COVID-19

Samantha M. Agapito

Nica Aira T. Alipan

Cassey Lorraine J. Manguerra

Rovaniemi M. Camposano

Christine Joy O. Ayangco

Princess Margaret G. Solis

Grade 8 Microbiology

Mr. Kim G. Dela Cruz

June 2021

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Table of Contents

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Introduction

COVID-19 •••> Main topic 1

Definition •••> Sub-Topic 1

Symptoms •••> Sub-Topic 2

Strength and weakness •••> Sub-Topic 3

Spreading rate •••> Sub-Topic 4

Preventive measures •••> Sub-Topic 5

Different variants •••> Sub-Topic 6

Different types of vaccines. •••> Sub-Topic 7

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 Content

Covid-19 is a communicable disease roaming around the world that is newly part of the

large family of viruses called coronavirus. It is caused by a novel coronavirus, also known as

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or formerly referred to as

2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). This newest strain of coronavirus was determined

because of the growing number of pneumonia cases in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China.

The Covid-19 outbreak was officially declared as a global health emergency by the World

Health Organization (WHO) last January 30,2020 and declared as a global pandemic on

March 11, 2020.

This dangerous virus can cause mild to critical symptoms but sometimes it can be

symptom-free though most of the Covid-19 positive are only experiencing mild to moderate

symptoms. Most common symptoms that a lot of patients are suffering are fever, dry cough

and tiredness. While there are still some people feeling aches and pains, sore throat,

diarrhoea, Conjunctivitis, headache, loss of taste or smell and rash on skin, or discoloration

of fingers or toes. But there's this thing called serious symptoms that need immediate medical

attention when you have it. To be specific, these are difficulty of breathing or shortness of

breathing, chest pain or pressure and loss of speech or movement. These are the symptoms

identified by many doctors around the world that if weren't treated properly can lead to more

serious infections, pneumonia and respiratory illness.

The virus has killed millions of people around the world and more contagious variants

are spreading fast leaving people in fear. Covid-19 was declared as a fast-growing global

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pandemic, it is much more readily transmitted between humans than its closest relation, Sars,

which caused outbreaks of serious disease in few countries in 2003. The new virus however

is less dangerous to those people infected than Sars. Computer modelling suggests that each

case infects 2.5 other people on average when no effort was made to keep people apart. The

virus has caused severe respiratory disease in about 20 percent of patients and killed more

than 3 percent of confirmed cases. Sars killed 10 percent of infected individuals. Older

people, whose immune defences have declined with age, as well as those with underlying

health conditions, are much more vulnerable than the young. Most people infected with the

COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without

requiring special treatment. Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like

cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to

develop serious illness or death.

But fatality rates are hard to estimate in the early stages of an epidemic and depend on

the medical care given to patients. For example, ventilators save lives by enabling people

with pneumonia to breathe. Most experts believe the current fatality rate is exaggerated by

serious under-diagnosis of mild cases; the best current estimate is that Covid-19 will kill

around 1 per cent of those infected in a population with good healthcare. A neglect of one

person could affect 59, 000 people in a snowball effect. The coronavirus' ability to spread

quickly was observed in South Korea with the case of "Patient 31."In mid-February, a 61-

year-old woman in Daegu, now known as "Patient 31," was deemed responsible for causing

70 of South Korea's 104 infections after heavy socializing at a church event. Up to now we

are still hoping that the virus will be stopped by relying on vaccines.

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 All things have their own weaknesses, even a virus has it. Coronavirus is weak and dies

very quickly when exposed to the UV light in sunlight. According to research, COVID-19

does not survive as long on garments as it does on hard surfaces, and heat may limit the

virus's life. COVID-19 could be detected on fabric for up to two days at room temperature,

compared to seven days for plastic and metal. However, when it was exposed to high heat,

the virus became inactive within five minutes. Coronaviruses are known to die when exposed

to high temperatures. In fact, as temperature and humidity rise, coronaviruses inactivation on

surfaces accelerates. However, the exact temperature and time it takes to kill the virus can

vary depending on various factors. These can include things like the amount of virus that’s

present as well as the surface type. Based on the findings, researchers estimated that most

coronaviruses would be nearly totally killed after being exposed to temperatures of 65°C

(149°F) or higher for more than 3 minutes.

Soap is also a weakness of a virus. Why does soap work so well against the new

coronavirus, and most viruses, in general? Because it is a self-assembled nanoparticle in

which the weakest link is the lipid (fatty) bilayer. Soap dissolves the fat membrane, and the

virus falls apart like a house of cards and “dies,” or rather, it becomes inactive/dormant as

viruses aren’t really alive. Viruses can be active outside the body for hours, even days.

Disinfectants, or alcohol-based liquids, wipes, gels, and lotions, have a similar effect but are

not as effective as normal soap. Antibacterial compounds in those goods, with the exception

of alcohol and soap, have little effect on virus structure. Soap outperforms the virus's contacts

with the skin's surface, causing the virus to detach and fall apart like a house of cards.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) that the COVID-19 virus is caused by the

SARS-COV-2, a (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) a novel severe acute respiratory

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syndrome coronavirus. Which has a lot of ways to spread just like COVID-19, in which current

researches states that the COVID-19 virus can spread when an infected person coughs, sneezes,

speaks, sings, or breathes, the virus spreads in microscopic liquid particles from their mouth or nose.

