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Science Math History Literature Technology Health Law Business All Topics Random hot best trending Asked by Answers Staff in COVID-19 What should I know about coronavirus ? We’ve compiled frequently asked questions about the novel coronavirus at the center of the current pandemic. Each section includes links to trusted health organizations. First things first: The coronaviruses are a family of viruses whose symptoms can range from the common cold to something more serious and potentially lethal, and a new coronavirus is currently spreading across the planet, affecting the daily lives of many. In December 2019, an outbreak of a new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) occurred in Wuhan, China. It causes a disease called COVID-19, which can lead to death, particularly for the elderly and people with serious chronic medical conditions. There are currently no vaccines or antiviral treatments available. More than 150 countries and territories, including the United States, have confirmed cases of the infection since the initial outbreak, and on March 11, the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic. What are its symptoms? According to the CDC, fever, cough, and shortness of breath are the main symptoms of COVID-19. Additional symptoms may include aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, and diarrhea. Severity of the symptoms range from mild to life-threatening—about 1 in 5 people who are infected require hospital care. How do I get tested? If you’ve had contact with someone with COVID-19 or live in a community experiencing an outbreak and develop a fever and other symptoms of the disease, the CDC recommends you call your healthcare provider. Tell them about your symptoms and potential exposure to the virus, and they’ll make a call on whether you should be tested. They’ll also help determine the safest way to receive your test. More specific guidelines vary from state to state. NBC News has a handy guide here. It’s especially crucial that you call your medical provider if you’re elderly or have a serious chronic medical condition. Also, if you or a loved one are very sick (e.g., experiencing symptoms like difficulty breathing, persistent chest pain or pressure, confusion, or bluish lips or face), seek medical attention immediately. How does it spread? The CDC and researchers worldwide still have a lot to learn about COVID-19 and how it spreads. According to current knowledge, though, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is mainly spread from person to person through respiratory droplets. That means droplets from an infected person’s coughs and sneezes land on other people’s noses or mouths, or they breathe them in, and that infects them, too. It’s also possible that the virus can spread through people touching contaminated objects and then touching their mouth, nose, or eyes. How can we prevent it? According to the CDC, the best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus.” Some steps you can take to limit your exposure to the virus: Regularly wash your hands for 20 seconds or use a hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol. Pay attention to hand hygiene, especially when you’ve been in a public place and after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose. Practice social distancing by increasing the space between you and other people. That means staying home as much as you can, especially if you feel sick. Disinfect frequently touched surfaces (like keyboards, doorknobs, and light switches) every day. Cover coughs and sneezes with the inside of your elbow or a tissue. Throw the tissue away immediately and wash your hands. When you’re out in public, wear a cloth facemask (not the kind meant for healthcare workers; see this guide for making your own). How is coronavirus different from the flu? While there are some similarities between the symptoms of COVID-19 and the flu (most notably fever and dry cough) one of the biggest differences is that we know significantly less about COVID-19. But here is what we do know: COVID-19 is more infectious than the flu. The basic reproduction number,” or R0, of an infection is the average number of people who catch it from a single infected person. The flu has an R0 value of 1.3, while the R0 value of COVID-19 is estimated to be much higher. Right now, COVID-19 seems more likely to kill than the flu. While the exact fatality rate of COVID-19 is not yet known, it appears to be much deadlier than the flu. Influenza has a mortality rate of 0.1 percent, and current estimates of COVID-19’s fatality rate range from 1.4 percent to 3.4 percent. There is currently no vaccine or treatment for COVID-19. Unlike seasonal flu, there is no widely available vaccine to protect against COVID-19 infection. Similarly, there are no antivirals to help to reduce symptoms and shorten the duration of the disease. For more information on this ever-developing COVID-19 pandemic, consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s page dedicated to the virus, found here. Promoted in Grammarly Write With Confidence. Grammarly provides quality suggestions to ensure your writing is clear and mistake-free. Try Grammarly! grammarly.com Download Asked by Parker Braun in Vital Signs , Body Temperature , Fevers What temperature is considered a fever ? Technically, a fever is any temperature above your normal temperature; most adults’ normal temperature is 98.6° Fahrenheit. A low-grade fever for most adults would be slightly elevated, between around 98.7° F and 100.4° F, for a period of 24 hours. A high-grade fever is usually in the 103-104° F range and is cause to seek medical attention. For infants and toddlers, the threshold is slightly lower. You should seek medical attention for a child under 3 months who has a rectal temperature of 100.4° F or higher. For children 3 to 6 months, seek medical attention if they’re especially irritable, lethargic or uncomfortable with a rectal temperature of 102° F, or have a rectal temperature above 102° F. For children 6 to 24 months, seek medical attention for a temperature of 102° F or higher that lasts longer than a day with no other symptoms; if they have other symptoms, you can seek medical attention sooner. Asked by Shannon Greenfelder in Unemployment Do self-employed people qualify for unemployment ? No, because, by definition, the person applying for unemployment was working for someone else, and thus had no other control over his income. The self-employed through his business slowing down or loss of market, does not fit the criteria. Asked by Gianni Wilderman in Corn , Food & Cooking Is baby corn a special species of corn ? Baby corn is actually just immature regular corn, meaning it can come from most any type of corn. Sorry to disappoint. To grow baby corn, you just plant sweet corn and then harvest the ears within three days of the silks emerging. Some farmers even harvest some baby corn and some full-grown corn from the same stalk. Asked by Meredith Walsh in Health , COVID-19 Can you sterilize a facemask in a microwave ? According to infectious disease expert Dr. Amesh Adalja, it is unclear whether sterilizing a cloth mask in a microwave works or whether it actually causes the mask to become more permeable to particles. N95 respirators shouldn’t be microwaved, either—according to a 2009 study published in the Annals of Occupational Hygiene, they melt in the microwave. The CDC recommends using a washing machine to clean a cloth mask, but the jury is still out on effective ways to sterilize N95 masks. Those are intended for use by healthcare workers and are designed to be used only once. A March 2020 report from Stanford University’s School of Medicine’s COVID-19 Evidence Service suggested that heating N95 masks to 70 degrees Celsius (158 degrees Fahrenheit) in a kitchen-type of oven for 30 minutes is an effective sterilization method; however, they do not recommend heating masks in your home oven. Another possible solution is exposing masks to hydrogen...