What is Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)?
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. The virus that causes COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus that was first identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China. The virus responsible for COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, is in the species SARS-like corona viruses. At 125 nm, it is slightly larger than influenza, SARS and MERS viruses.
It is almost certainly a descendant from a bat corona virus of which there are many. The closest is a virus that originated from the Rhinolophus bat which is > 96% homologous with the current SARS-CoV-2 virus. It is only 79% homologous with the original SARS CoV.
Older adults and people who have severe underlying chronic medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness. Please consult with your health care provider about additional steps you may be able to take to protect yourself.
Can people in the U.S. get COVID-19? Yes.
COVID-19 is spreading from person to person in parts of the United States. Risk of infection with COVID-19 is higher for people who are close contacts of someone known to have COVID-19, for example healthcare workers, or household members. Other people at higher risk for infection are those who live in or have recently been in an area with ongoing spread of COVID-19.
How does COVID-19 spread?
The virus that causes COVID-19 probably emerged from an animal source, but is now spreading from person to person. The virus is thought to spread mainly between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet) through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It also may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads. The ability to spread faster is one of the major differences between this and the flu we are accustomed to.
What are the symptoms of COVID-19?
Patients with COVID-19 have had mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms of
•fever
•cough•shortness of breath
How can I help protect myself?
People can help protect themselves from respiratory illness with everyday preventive actions.
•Avoid close contact with people who are sick.•Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
•Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, make sure you wash each finger and thumb tip, not just the palms and back of hands, if you have long fingernails wash them thoroughly as well . Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
If you are sick, to keep from spreading respiratory illness to others, you should
•Stay home when you are sick.
•Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
•Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
How Long Does the Coronavirus Survive on Different Surfaces?
What should I do if I recently traveled from an area with ongoing spread of COVID-19?
If you have traveled from an affected area, there may be restrictions on your movements for up to 2 weeks. If you develop symptoms during that period (fever, cough, trouble breathing), seek medical advice. Call the office of your health care provider before you go, and tell them about your travel and your symptoms. They will give you instructions on how to get care without exposing other people to your illness. While sick, avoid contact with people, don’t go out and delay any travel to reduce the possibility of spreading illness to others.
Is there a vaccine?
There is currently no vaccine to protect against COVID-19. The best way to prevent infection is to take everyday preventive actions, like avoiding close contact with people who are sick and washing your hands often.
Is there a treatment?
There is no specific antiviral treatment for COVID-19 in Western Medicine. People with COVID-19 can seek medical care to help relieve symptoms.
Take steps to protect others
Stay home if you’re sick, except to get medical care.
Cover coughs and sneezes
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow.Throw used tissues in the trash.
Immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, including the tips of each finger and thumb as mentioned above. If soap and water are not readily available, clean your hands with a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
Wear a facemask if you are sick
If you are sick: You should wear a facemask when you are around other people (e.g., sharing a room or vehicle) and before you enter a healthcare provider’s office. If you are not able to wear a facemask (for example, because it causes trouble breathing), then you should do your best to cover your coughs and sneezes, and people who are caring for you should wear a facemask if they enter your room.
If you are NOT sick:
You do not need to wear a facemask unless you are caring for someone who is sick (and they are not able to wear a facemask). Facemasks may be in short supply and they should be saved for caregivers.
Update April 2020:
Many countries and cities are now recommending wearing a face mask or other covering when you go out in public regardless if you have the virus or not. Current testing has shown many people have the virus and do not know it (Asymptomatic). The covering can be any cotton material that covers the nose and mouth.
Clean and Disinfect
Clean AND disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks. If surfaces are dirty, clean them: Use detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.
Update: April 2020
Many people misinterpreted the President of the United States when he was discussing using sunlight and disinfectant internally, he DID NOT say you should do that, we was just brainstorming with the doctor and the head of the DHS scientific department of the possibility of using UV light and something to disinfect the the body internally one day. They are already using UV light for cleansing the blood for cancer patients. There is a company right now who is experimenting using UV light inside the trachea tube of a ventilator or similar machine so he was not far off in his brainstorming ideas
To Disinfect:
Most common EPA-registered household disinfectants will work. Use disinfectants appropriate for the surface.
