Covid-19 needs no introduction because if there’s one disease that has made itself infamous is Coronavirus. Even people who live in remote areas of the world with no access to media were made familiar with this virus. It infected the majority of the world in mere weeks, and since 2020, it has become a part of life for everyone. Despite losing thousands of lives and taking a huge hit on the economy and lifestyle, humanity is still recovering slowly but surely. While most people are familiar with the dos and don’ts of this virus, a majority of people are unaware of the facts regarding coronavirus, and here are some interesting facts about it:
1. Persistent
While the effects of Covid-19 are well-known, that it primarily attacks the respiratory system, it is also quite a persistent virus, which is not known by a lot of people, and it can stay alive on a large number of surfaces for days. Researchers tested covid-19 on everyday items and found that it can stay alive for 24 hours on cardboard, and up to 3 days on steel and plastic, which includes most processed products’ packaging. Moreover, it is stated that the remains of the virus can still be on any surface for up to 17 days; however, these remains are not capable of spreading infection. That is why washing each product is recommended.
2. Mysterious Origins
Even after 2 years of the first outbreak of this virus, scientists still remain unsure about the exact origins of coronavirus. There have been speculations across the world regarding its origins, yet, none of them have been proved correct. Researchers do agree that covid-19 is a form of zoonotic, a disease that is spread to humans via animals. Since bats are known to carry a similar virus, the covid-19 outbreak from bats is the most believable theory.
3. Asymptomatic Properties
The most obvious signs of any disease or infection are their symptoms. Unfortunately, coronavirus has asymptomatic properties, meaning one can be contracted with this virus, yet portray no signs or common symptoms. This was heavily criticized by people who didn’t believe in the virus; however, according to the reports of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 40% of the people that are infected by this virus do not show any sign of the infection, which makes the importance of masks and vaccinations even greater.
4. Blood Type A at a Higher Risk
Although covid-19 doesn’t increase or decrease the severity of infection based on blood type, it was seen that a majority of people that contracted with this virus have type A blood. These results were published by a Chinese study that was conducted with 2,173 covid-19 patients. Interestingly, it was also found that people with type O blood were least likely to get infected with the coronavirus.
5. Not just the Respiratory System
While symptoms like cough and fever are common signs of coronavirus, it is also seen that some people also suffer a range of digestive problems once infected. According to the American Journal of Gastroenterology, 7% of the population may be suffering from digestive issues because of coronavirus without cough or breathlessness. They may experience diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, and a general lack of appetite.
6. Myths, Myths, and Myths
With each new type of virus, people are quick to come up with their own theories, and some even dismiss the disease itself. The same was the case with coronavirus; however, the types of myths that surrounded this pandemic were just shocking. Some were easy to understand like applying chlorine to the skin kills the virus, these were coming from people that were spreading them for the overall wellbeing of others. Whereas, some were simply bizarre like coronavirus is designed for organic warfare, and the vaccines are a way to control people. Moreover, exemption cards were also circulating in some parts of the world, which stated the cardholder doesn’t need to wear a mask.
7. Negative not a Surety
Despite getting a negative on the test, an individual might still be infected with the coronavirus due to the delay between the interaction with an infected person and the first sign of the infection. This happens because covid-19 affects different people differently, and the first sign can take up to 4 days to surface. Moreover, once infected, a person can become sick even after 2 weeks of coming in contact with an infected person.
8. Mutation
This is one of the scariest and most problematic aspects of coronavirus. Usually, the vaccine can be developed that will guarantee immunity towards an infection; however, coronavirus mutates itself constantly, which not only makes it difficult to develop an effective medicine against it but also compromises the previously administered vaccination.