FAQ ON COVID-19

1. What is coronavirus?

Corona viruses are a large family of viruses which may cause illness in animals or humans.
In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
The most recently discovered coronavirus (SARS cov 2) causes a viral infection known as COVID-19.

2. What is COVID-19?

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.

3. What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

Most common symptoms:

Fever
Dry cough
Tiredness

Less common symptoms:

Aches and pains
Sore throat
Diarrhoea
Conjunctivitis
Headache
loss of taste or smell
a rash on skin, or discolouration of fingers or toes

Serious symptoms

difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
chest pain or pressure
loss of speech or movement

These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected but don’t develop any symptoms and don’t feel unwell. Most people (about 80%) recover from the disease without needing special treatment. Around 1 out of every 10 people who gets COVID-19 becomes seriously ill and experiences difficulty in breathing.

4. How does COVID-19 spread?

The virus that causes COVID-19 is spread mainly from person to person, through respiratory droplets produced when a person with COVID-19 coughs or sneezes.

5. What is community spread?

Community spread is when people have been infected with the virus in an area, including people who are not sure how or where they got infected.

6. Can the virus that causes COVID-19 be transmitted through the air?

Studies to date suggest that the virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly transmit- ted through contact with respiratory droplets rather than through the air.
Some studies suggest that the COVID-19 virus can be present in the aerosol particle particularly in the health care centres.
Still, there is no data available on how infectious the virus is in air, how much virus one needs to get exposed to get sick and how common is aerosol transmission as compared to other means of transmission. However, research into its transmission routes is ongoing.

7. A person with COVID-19 always shows symptoms. Is it true?

There are both symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients.
Asymptomatic people are patients who carry the active virus in their body but never develop any symptoms.

8. What is quarantine?

Quarantine means to separate a person or group of people who have been ex- posed to a contagious disease but have not developed illness (symptoms) from others who have not been exposed, in order to prevent the possible spread of that disease.
Quarantine is usually established for the incubation period of the communicable disease, which is the span of time during which people have developed illness after exposure.

9. What is isolation?

Isolation is the separation of a person or group of people infected or believed to be infected with contagious disease to prevent the spread of infection in hospital settings/other places.

10. What is social distancing?

Social distancing is a non-pharmaceutical infection prevention/control strategy implemented to avoid/decrease contact between those who are infected with a disease-causing pathogen and those who are not, to stop or slow down the rate and extent of disease transmission in a community.

To practice social or physical distancing:

Stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’ length) from other people.
Do not gather in groups.
Stay out of crowded places and avoid mass gathering.

11. What temperature kills the viruses that cause COVID-19?

Many of the largest outbreaks have been in regions where the weather is cooler, leading to speculation that the disease might begin to tail off with the arrival of summer.
But there is no sufficient data available for the perishing of Novel corona viruses in higher temperature.

12. Who is at risk of developing the COVID-19 severe illness?

Research on COVID-19 thus far reveals that it affects the following categories of people:

Aged and elderly persons
Persons with pre-existing medical conditions, such as
- High blood pressure
- Heart disease
- Chronic lung disease
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Haemoglobin disorders
- Chronic kidney disease being treated with dialysis
Immuno – compromised people
People on steroid treatment or any immunosuppressants
People who have had a recent organ transplant
Person with liver disease
People in nursing homes or long-term care facilities
People with severe obesity

13. How do I know if it is COVID-19 or the common flu?

A COVID-19 infection has the same signs and symptoms as the common flu. You can only differentiate between them through laboratory testing to determine the virus type.

14. ”COVID-19 and influenza viruses are similar.” What do you mean from this statement?

COVID-19 and influenza viruses have a similar disease presentation.
Both cause respiratory diseases, which present as a wide range of illnesses from asymptomatic or mild to severe disease and death.
Secondly, both viruses are transmitted by contact, droplets and fomites.
As a result, the same public health measures, such as hand hygiene and good respiratory etiquette (coughing into your elbow or into a tissue and immediately disposing of the tissue), are important actions that everyone can take to prevent infection.

15. Can coronavirus that causes COVID-19 be transmitted by blood transfusion?

In general, respiratory viruses are not known to be transmitted by blood There have been no reported cases of transfusion-transmitted coronavirus. Studies are still underway to check on this mode of transmission.

16. Can COVID-19 be passed on through sex?

There is no sufficient data to prove whether COVID- 19 can be transmitted through sexual contact.
However, the virus is easily spread by coming into close contact with droplets from the nose and mouth, including the saliva of an infected person; this means there is a significant risk of passing on COVID-19 through kissing and physical touching if one person has the virus.
If you or your partner is unwell with COVID-19, it’s best to avoid having any sexual contact – including kissing and cuddling.