Options include:
Diluting your household bleach.
To make a bleach solution, mix:
5 tablespoons (1/3rd cup) bleach per gallon of water
OR
4 teaspoons bleach per quart of water
Follow manufacturer’s instructions for application and proper ventilation. Check to ensure the product is not past its expiration date. Never mix household bleach with ammonia or any other cleanser. Unexpired household bleach will be effective against coronaviruses when properly diluted.
Alcohol solutions.
Ensure solution has at least 70% alcohol.
How Can Traditional Chinese Medicine Be Helpful?
On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the epidemic to be a public health emergency of international concern in the second meeting of the Emergency Committee.It was recommended that potential vaccines and antiviral medicines should be developed. However, the development of these therapeutics will take months, even years. For this specific indication, rapid performance of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can contribute as an alternative measure.
In 2003, patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) who were treated with TCM benefited from shorter hospitalization, decrease in steroid-related side effects, and improvement of symptoms. Notably, genomic and in silico structural characterization of novel coronavirus revealed that it is closely related to the SARS coronavirus, further suggesting that TCM may have potential use in the current outbreak. Indeed, the China government is advising doctors to consider combining Western antiviral drugs with TCM remedies in combating novel coronavirus pneumonia. However, there were few studies to help select suitable herbal drugs before costly biological experiments and clinical trials.
Classically, whether a TCM remedy can be clinically used for viral infections depends on two aspects: 1) clinical symptoms and signs of the patient, and 2) the type of TCM remedy and its traditional indications. TCM formulas have been used in China over 2000 years. According to their effectiveness, TCM remedies are divided into various types, each corresponding to a group of diseases. On the other hand, research has shown that many TCM remedies have antiviral ingredients. Selecting specific TCM formula through integrative methods based on both disease symptom and pathogen-directed cause will greatly increase the clinical potential. However, it is still a challenge to experimentally screen many TCM remedies for the treatment of novel coronavirus pneumonia in a short time.
The Journal of Integrative Medicine, Zhang et al, provided in silico methods to narrow down TCM remedies that may directly inhibit the coronaviral reproduction. In silico is an expression used to mean performed on a computer or via computer simulation. … In silico biology draws from the vast amounts of biological information available, and applies sophisticated algorithms or simulations to advance scientific understanding.
Two principals for selection were proposed: oral effectiveness to inhibit viral infection and compatibility of patient manifestation. The identified TCM remedies should contain anti-novel coronavirus chemicals that meet the requirement for orally administered medical drugs. Meanwhile, the identified TCM remedies should be of the types of TCM remedy that have activity against virus-caused pneumonia.
To this end, the authors conducted a series of in silico analyses.A number of natural compounds were selected, which were experimentally validated for their potential activity against SARS or Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus. These chemicals were then evaluated for their suitability for oral administration. Most importantly, the molecular structures of these natural compounds were evaluated for their ability to interact, or dock, with the main proteins of the novel coronavirus. Positive docking suggested their ability to inhibit the novel coronavirus infection. In order to comply with patient manifestation, the authors conducted another three rounds of screening. First, TCM herbs that contained at least two of the above natural compounds were selected.
These medicinal plants were classified by the types of diseases they are used to treat. Only those belonging to the types that have been classically used to treat viral pneumonia were selected for further studies. Next, comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of these TCM herbs was performed. The authors downloaded its documented chemical constituents of each herb and analyzed their cellular protein targets for network
pharmacological analysis. All these processes found that at least 26 TCM herbs have potential in vivo anti-novel coronavirus effects and can simultaneously regulate host inflammation responses.
Below are the 26 herbs listed, after each name is the healing property it possesses then followed by the time to use during the course of treatment.
