COVID-19 Discussion

COVID-19 can infect anyone causing a series of symptoms that may be mild, moderate or severe based on the person’s immune system. Just like other respiratory and viral illnesses such as influenza, the type of reaction towards the disease depends on the person’s immune response. The main risk factors associated with the virus are old age, respiratory illnesses, and compromised immune system. Individuals with pre-existing conditions are more affected by the disease and have poorer health outcomes. People between 40-69 with history of alcohol intake, smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity have a higher likelihood of hospitalization due to the disease.

Various factors lead to the emergence and spread of infectious diseases globally. Such factors include the rapidly growing population, intense and increased international travel, overcrowding in towns and cities without proper sanitation, healthcare disparities and lack of adequate healthcare infrastructure, and increased human-vector contact in nature. Increased international travel is the major cause for the rapid spread of COVID-19 from Wuhan, China to other countries all over the world. Overcrowding increases the risk for infection due to the close proximity of individuals.

COVID-19 belongs to a class of viruses that are encased in positive-stranded RNA. These types of viruses are referred to as human-adapted viruses as they mainly infect animals and are introduced to humans through zoonotic transmission from the animal reservoirs. Several forms of the coronaviruses that infect humans are linked to upper respiratory tract infection (Walach & Hockertz, 2020). SARS-CoV-2 falls under aa class of viruses termed beta coronaviruses which includes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) (Guarner, 2020). These two viruses affect humans infecting the respiratory system leading to severe and often fatal respiratory syndrome in humans.

Coronaviruses hold their genetic information inside long RNA single strands. The RNA contains all the information necessary for the virus to replicate. One key element of the virus is known as the spike protein, which protrudes from the virus’s surface resembling a crown hence the name ‘corona’. The virus uses the spikes under optimum conditions to penetrate human cells. After infiltration, the coronavirus infects the cell to produce proteins and RNA. The virus then commandeers cell RNA to copy the viral RNA in bulk. The replication occurs on double RNA strands keeping the virus hidden from the body’s immune system. Other RNA copies mutate to form the viruses next generation (Walach & Hockertz, 2020). Other copies instruct the cell to produce viral proteins including those that will cover the RNA. Finally, the RNA-enclosed membrane closes down forming a new virus which can replicate to produce hundreds of thousands of viruses.

Vaccines are produced to protect the body from serious and fatal diseases. Once vaccinated, the body activates the natural defences and develops adaptive immunity which reduces a person’s risk of infection. COVID-19 vaccines are important tools in the fight against the pandemic to protect the vulnerable against mortality and severe disease. Although the vaccine does not completely remove the risk of infection, they offer protection against serious illness and death (Hotez, 2020). Infected individuals show less adverse reactions and better health outcomes than infected ones.