Here are the LATEST data on the COVID 19 pandemic:
LOSSES
Over 786,985 cases, over 37,843 deaths as of March 31, 2020
1 trillion dollars in economic losses estimated by the United Nations Trade and Economic Agency
ANALYSIS
Person to person spread through droplets or contaminated objects (not airborne yet, according to the Department of Health)
Prevention is through hand-washing with soap and water or alcohol-based sanitizers
Quarantine is necessary to flatten the epidemic curve and to avoid overwhelming the health care system
TIMELINE
Symptoms can show up from 2 days to 14 days after exposure
In China, it took around 4 months for the transmission rate to stabilize
Most quarantine measures involve staying home for at least 2 weeks, but this could be extended depending on the circumstances
EPIDEMIOLOGY
Most common symptoms are fever, cough, and shortness of breath, although some patients may remain asymptomatic
Less common symptoms include body pains, nasal congestion, sore throat, and diarrhea
Older persons are more vulnerable to develop complications
STUMBLING BLOCKS
Most people refuse to stay home during quarantine period
There is a chronic lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), resulting in frontline healthcare workers being at risk
There is a lack of diagnostic capability to confirm the disease in some areas
TREATMENT
No approved treatment or vaccine available yet, but most drug companies are in a race to produce the first drug and vaccine
Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, both antimalarial drugs, have produced positive results, but more studies must be done
The antibiotic Azithromycin also shows promise, but it is not recommended especially for prophylaxis because it can affect heart function in vulnerable patients