Jahnavi Sarma
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Written By: Jahnavi Sarma | Published : February 12, 2020 11:49 AM IST
Experts from many countries like Australia, Britain, China, France, Germany and the United States are working against time to develop a vaccine. @Shutterstock
The World Health Organisation has finally named the novel coronavirus that has spread fear across the globe. Saying that the outbreak presented a grave threat to the whole world, the organization has formally given the disease the name 'COVID-19'. At the same time, WHO officials are also optimistic about having a 'realistic chance' of stopping the virus. World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says that 'co' stands for 'corona', 'vi' for 'virus' and 'd' for 'disease. He said that '19' denotes the year the virus was first identified. The WHO was careful not to include the name of any region, animal or ethnicity in the name to avoid stigma and misconceptions.
The novel coronavirus or COVID-19, as it will be known from now on, has so far infected more than 45,000 people and killed more than 1100 people with 2,015 new confirmed cases in a single day. The WHO has already declared a global health emergency. Countries around the world are taking strict measures to ensure that there is no outbreak in their respective regions. But despite the best efforts of governments around the world, the virus has already reached around 25 countries.
Meanwhile, around 400 scientists have come to Geneva for a two-day international meeting to review how the virus is transmitted and possible vaccines against it. At present, there is no cure or vaccine for the deadly coronavirus. Experts from many countries like Australia, Britain, China, France, Germany and the United States are working against time to develop a vaccine. But the WHO cautions that it may still be a long time before we get a cure.
Transmission is via close contact with infected people. It may also spread through the feces of infected patients. In Hong Kong, two people on different floors of a residential building fell sick with the virus. This raises questions about whether the virus can spread through building infrastructure like drainage pipes, etc. But the most important thing to do now is to keep yourself safe. For this, just wash your hands frequently with soap and water. Avoid contact with sick people, do not visit crowded places and keep your home well-ventilated.
