What do we know about the coronavirus?
The term coronavirus essentially refers to a group of viruses that cause a range of illnesses.
Coronavirus infection is an epidemic disease that first appeared many years ago. The name “coronavirus” was chosen for a reason: a feature of its molecular structure – the outer envelope of the virus – resembles a crown.
Symptoms of coronavirus and the course of a mild infection
Most scientists agree that in 50% of cases the virus causes no symptoms. Coronavirus infection is very easily mistaken for ordinary seasonal flu.
The main symptom of a mild infection is, above all, a raised body temperature. This is seen in 90% of cases.
A dry cough follows, or one with very little phlegm. The patient feels very weak and has aches throughout the body, sometimes to the point of being unable to get out of bed.
Around a third of patients lose their sense of smell and taste a few days after the first symptoms appear. Loss of smell and taste is one of the most common symptoms of a mild coronavirus infection.
Headache is another standard symptom. The patient may also have gastrointestinal (GI) complaints: mild nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
Less common symptoms include muscle pain, red eyes and vomiting.
A mild coronavirus infection runs its course in 10 to 14 days. 
With the mildest form of COVID-19, an infected person may be entirely unaware of the illness; only a test can show that the virus is present in the body. Children with no underlying chronic conditions mostly have no symptoms or only very mild ones, thanks to their strong immune systems.
What to do if you develop symptoms or coronavirus is confirmed
The first step if you suspect COVID or if coronavirus has been confirmed is to contact your doctor.
If the illness is mild, it is enough to stay in touch with your family doctor and follow all the instructions you receive.
How COVID-19 spreads and how to protect yourself
The virus spreads in droplets of fluid, that is, by airborne droplet transmission. This means an infected person can pass it on even during a short conversation. Coughing and sneezing are further, more obvious routes of transmission.
There is also evidence that the virus can enter the body through contact, with virus particles carried in on the hands. On average, a person touches their face about 15 times an hour without realising it, so the virus passes very easily from the hands to the mucous membranes.
Testing has shown that the virus can remain on the surfaces of various objects for a long time. How long it “survives” depends on the material. It has been confirmed that the virus lasts longest on stainless steel and plastic – up to three days. On cardboard and paper it persists for up to 24 hours, and on copper for only a few hours.
Any surface an infected person has touched is easy to disinfect: wipe it with an antiseptic containing more than 60% alcohol.
Otherwise, the best prevention remains keeping your distance, avoiding crowded places, wearing a clean protective mask indoors and on public transport, washing your hands thoroughly after contact with other people and every time you come in from outside, and using hand sanitiser.
Coronavirus or flu?
COVID-19 is very easily confused with flu. In studying this epidemic disease, specialists concluded that coronavirus and flu have a great deal in common.
First, in both cases the virus is transmitted by airborne droplets or through ordinary contact between an infected person and others.
Second, both illnesses can vary in severity: from no symptoms at all to a severe course and, in extreme cases, death.
The main difference between coronavirus and flu is the cough. With COVID-19 the cough is dry and always without phlegm, whereas flu, as we know, can bring either a dry cough or one with phlegm.
In exceptional cases, the temperature with coronavirus easily exceeds 38.5 degrees.
The incubation period of coronavirus is at least twice as long as that of seasonal flu.
Scientists also report that coronavirus is more contagious than flu: on average, one person with coronavirus infects three others.
The main target of coronavirus is a weakened immune system. Moderate and severe forms mainly affect people with chronic illnesses and older people. Flu, by contrast, is less “selective”.
Coronavirus: treatment and rehabilitation
Although most people have a mild or moderate form of coronavirus that requires no medication, hospitalisation or inpatient treatment, the effect of the virus on the body is still not fully understood, and its long-term consequences remain to be established.
In the vast majority of cases, treatment and recovery from COVID involve recommendations such as drinking plenty of fluids, following a suitable diet, good hygiene and, where necessary, taking more vitamins than usual.
If COVID is mild, the patient is advised to self-isolate for 2–3 weeks.
The decision on hospitalisation is always made by your doctor.
A patient may be admitted either to a public or to a private clinic.
In Switzerland, for example, during the first wave of the coronavirus the authorities asked private clinics to cancel all planned operations and admissions in order to free up beds for COVID patients who needed hospital care.
Treatment in public hospitals is meant to be covered 100% by the state. In practice, however, public hospitals in CIS countries are not always able to supply all patients with the medicines they need.
Abroad, coronavirus treatment in private clinics is covered by health insurance.
The combined reserves of Swiss health insurers amount to around 8 billion Swiss francs (8.2 billion US dollars). As Verena Nold, director of santésuisse, told the SonntagsBlick newspaper, these reserves should be sufficient to cover the additional costs associated with the pandemic.
Rehabilitation after the virus matters too. At the very least, it is worth having a full medical check-up, paying particular attention to the lungs and the cardiovascular system, which are most affected by the virus.
The WHO lists the following among the common after-effects of coronavirus infection:
- lung damage
- damage to or inflammation of the heart, such as myocarditis or pericarditis
- cognitive impairment affecting memory and concentration
- conditions affecting the blood vessels, such as clotting
- long-term effects of complications such as heart attack, stroke or pulmonary embolism
- anxiety, depression or trauma
- muscle and joint pain
- chronic fatigue
- People who needed ventilation during COVID-19 may experience additional complications, such as delirium or damage to the airways. A long stay in intensive care can also weaken the muscles because of the prolonged period of inactivity.
The best treatment is prevention.
Take care of yourself, follow all safety rules and, where possible, get vaccinated.
