COVID-19 is mainly spread via respiratory droplets; when an infected person sneezes, coughs, speaks, sings or breathes on another person.
3. Can COVID-19 be caught by touching things?
Rarely. Infection very occasionally may be due to contact with surfaces contaminated with droplets.
The virus can survive on some surfaces for a few hours (copper, cardboard) and on others for up to a number of days (plastic and stainless steel). However, the amount of viable virus declines over time and it is rarely present on surfaces in sufficient amounts to cause infection.
How COVID-19 Spreads
4. What are the symptoms of COVID-19?
These are very similar to symptoms of other illnesses, such as colds and flu. These include:
- A high temperature or shivering (chills) – a high temperature means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
- A new, continuous cough
- A loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
- Shortness of breath
- Feeling tired or exhausted
- An aching body
- A headache, sore throat, or blocked or runny nose
- Diarrhoea, or feeling sick or being sick.
If you have any of these symptoms and you have a high temperature, or you do not feel well enough to go to work or do your normal activities, try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people.
5. What types of COVID infection are there?
At least a third of people who are infected do not develop noticeable symptoms.
Most infections last 5-6 days, and people are fully better by 2 weeks.
But 5-10% of patients develop ‘long COVID’. This means they still have symptoms 12 weeks after the original infection (though there is no agreed definition of long COVID based on 12 weeks).
This is probably a form of ‘post-viral fatigue’ syndrome, which are well known to occur after other viruses – e.g Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) which causes ‘Glandular Fever’.
6. What is the incubation period for COVID-19?
The incubation period of COVID-19, which is the time between exposure to the virus and symptom onset, is on average 5-6 days.
And when, and for how long, is a person infectious with COVID-19?
An infected person can transmit the virus up to two days before they experience symptoms, as well as while they have symptoms.
Also adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 can remain infectious for 10 days after symptoms begin. Most adults with severe to critical illness (or immune suppression, e.g. patients with a transplant on drugs that suppress the immune system) will remain infectious for up to 20 days after symptoms begin.
7. Do COVID-19 vaccines work?
Definitely. The vaccines are effective but not perfect. And fully vaccinated individuals can still get COVID-19 (referred to as ‘breakthrough infections’).
They can carry comparable amounts of virus as non-vaccinated people. However, vaccinated people are both less unwell and less infectious.
8. Is there a cure for COVID-19 – i.e. what is the treatment?
No. But most people with COVID-19 don’t need treatment.
Treatments for coronavirus (COVID-19) include antibody and antiviral medicines, and steroids. But they are only for sicker people in hospital, or at risk of becoming seriously ill.
Whilst you’re staying at home with coronavirus (COVID-19), you can ease mild symptoms by resting, drinking plenty of fluids, and taking paracetamol or NSAIDs (aspirin, ibuoprofen etc).
9. How severe is COVID-19 infection?
Of those people who develop symptoms noticeable enough to be classed as patients, most (about 80%) develop mild symptoms, while 15% develop moderate-more severe symptoms, and 5% serious disease.
Patients with very severe disease may require ventilation (a breathing machine) on intensive care, potentially leading to death. On intensive care, they will be looked after by the most senior doctors called consultants, and registrars, who are their deputies.
The likelihood of death from COVID-19 depends on vaccination status, age, variant, and the presence of certain underlying conditions (such as heart disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease and cancer). Older age is the strongest contributing factor.
10. Is COVID-19 similar to (normal) seasonal ‘flu’?
Yes/no. They both produce a mainly respiratory (upper airways and lung) infection. The viruses that cause COVID-19 and seasonal flu can spread between people who are in close contact with one another.
Both are spread by infected people when they cough, sneeze or talk. The virus that causes COVID-19 seems to spread more easily than influenza.
COVID-19 emerged in late 2019 and spread very quickly across the globe. As SARS-CoV-2 is a new virus, most people did not have immunity against it, so the entire human population was potentially susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection at the start of the pandemic.
It is impossible to know when an influenza (‘flu’) virus first infected humans, but convincing reports of influenza pandemics date back several hundred years.
Pandemics are not new. They (‘plagues’) are mentioned in the Bible and Koran. In 1918-20, Spanish Flu, an influenza virus, probably led to over 50 million deaths.
In a normal influenza year, about 1 in 1000 people who develop seasonal flu, will die. Whereas COVID-19 has an approximate 1% mortality (but 5% at age 75 years, and 15% at age 85 years).
Vaccines against COVID-19 are available, whilst influenza vaccines were developed in the 1930s.
Summary
We have described 10 FAQs and answers about COVID-19. We hope you understand it more now, and that helps you deal with it, if you or a family member have it.
