COVID-19 Basics

THE FACTS:

• the cause: SARS-CoV-2
• type of infection: virus
• virus family: corona
• first human infections: December 2019?
• typical symptoms: fever/chills, sore throat, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, body aches, headache, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea
• unique symptoms: loss of smell and taste
• symptom onset: 2-14 days after exposure
• duration of illness: 7 days on average
• complications:  inflammation of the lungs is the most serious complication leading to respiratory failure
• long term complications: Long COVID
• treatment for patients at home: depends on current variant