Coronavirus treatments

What do you need to know about treatment and protection against COVID-19 

How you can protect yourself from coronavirus now?

A number of treatments and vaccines have been proposed to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Here's what you need to know about them.

COVID-19, the potentially fatal respiratory illness first detected in December 2019, has spread across the globe, forcing the cancellation of major events, postponing sports seasons, and sending many into self-imposed quarantine and self-isolation. Health authorities and governments are attempting fight against it, mitigating the spread through the community, while scientists and biotech firms turn their attention to the coronavirus causing the disease: SARS-CoV-2.

Since it was first discovered as the causative agent of the new disease, scientists have been racing to get a better understanding of the virus' genetic makeup, how it infects cells and how to effectively treat it. There's no cure, and medical specialists can only treat the symptoms of the disease. Many different treatment options have been proposed and some older drugs seem to be associated with positive outcomes -- but much more work is required. However, the long-term strategy to combat COVID-19, which has spread to every continent on Earth besides Antarctica, is to develop a vaccine.

Developing new vaccines takes time, and they must be rigorously tested and confirmed safe via clinical trials before they can be routinely used in humans. 

How you can protect yourself from coronavirus now?

It's not a good idea to rely on a vaccine to stop the spread of coronavirus because that's many months away. The best way to stop the spread, right now, is to continue practicing good personal hygiene and to limit interactions with others. "The best thing to do is the simple things like hand washing and hand sanitizing," Thompson said.

This outbreak is unprecedented, and changing behaviors is absolutely critical to stopping the spread. 

There are a huge number of resources available from the WHO on protecting yourself against infection. It's clear the virus can spread from person to person, and transmission in communities has occurred across the world. Protection boils down to a few key things:

• Washing your hands: For 20 seconds and no less! You can get some handy handwashing tips here.
• Maintaining social distancing: Try to keep at least 3 feet (1m) away from anyone coughing or sneezing.
• Don't touch your face, eyes or mouth: An incredibly difficult task, but this is how the virus initially gets into the body.
• Respiratory hygiene measures: Cough and sneeze into your elbow.
• If you've visited a location where COVID-19 is spreading, then self-isolate for 14 days.

The post original appeared on cent.com