What Happens If You Get the Coronavirus
Last Modified: 26/03/2020
Learn what a coronavirus is and how your body reacts to it.
- 1 Coronaviradae are actually an entire family of viruses...
- 2...that cause disease in mammals and birds.
- 3SARS for example was also a coronavirus.
- 4Now, viruses are interesting...
- 5...in that they are sometimes considered both living and nonliving things.
- 6They aren't made of cells, but they do have the ability to replicate,...
- 7...just in a different way than other organisms.
- 8Oh, and they're actually much, much smaller than cells.
- 9Now, to contract the coronavirus,...
- 10...you first have to come in contact with it,...
- 11...either through an infected person's respiratory secretions...
- 12...so a cough or a sneeze, through physical contact with them...
- 13...or by physically touching a surface that the virus is on...
- 14...and then touching somewhere like your nose or your mouth before washing your hands.
- 15In the case of the coronavirus,...
- 16...these symptoms include headaches, runny nose, coughing, sore throat and fever,...
- 17...which is part of the reason why it's been so hard to track and understand...
- 18...because those are common symptoms, we feel those all the time, specially during flu season...
- 19...or just from getting the common cold.
- 20Medical professionals would need to do laboratory tests on respiratory specimens...
- 21...as well as blood work and blood tests...
- 22...to understand if your symptoms are coming from the Wuhan coronavirus.
- 23In a healthy individual,...
- 24...the immune system will eventually realize that there's a foreign agent inside your body...
- 25...and mount an attack.
- 26The immune system is incredibly complex with a plethora of different mechanisms...
- 27...to take down your invaders.
- 28Your temperature increases which helps your immune system function better...
- 29...and actually makes it a more hostile environment for the virus.
- 30You might create more snot and phlegm,...
- 31...which make it harder for the virus to attach to your cells...
- 32...and also help to get rid of dead viruses and immune cells.
- 33You may feel weak and tired as your body starts to prioritize fighting off this virus...
- 34...instead of doing your regular day-to-day activities.
- 35And your bones may actually feel sore and ache...
- 36...and that's because they're actually making more white blood cells.
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