The new coronavirus and its consequences continue to spread throughout Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As so many fake news circulate in social media, we decided to address the main questions around the virus: <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large virus family known since the mid-1960 whose newest member is SARS-VOC-2, which causes the COVID-19 disease. This family includes members such as MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) e SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) viruses that cause respiratory infections of variable severity, from common cold to fatal pneumonia. This family is made up of viruses that spillover from animals to humans. A few of these viruses infected humans and caused other epidemics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coronavirus signs and symptoms are mainly respiratory, flu-like. People with the COVID-19 disease might have little or even no symptoms. However, the most common symptoms are dry or wet cough, fever above 38\u00b0C, body ache, runny nose, and sore throat. More severe symptoms include, but are not limited to, shortness of breath. Patients can also have diarrhea and nose blockage. Most infected people will develop mild illness. Severe cases affect mainly the elderly (60+) and those with base conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, heart conditions, or chronic bronchitis, for example. This happens because the viral overload from the new infection might decompensate the base condition, resulting in its aggravation. <\/p>\n\n\n\t\t