What is COVID-19?
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered strain of coronavirus.
Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).
Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate symptoms and recover without requiring special treatment.
Common symptoms of COVID-19 are:
- Shortness of breath
- Fever
- Cough
Certain subgroups of the population are at higher risk of contracting the virus and developing serious symptoms, including:
- Older people
- People with cardiovascular disease
- People with Diabetes
- People with chronic respiratory disease
- People with Cancer
At this time, there are no specific vaccines or treatments for COVID-19. However, there are many ongoing clinical trials evaluating potential treatments.