17. Can COVID-19 be passed from mother to child?

With a low number of cases, it is unclear at this point whether COVID-19 can be passed from a woman to her unborn or new born baby.
Emerging evidence suggests that it may be possible for mothers to pass on COVID-19 to their babies through pregnancy or However, this is still being investigated.
Pregnant women should continue to follow advice to protect themselves from the virus, and seek medical care straight away if they have symptoms.

18. Can COVID-19 be passed from mother to child through breastfeeding?

There is currently no evidence to suggest that COVID-19 can be passed on through breast- feeding. If you are breastfeeding and have symptoms of or confirmed COVID-19, these are the steps to be taken to avoid spreading the virus to your baby:

Wash your hands before touching your
Wear a face mask, while breastfeeding.
Wash your hands before touching the breast pump or bottle parts.
Clean all parts of the pump after each use.

If you have COVID-19 and choose to breastfeed your baby:

Use a dedicated breast pump.
Wear a cloth face covering during expression and wash your hands before touching any pump or bottle parts and before expressing breast milk.
Follow recommendations for proper pump cleaning after each use, cleaning all parts that come into contact with breast milk.
If possible, expressed breast milk should be fed to the infant by a healthy caregiver who does not have COVID-19, is not at high-risk for severe illness from COVID-19, and is living in the same home.

19. Can COVID-19 be transmitted through food?

There is no evidence to suggest that COVID-19 can be passed on through food. As with all types of infection, practicing food safety will help to reduce any risk. You can do this by

Making sure animal products are cooked properly
Washing your hands throughout the preparation of food
Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and utensils after cooking

20. Will warm weather stop the outbreak of COVID-19?

This is still being investigated by the medical There is no sufficient data available to indicate that coronavirus will perish in warm weather.

21. Can mosquitoes or ticks spread the SARS cov 2 viruses?

The main way that COVID-19 spreads is from person to At this time there is no data to suggest that this new coronavirus or other similar coronaviruses are spread by mosquitoes or ticks.

22. Is it safe to get care for my other medical conditions during COVID-19?

It is important to continue taking care of your overall health and wellness.
If you have a chronic health problem, you may be at higher risk for COVID-19.
So you will continue your prescribed medications and advice.
During an emergency situation, seek urgent medical care.

23. Can COVID-19 spread through mail, packages and products?

There is still a lot that is unknown about COVID-19 and its spread.
Coronaviruses are thought to be spread most often by respiratory droplets.
So mail, packages and products are considered safe for handling.

24. How long is the incubation period for COVID-19?

The “incubation period” refers to the time between catching the virus and beginning to have symptoms of the disease.
Estimates of the incubation period for COVID-19 range from 1-14 days, most commonly around 5 days.
These estimates will be updated as more data becomes available.
On average, symptoms showed up in the newly infected person about 5 days after contact. In rare cases, symptoms can show up after 14 days.

25. Can humans become infected with the COVID-19 from an animal source?

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in animals.
Occasionally, people get infected with these viruses which may then spread to other people.
For example, SARS-CoV was associated with five t cats and MERS-CoV is transmitted by dromedary camels.
Possible animal sources of COVID-19 have not yet been confirmed.
To protect yourself, such as when visiting live animal markets, avoid direct contact with animals and surfaces in contact with animals.
Ensure good food safety practices at all times.
Handle raw meat, milk or animal organs with care to avoid contamination of un- cooked foods and avoid consuming raw or undercooked animal products.

26. Can I catch COVID-19 from my pet?

There is no evidence that any pet can transmit COVID-19. COVID-19 is mainly spread through droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks.
Yet you should keep distance with your pets as part of safe infection control Studies are going on there in this regard.

27. How long does the virus survive on surfaces?

It is not certain how long the virus that causes COVID-19 survives on surfaces, but it seems to behave like other coronaviruses.
Studies suggest that corona viruses (including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days.
This may vary under different conditions (e.g. type of surface, temperature or humidity of the environment).

28. Is COVID-19 the same as SARS?

The virus that causes COVID-19 and the one that caused the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 are related to each other genetically, but the diseases they cause are quite different. SARS was more deadly, but much less infectious than COVID-19. Since 2003, there have been no outbreaks of SARS any- where in the world.

29. What is the risk of my child becoming sick with COVID-19?

You can encourage your child to help stop the spread of COVID-19 by teaching them to do the same things everyone should do to stay healthy.

