What is Covid-19 ?

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Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus i.e. severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). First identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak to be a pandemic on 11 March, 2020.

Common Symptoms

According to the WHO, those infected with COVID can display any of the following symptoms:

Most common	Less common	Serious
Fever Dry cough Tiredness	Aches and pains Sore throat Diarrhoea Conjunctivitis Headache Loss of taste or smell A rash on skin, or discolouration of fingers or toes	Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath Chest pain or pressure Loss of speech or movement

Prevention MethodsIt is also possible for a person to carry the infection without displaying any symptoms. This person can still transmit the disease to someone else.

According to the WHO, to prevent infection:

Wash hands regularly with soap and water, or clean them with alcohol-based hand rub.
Maintain at least 1 metre (3.2 feet) distance from people coughing or sneezing.
Avoid touching the face.
Cover the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
Stay home if unwell.
Refrain from smoking and other activities that weaken the lungs.
Practice physical distancing by avoiding unnecessary travel and staying away from large groups of people.

Read our explainer to understand more on how Covid-19 is an epidemic as well as a notified disaster in India.

New strains of the Coronavirus(( Your Health, Covid-19, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, accessed at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/transmission/variant.html))

Over time, multiple new variants of coronavirus have been identified in different parts of the world. These include:

The B.1.1.7 variant in the United Kingdom
The B. 1.351 variant in the South Africa
The P.1 variant in Brazil

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Related Resources

How do you get Covid-19 vaccination in India?

The Government has allowed two Covid-19 vaccines namely Covaxin and Covishield used in a restricted manner for emergency situations.

How is Covid-19 testing done in India?

ICMR has approved four tests namely the Rapid Antigen Test, RT-PCR, TrueNat and the Antibody test to diagnose Covid-19 cases.

How is the Government taking action against Covid-19?

The Central and State Governments took several actions to control the spread of the disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, and the Disaster Management Act, 2005 like restricting spread and movement by enforcing lockdowns or curfews and other measures.

How is the Government tracking people infected with Covid-19?

The Central Government uses the Aarogya Setu application to track community transmissions of Covid-19 and individuals under quarantine.

What can you do if you get fake news on Covid-19?

If someone is sharing fake news, there are several punishments they may face depending on the nature of the crime.

Is Covid-19 covered under the force majeure clause in contracts?

For COVID 19, whether a contractual obligation can be avoided on the grounds of force majeure depends upon the terms of the contract.