The virus can spread in a short range between an infected person to a non-infected person, the current

evidence also states that it can spread typically within one meter. The virus can most likely spread in a

crowd or indoor place for the virus can stay in the air and be inhaled therefore infect people. People

may also be infected by touching an object contaminated by an infected person, information above is

referred from the WHO website. The virus can spread to an average of 2 to 3 people without

preventive measures like face masks and face shield and/or social distancing this is according to

UKRI (UK Research and Innovation). The UKRI also stated that the average number of people that

are infected by a certain virus and in our situation the COVID-19 virus is called the ‘reproduction

number’. Which is substantial in these kinds of situations, as it allows us to know the spread and

control of this infectious disease, which is a primary ingredient for the government to provide proper

policies. These are the information you need to know the spreading rate of COVID-19 virus.

There are a couple of ways to prevent the spread of the COVID-19. One of the

beneficial ways of preventing it is wearing a face mask wherever you go outside of your

house. Also, wearing a face shield will protect your whole face. The main thing that we

should do every time when going outside is social distancing. When social distancing you

should put a distance from others for about 2 meters. Make sure to always bring alcohol or a

sanitizer with you. When you get home, make sure you clean yourself well, like washing your

hands with soap and water. And when you have the symptoms, you should consult the doctor.

Eating healthy and being healthy is also one way of preventing the virus. These are the basic

preventive measures to keep in mind. Now that there are vaccines, we should get vaccinated

whether you like it or not. Always remember that prevention is better than cure, so by

following these preventive measures it will help you in preventing the disease.

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 The COVID-19 is still currently spreading around the world, affecting millions of

people, causing deaths. COVID-19 has produced many different variants, the characteristic of

these variants is rapidly emerging. Scientists are trying to figure out how readily they spread,

whether they can cause more serious sickness and whether the currently available vaccines

will protect people. By monitoring these variants meets the definition of a Variants of

Concern; B.1.1.7 (Alpha), In December 2020, this variation was discovered for the first time

in the United States. It was initially detected in the United Kingdom; B.1.351 (Beta), was

discovered for the first time in the United States in late January 2021. It was initially detected

in South Africa in December 2020; P.1 (Gamma), was discovered in the United States for the

first time in January 2021. P.1 was initially identified in travelers from Brazil, who were

tested during routine screening at an airport in Japan, in early January; B.1.617.2 (Delta),

This variant was discovered in the United States for the first time in March 2021. It was

initially identified in India in December 2020. Moreover, the following variants mentioned

are isolated as Variants of Interest: B.1.427 and B.1.429 (Epsilon), These two variants were

first identified in California in February 2021; P.2 (Zeta), Earliest documented sample on

Brazil, April-2020; B.1.525 (Eta), It is documented in multiple different countries,

December-2020; P.3 (Theta), first documented samples are in the Philippines, January-2021;

B.1.526 (Iota), tracked in the United States of America, November-2020; B.1.617.1 (Kappa),

found in India, by October-2020; C.37 (Lambda), first found in Peru, December-2020.

If there are different variants then there would also be different types of vaccines. The

vaccinations are being developed to assist us in fighting or protecting ourselves from

COVID-19. COVID-19 vaccinations are safe and effective in avoiding COVID-19 infection,

particularly severe illness and death. COVID-19 vaccinations help to prevent the virus that

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causes COVID-19 from spreading. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is for people aged 12 and

above. You will need two doses, administered three weeks apart (21 days), and you will be

fully vaccinated two weeks following your second shot. Moderna is a vaccine that can be

given to persons aged 18 and up. It requires two shots, spaced four weeks apart, and you are

fully vaccinated two weeks following the second shot. Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen, his

vaccine is suitable for those aged 18 and above; it only requires one shot, and you will be

fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving it. There are still a lot more types of COVID-19

Vaccines, including the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, Novavax COVID-19 vaccine,

Sputnik V vaccine, Sinovac Biotech, Novavax, CanSino Biologics, Bharat Biotech, Abdala

and Soberana 2 Vaccines. For the mentioned vaccines, except for CanSino Biologics, which

only requires one shot, all of the above vaccines require two jabs.

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 Conclusion

To sum up everything that has been stated, Covid 19 is a dangerous virus spreading

around the world because of the new strain of virus found in Wuhan, China. It can cause

respiratory illness and some of it's common symptoms are cough, tiredness and fever. It is

advice to seek medical attention when serious symptoms like difficulty of breathing, chest

pain and loss of speech and movement are felt. The WHO states that the COVID-19 virus can

spread when an infected person coughs, sneezes, speaks, sings, or breathes, the virus spreads

in microscopic liquid particles from their mouth or nose. The virus can most likely spread in

a crowd or indoor place for the virus can stay in the air and be inhaled therefore infecting

people. It can spread to an average of 2 to 3 people without preventive measures like

facemasks and face shields and/or social distancing this is according to UKRI.

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(UK research and innovation, 2020)

https://coronavirusexplained.ukri.org/en/article/und0003/

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 Appendix

Note: Adapted from Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, Volume: 45, Issue: 7,

Pages: 895-896, First published: 14 May 2020, DOI: (10.1111/ced.14290)

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