CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

The coronavirus pandemic is an ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The outbreak was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China, in December 2019. It was recognized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11.

The virus is mainly spread during close contact and via respiratory droplets discharged when people cough or sneeze. The time between exposure and symptom onset is typically around five days, but may range from 2 to 14 days. Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness.

Strategies for preventing transmission of the disease include overall good personal hygiene, hand washing, avoiding touching the eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands, coughing/sneezing into a tissue and putting the tissue directly into a dustbin

At this time, there are no specific vaccines or treatments for COVID-19.

Social distancing (also known as physical distancing) includes infection control actions intended to slow the spread of disease by minimizing close contact between individuals. Methods include quarantines; travel restrictions; and the closing of schools, workplaces, stadiums, theatres, or shopping centres.

IN INDIA

The first case of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic in India was reported on 30 January 2020 at Trissur,Kerala, among students who had returned from Wuhan, China. On 22 March 2020, India observed a 14-hour voluntary public curfew at the insistence of the prime minister Narendra Modi. On 24 March, the prime minister ordered a nationwide lockdown for 21 days.