It’s been only nine months since the world learned of a new coronavirus that would trigger a pandemic declaration in March and ultimately disrupt billions of lives.
10 things learned about coronavirus
The disease spreads primarily through the air
Early advice on how to protect oneself from COVID-19 focused a great deal on surfaces, after initial studies found that SARS-CoV-2 can survive on surfaces for two or three days.
Wearing a mask helps prevent virus spreading
In the days leading up to the pandemic declaration on March 11, national public health officials were saying people didn’t need to wear a mask, in some cases contending masks weren’t effective at preventing COVID-19 transmission.
Six feet apart sometimes isn’t far enough
By now, people are very familiar with the advice to maintain a “social distance” of 6 feet.
People without symptoms can transmit COVID-19
The spread of COVID-19 primarily by air is especially concerning in light of another unexpected behavior of SARS-CoV-2: It can infect someone and cause no symptoms, and people can be infected for weeks before symptoms do emerge. That means people can be spreading infected droplets and aerosols and not know it.
Some drugs show promise in helping sick people
Remdesivir, an intravenous antiviral drug, has been found to reduce recovery times. The Food and Drug Administration recently expanded its early emergency approval of the drug to treat any hospitalized COVID-19 patient. But the drug is expensive and in limited supply.
Helpful new treatment protocols are emerging
Khare, who also practices emergency medicine, said his work treating COVID-19 patients has changed significantly.
Recovered patients have lingering health problems
Another disturbing discovery about COVID-19 is it can leave people with serious ailments — including damage to the kidneys, nervous system, heart and lungs — long after the infection clears their system. Other symptoms that can linger include fatigue and loss of smell and taste.
Children can get very sick
Early in the pandemic, people were advised that children were far less likely to get sick. That is still borne out by the facts on the ground. But some children do get very ill. And after the infection is cleared from their bodies, some young children and teenagers develop what’s now called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C. It’s a condition that can swell organs and cause them to fail, sometimes to fatal effect.
Wastewater testing can help detect outbreaks
Scientists say wastewater testing can help by detecting the presence of the virus even before people develop symptoms. The tests search for fragments of the genetic building blocks of SARS-CoV-2 left in human waste.
Strict stay-at-home orders may no longer be needed
When the pandemic started, there was a shortage of protective equipment, a lack of sufficient testing and a dearth of knowledge about the disease. So stay-at-home orders were viewed as the best way to limit the spread of COVID-19.
