep social distancing (physical distancing)
 Make sure you follow good respiratory hygiene. This
means covering your mouth and nose with your bent
elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze.
 Avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes as hands
touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses.
 Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or
clean your hand with alcohol based sanitizers
 Cook well meat products and eggs
 Stay home. If you have fever, cough and difficulty
breathing seek medical attention.

25. Prevention
 For healthcare professionals, wearing
 Medical masks or respirator (N95 or FFP2)
 Protective goggles, face shield
 Gloves
 Apron, gown

26. Fatality
 The infection is highly fatal causing 51,354
mortality across the globe since it was first identified
in the Hubei Province, Wuhan city of china.
 The death toll is dramatically increasing even in
countries with better health care system.
 Out of 1,000, 168 coronavirus cases, only 210,191
patients have recovered from the infection so far.
 This data was compiled on April 3, 2020, statistical
variation within daily reports is expected.

27. Safety Recommendations
 Avoid handshaking
 Keep social distancing (Physical distancing)
 Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between you and
anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
 Stay at home – avoiding social gatherings
 Wash your hands with soap and water frequently for at
least for 20 seconds to kill any viruses on your hands
 Using chemical sanitizers to clean one’s hands to kill the
virus
 Use alcohol as a sanitizer is also possible after diluting to
appropriate level
 Quarantining the infected and suspected persons
 Washing clothes /exposing to sunshine
 Lockdown

28. Reasons for the High Fatality
 Unpreparedness for the pandemic – the world
didn’t expect the virus would spread across the world
at this level.
 Lack of facilities and supplies – so many
doctors and nurses who know how to protect
themselves were sacrificed due to lack of protective
supplies and the rash in the treatment process
 Disobedience of the community to containment
measures of governments
 The high surge of patients beyond the capacity of
the health facilities

29. Way Ahead
 The pandemic has spread uncontrolledly across the
globe.
 The elderly are more predisposed to COVID 19 and
should therefore take extra precautions and stay
safe.
 Citizens should abide with stay home or any other
containment measures recommended by their
respective governments.

30. References
 This slide is compiled from daily updates and recent
published articles coming out about COVID-19 as we
don’t yet have full information about the pandemic.
 It is part of my stay at home contributions.
 Friday April 3, 2020