Coronavirus: Symptoms to watch out for, risky surfaces, and safety tips

KARACHI: The coronavirus outbreak in Pakistan is getting progressively worse, with more than 220,000 infections and upwards of 4,500 deaths from the respiratory disease recorded on as of Friday.

A day earlier,World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that nations that failed to use every mechanism available to combat the coronavirus would struggle to beat it.

"Some countries ... have taken a fragmented approach. These countries face a long, hard road ahead,” Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing from WHO headquarters in Geneva.

On a global scale, over 10.5 million people have been infected and more than half a million have died since COVID-19 — the disease caused by the novel coronavirus — first emerged in China back in December 2019.

In this regard, Geo.tv has prepared helpful infographics to assist in spreading awareness about symptoms of the virus, common carriers that people should coming into contact with, and safety tips to prevent oneself from contracting the disease.

Symptoms

• Fever
• Cough, especially dry cough
• Shortness of breath
• Headache
• Sneezing

Complications

• Respiratory distress
• Kidney failure

How long do symptoms last?

According to a report by the WHO-China Joint Mission based on more than 55,000 laboratory-confirmed infections, mild cases can last approximately two weeks, whereas the severe or critical ones can go up to three-to-six weeks.

The time for onset of severe disease, including Hypoxia, may be one week.

Precautionary steps

• Wash your hands frequently
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
• Cover your cough with your arm or elbow
  
• Avoid large gatherings and infected people
• Stay at home if you feel unwell
• Seek medical care early
• Get information from trusted sources

Surfaces to avoid

• Door knobs and handles
• Taps and faucets
• Bus handles
• ATM machines
• Bank notes
• Elevator doors and buttons
• Biometric machines
• Telephones and smartphones
• Handshakes