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Stay home when you are sick, except to get medical care.
Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue and throw the tissue in the trash.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; going to the bathroom; and before eating or preparing food.
If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
Always wash hands with soap and water especially if your hands are visibly dirty.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched shared surfaces and objects such as tables, countertops, light switches, doorknobs, and cabinet handles.
Launder items, including washable plush toys, as appropriate and in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. If possible, launder items using the warmest appropriate water setting for the items and dry items Dirty laundry from an ill person can be washed with other people’s items.

30. Are the symptoms of COVID-19 different in students than in adults?

The symptoms of COVID-19 are similar in students and adults. There is much more to be learned about how the disease impacts students. Studies are underway in this regard.

31. Is it necessary for everyone to wear a face mask?

Everybody should wear a face mask/face covering. Wearing cloth face coverings is a public health measure people should take to reduce the spread of COVID-19, in addition to social distancing, frequent hand cleaning, and other preventive actions.
A cloth face covering is not intended to protect the wearer but may prevent the spread of virus from the wearer to Medical face masks and N95 respirators are still reserved for healthcare personnel and other First responders. But the general public is advised to use face masks or surgical masks.

32. Do students need to wear face masks?

Students who are older than 2 years of age should wear face masks/face coverings to protect themselves from COVID-19.

33. How do I prepare my students in case of COVID-19 outbreak in the community?

Outbreaks can be stressful for both adults and students. Talk with your students about the outbreak, try to stay calm, and reassure them that they are safe.
If appropriate, explain to them that most illness from COVID-19 seems to be There is provision to support students who are under stress at this time.

34. What steps should parents take to protect students during a community out- break?

COVID-19 is a new virus and we are still learning about it. So far, there does not seem to be a lot of illness in students. Most illness, including serious illness, is happening in adults of working age and older adults. During community transmission parents should follow these guidelines:

Do not encourage your child to participate in social gatherings/playground activitieswith other students.
Students should follow infection control activities like social distancing, wearingmasks, frequent hand washing with soap and water etc.
IfFlu-like symptoms occur in a student, inform the nearest health centers/ HCW.

35. Should I test for COVID-19?

Not everyone needs to be tested for COVID-19. Testing should be done based on revised advisory of the India Government.

36. Do I need to get my pet tested for COVID-19?

At this time, routine testing of animals for COVID-19 is not recommended.

37. What is community mitigation?

Community mitigation activities cater to actions that people and communities should take to slow the spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Community mitigation is especially important before a vaccine or drug becomes widely avail- able.

38. What treatment is available for COVID-19?

People with COVID-19 should receive supportive care to help relieve For example, if you experience a medical emergency such as breathing difficulty and for severe illness, treatment should include care to support vital organ functions. There are currently no approved drugs specifically for the treatment of COVID-19.

39. Is hand sanitizer effective against COVID-19?

It is recommended to wash your hands with soap and water or use an alcohol- based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Both are effective.

40. Am I at risk for serious complications from COVID-19 if I smoke cigarettes?

Smoking cigarettes can leave you more vulnerable to respiratory illnesses, such as COVID-19. For example, smoking is known to cause lung disease and people with underlying lung problems may have increased risk for serious complications from COVID-19, a disease that primarily attacks the lungs.

41. What is convalescent plasma therapy for COVID-19?

Convalescent plasma is the liquid part of blood that is collected from patients who have recovered from the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2. COVID-19 patients develop antibodies in the blood against the lungs.
Antibodies are proteins that might help fight the infection. Convalescent plasma is being investigated for the treatment of COVID-19 because there is no approved treatment for this disease. There is some information that suggests it might help some patients recover from COVID-19.

42. What animal species can get COVID-19?

We currently don’t fully understand how COVID-19 affects different animal Studies are underway in this area.

43. Is it safe to order take-out?

There have not been any cases of COVID-19 known to be caused from eating food or handling food packaging. Here are some steps you can follow to help protect yourself when ordering groceries or carryout:

Before ordering groceries or carryout, check to see if you can pay online or over the phone.
Ask the delivery person to leave your packages at the door or on the porch.
If you go in person and curbside pickup is not available, make sure you maintain 6 feet of distance between you and the cashier.
Because carryout bags and containers have been touched recently by others, it is important to wash your hands after handling these.
Dispose of all packaging, and wash your hands again before eating.
Follow the guidelines of the government in this regard.

