The Notorious Path of COVID-19

Indra Asserfea
4 min readMar 20, 2020

And what it does after droplets enter the Body

259,215 Infected with 11,277 Deaths Worldwide and 17,303 Infected with 222 Deaths in the United States as of March 20th, 2020.

Unsplash — Photo by Martin Sanchez

There is no doubt that COVID-19 is spreading at a rapid pace. How do we protect ourselves? Simply by staying home and avoiding contact with the public as much as possible. Although, that is not an easy task to adapt to, it is the only option left to help slow down the virus and prevent getting infected. “We expect to see community spread of COVID-19 in this country. It’s not a question of ‘if’ anymore,” said Nancy Messonnier, MD, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

Some Viruses only attack certain tissues while others can affect the whole body. Many of these known diseases are caused by Viruses: Polio, Small Pox, Yellow Fever, Chicken Pox, Encephalitis (brain infections), Measles, Influenza and the Common Cold.

A Virus can enter a cell and may not cause any immediate damage as it becomes part of the Cell’s genetic material (DNA). These types of Viruses help in the development of growths and cancers. Other Viruses are manufactured in cells and antibiotics don’t have any effect on them. In severe cases and despite any healing, the infection can cause deformity within the body’s organs. Bacteria and Viruses. How Do They Cause Illness? http://www.femalehealthmadesimple.com/Infections.html

How does viruses enter the body?

Bacteria and Viruses. How Do They Cause Illness? http://www.femalehealthmadesimple.com/Infections.html

How does Coronavirus enter the Body and its Process

The Coronavirus spreads through droplets that are dispersed into the air when one either sneezes or cough. Anyone in the surrounding zone of the infected person, can take in the droplets through their nose, eyes and mouth. The Viral particles then quickly, travels to the back of the nasal passage and to the mucous membranes in the back of the throat. Then it attaches to a particular cell receptor. The difference with COVID-19 is that it spikes proteins which sticks out from their surfaces and hook on to cell membranes, allowing the genetic material to enter the normal cell. It then alters the normal function of the cell and forces it to help multiply to make the Virus. In a sense, it “Hijacks the metabolism of the cell and say, in effect, ‘Don’t do your usual job. Your job now is to help me multiply and make the virus,’” said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

COVID-19 attacks the lungs and respiratory system which could worsen to chest pain, pneumonia and difficulty breathing. Once the respiratory track is swollen and becomes inflamed, it then travels to the lungs and the bloodstream. Swelling in the respiratory track prevents the proper flow of Oxygen which can lead to organ failure. The lungs can then develop pneumonia with excessive fluid that can cause death.

The Daily Mail

A new Study that was published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology reported that people who have digestive diseases could experience symptoms such as diarrhea in the beginning of getting the COVID-19. The Study’s data looked at 204 patients with COVID-19 from the China’s Hubei province found that 48.5% of them went to the hospital with digestive symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, or abdominal pain. It further indicated that the digestive symptoms may have been present before the respiratory symptoms began. It was concluded that these patients had a more severe course of the illness and higher risk of mortality compared to those without digestive symptoms. Brennan M.R. Spiegel, M.D., co-editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Gastroenterology, said in a press release “that an awareness of digestive symptoms can aid efforts to detect COVID-19 earlier.” https://journals.lww.com/ajg/Documents/COVID_Digestive_Symptoms_AJG_Preproof.pdf

According to a Kaiser Family Foundation report, more than 100 million Americans are estimated to be in the higher risk group for having a more severe course of COVID-19. These are people over the age of 65 and nearly 30 million people between the ages of 18–59 are also at a higher risk if they have any underlying medical conditions that are compromising their immune system. “We don’t really know the right thing to recommend right now,” Dr. Ogdie-Beatty said. “We’ve never seen something like this before and there’s not much data to guide us.” https://themighty.com/2020/03/covid-19-who-should-self-isolate-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak

Self-isolation is the best road to take as COVID-19 takes it path.

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Indra Asserfea

The Knowledge Seeker. Experienced Marketer. Author of The Gingerbread Girl — Your go-to Lullaby for Soothing a baby’s tears. www.illanabarran.com