1 Forsythiae fructus- Antipyretic detoxifying -Full course
2 Licorice- Qi-reinforcing -Full course
3 Mori cortex -Antitussive antiasthmatics-Full course
4 Chrysanthemi flos – Pungent cool diaphoretics-Full course
5 Farfarae flos – Antitussive antiasthmatics -Full course
6 Lonicerae japonicae flos – Antipyretic-detoxifying drugs-Full course
7 Mori follum- Pungent cool diaphoretics -Full course
8 Peucedani radix- Phlegm-resolving medicine-Full course
9 Rhizoma fagopyri cymosi -Antipyretic detoxifying -Full course
10 Tamaricis cacumen – Pungent-warm exterior-releasing medicine -Early
11 Erigeron breviscapus -Pungent-warm exterior-releasing medicine-Early
12 Radix bupleuri -Pungent cool diaphoretics -Early
13 Coptidis rhizoma – Heat-clearing and dampness drying medicine-Middle
14 Houttuyniae herba- Antipyretic-detoxifying 清热解毒药Middle
15 Hoveniae dulcis semen 枳椇子2 Antipyretic-detoxifying -Middle
16 Inulae flos- Phlegm resolving medicine-Middle
17 Eriobotryae folium- Antitussive antiasthmatics- Middle and later
18 Hedysarum multijugum maxim. – Qi-reinforcing -Middle and later
19 Lepidii semen descurainiae semen- Antitussive antiasthmatics – Middle and later
20 Ardisiae japonicae herba- Antitussive antiasthmatics – Middle and later
21 Asteris radix et rhizoma- Antitussive antiasthmatics-Middle and later
22 Euphorbiae helioscopiae herba- Diuretic dampness-excreting – Middle and later
23 Ginkgo semen- Antitussive antiasthmatics – Middle and later
24 Anemarrhenae rhizoma- Fire-purging -Later
25 Epimrdii herba- Yang-reinforcing -Later
26 Fortunes bossfern rhizome -Warming interior- Prevention
The purpose of this screening was to provide a rational approach for selecting Chinese herbal medicines with a high potential efficacy in treating 2019-nCoV and related viruses. The specific dosage and usage of each herb should be determined based on patients’ manifestations. Finally, the key step in this screening was molecular docking. The 3D structures of the proteins used here are based on reported gene sequences. If the virus mutates during transmission, a new screening is recommended.
In conclusion, this work has identified several Chinese medicinal plants classified as antiviral/pneumonia-effective that might directly inhibit the novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV. Further research and studies must be done, but as in past experiences TCM offers a great opportunity in treating the coronavirus.
Can Nutritional Supplements Be Helpful?
Many medical professionals say besides a good healthy diet three nutritional supplements can be beneficial in keeping the immune system strong they are as follows:
Vitamin C 500mg 2-3 times per day, if standard Vitamin c is to acidic for your stomach purchase Ester C
Zinc 75mg per day
Vitamin D3 1000-1200 units per day
A herbal supplement that is recommended by medical professionals is Elderberry either in syrup or lozenge form.
We hope this article has been informative and helpful, we will add more information to this page that we feel will be useful over the next few days and weeks, so bookmark this page and check back periodically.
Update
It has been recommended that you wash a regularly used jacket, sweater or hoodie every 2-3 days as part of your cleaning and disinfecting process.
Incubation Period
Coronavirus Symptom Areas
You might have heard President Trump talk about two prescription medications that have been used for decades to treat Malaria and Viruses below is a portion of the small clinical trial conducted in France that could have a game changing effect on beating the coronavirus.
French Confirmed COVID-19 patients were included in a single arm protocol from early March to March 16th, to receive 600mg of hydroxychloroquine daily and their viral load in nasopharyngeal swabs was tested daily in a hospital setting. Depending on their clinical presentation, azithromycin was added to the treatment. Untreated patients from another center and cases refusing the protocol were included as negative controls. Presence and absence of virus at Day6-post inclusion was considered the end point.
Results
Six patients were asymptomatic, 22 had upper respiratory tract infection symptoms and eight had lower respiratory tract infection symptoms.
Twenty cases were treated in this study and showed a significant reduction of the viral carriage at D6-post inclusion compared to controls, and much lower average carrying duration than reported of untreated patients in the literature. Azithromycin added to hydroxychloroquine was significantly more efficient for virus elimination.
Despite its small sample size our survey shows that hydroxychloroquine treatment is significantly associated with viral load reduction/disappearance in COVID-19 patients and its effect is reinforced by azithromycin.