44. Is grocery shopping safe during the coronavirus pandemic?

Here are some recommendations to make grocery shopping safe:

It’s best not to make unnecessary trips, but if you need to go to a grocery store, it’s important to maintain social and physical distancing as you Clean your hands often while shopping and as soon as you get home.
Have one adult go shopping instead of the whole family, especially since students like to touch objects and then their faces.
Plan to stock up for at least a week so you can minimize the number of trips.
When you’re at the store, stay at least 6 feet away from others.
Clean the handle of the shopping basket or cart with a disinfectant wipe or hand sanitizer.
Don’t touch your face, and keep your phone in your pocket because it may harbor viruses — use a paper list instead.
Hard surfaces are more likely to be contaminated than soft surfaces (such as fabric), so be mindful of commonly touched surfaces such as payment equipment and self- checkout machines.
If you use reusable shopping bags, wipe them with disinfectant or launder them once you’ve put your groceries away
Wear a face mask always while you are grocery shopping.

45. Should I stop going to the gym?

As the new coronavirus is spreading, be cautious about all possible exposures, including at the gym or Fitness centre.
The virus isn’t spread through perspiration (sweat), but items touched by many people (barbells, etc.) could pose a risk.
In order to practice social and physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is best to avoid public places like gyms and Fitness centres at this time.

46. What is the recovery time for the coronavirus disease?

Using available preliminary data, the median time from onset to clinical recovery for mild cases is approximately 2 weeks and is 3-6 weeks for patients with severe or critical disease.

47. Can I catch coronavirus from the faces of someone with the disease?

The risk of catching COVID-19 from the faces of an infected person appears to be While initial investigations suggest the virus may be present in faces in some cases, spread through this route is not a main feature of the outbreak.
The ongoing research on the ways COVID-19 is We will continue to share new Findings. Because this is a risk, it is necessary to clean hands regularly, before and after using the bathroom.

48. What are the instructions for returnees/travelers/contacts being room quaran- tined at home?

The room quarantined person should stay in a well-ventilated single-room prefer- ably with an attached/separate toilet/bathroom.
All windows to be kept Mosquito protection with window mesh/ coils/ repel- lent plug-ins should be done.
Such a room should preferably be made ready BEFORE the returnee Essential conveniences like fan/ TV /radio/AC/ Wi-Fi could be done according to the usual lifestyle of the concerned family.
The quarantined person should not move around in other rooms even if no one else is occupying the house for the quarantine period, or even if unsupervised.
If another family member needs to stay in the same home as a caregiver, he/she should occupy a separate area of the house away from the quarantine room.
In case an entire returnee family from the same location is quarantined in a house, they should spend maximum time in individual rooms, but one fixed member of the group can act as In such cases, all of the members quarantined should take care to maintain social distancing.
The caregiver should be a Fixed, able person for the entire period, and should not keep on taking ‘turn duty’ with other relatives/persons.
The caregiver also should preferably not leave the house for routine matters like shopping for the same period as the returnee stays in quarantine.
The caregiver should not spend time WITH the returnee in the quarantine room, and should enter only for leaving meals/removing laundry Even meals can be served at the door of the quarantine room
Such essential contacts should be made with both the returnee and the caregiver maintaining safe precautions like:
Mask for both the individuals
Gloves for the caregiver
Maximum social distance between both individuals
Hand sanitization by both, BEFORE and AFTER each essential contact.
He/she should not handle the luggage of the returnee for common purposes like examining gifts and personal belongings.
Only an assigned family member should be made the caregiver of the returnees.
Avoid shaking the soiled linen or direct contact with Preferably use long neck thick gloves when cleaning the surfaces and wash hands after removing gloves.
As far as possible, arrangements in coordination with the relatives/neighbors of the arriving person, should be made to shift other members of the household tem- porarily, for the period of quarantine, to a relatives/neighbor’s house BEFORE the arrival of the international/ interstate returnee.
Under unavoidable circumstances where the quarantine has to happen in a house where others cannot be shifted out in advance, these persons, especially, elderly people, pregnant women, students and persons with co-morbidities within the household need to stay maximally away from the returnee.
Social/religious gathering g. wedding, engagements, condolences, post bereavement functions, etc. of any kind should not be held in the quarantine house.

49. What is IDEACLINICS arranging for Diabetes patients to protect from coronavirus?

Ideaclinics has ensured all precautions are taken and staff are trained in ensuring patient safety with regular cleaning and disinfecting all areas with periodic sterilization of all our clinics.

50. What options does IDEACLINICS provide for Diabetes patients not willing to visit hospitals or visit clinics?

Ideaclinics has proactively arranged for the first time in India a comprehensive 360 degrees patient care for diabetes. Patients can ring 8008166166 or visit ideaclinics.com to arrange a home visit by our team. Our fully trained team will visit at a time convenient and arrange complete care including required blood tests, eye and foot screen, on the spot video/audio consultations with Endocrinologists of your choice along with dietitians, physiotherapists and psychologists if required. They are trained to follow strict personal hygiene measures when they visit you.