The new Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is a virus first identified in a group of patients showing respiratory symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath) in Wuhan, China in late December. The outbreak was initially detected in people at the seafood and animal market in this region. It then spread from person to person, first to other cities in Hubei province, particularly Wuhan, and then to other provinces of the People's Republic of China and other countries worldwide. Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that can cause disease in animals or humans. The SARS-CoV-2 virus belongs to a large virus family known as Coronaviridae. Seven different types of coronaviruses are known to cause diseases in humans, ranging from common cold to more severe respiratory infections such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially named the virus SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2), and the disease caused by the virus as COVID-19. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic, meaning a global epidemic disease.
The virus can spread from person to person mainly through respiratory secretion droplets dispersed into the environment through coughing and sneezing by infected individuals, and through contact with surfaces that patients have touched, via eye, mouth, nasal mucosa, and handshaking. Additionally, it has been shown that respiratory droplets that can spread to surfaces through means such as coughing retain their infectivity for a period of time. Coronaviruses are generally viruses that are not resilient in external environments. However, currently, the exact transmission period and environmental survival time of the new coronavirus are not clearly known.
Molecular tests required for the diagnosis of new Coronavirus infection (COVID-19) are available in our country. The diagnostic test is performed in 37 different COVID-19 Reference Laboratories authorized by the Ministry of Health. The list of these laboratories and the provinces they serve can be accessed from the website below:
Antibiotics do not affect viruses, they are only effective against bacteria. The pathogen causing COVID-19 infection is a virus called SARS-CoV-2.
Virüsün kuluçka süresi 2 gün ile 14 gün arasındadır.
The most common symptoms are fever, cough, and shortness of breath. In severe cases, pneumonia, severe respiratory failure, kidney failure, and death may develop.
The risk of developing severe illness from the virus is higher in elderly people and those with accompanying diseases (such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease).
