| What Do We Know About The Coronavirus? The novel coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China at the end of 2019, has been officially named by the World Health Organization (WHO). The name of the virus is SARS-CoV-2 and the name of the disease is called COVID-19. Over the past month, we have watching China and the surrounding countries to see if this local outbreak will lead to a more widespread epidemic. We have seen surrounding regions like Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore affected. And most notably, a significant increase over the past week in South Korea, with confirmed cases doubling daily. As of this past week, we have seen a sudden rise in cases in Italy and Iran, which is currently leading to the virus spreading throughout Europe and the Middle East. There are new reports daily of countries confirming new COVID cases in people who have had recent travel to Iran or Italy. In fact, the most recent 2 cases in Canada (BC) include a woman who had recently returned from Iran, and her spouse; with neither individuals having been to or had contact with people who had been to China. The numbers are constantly changing as new reports of cases are coming in. But as of the morning of March 4th, the numbers look like this: Total cases globally = 94,918 Total deaths globally = 3,250 Total cases internationally = 14,648 Total cases in Canada = 33 For live tracking of COVID-19 numbers, you can visit https://ncov2019.live/data What Does COVID-19 Look Like? As this is a novel virus we are learning about it as we go, but based on data so far, most of the infected will have a mild form the of the disease, with 20% of infections leading to more serious symptoms and pneumonia. From what we know currently, the disease looks something like this: Incubation period = No symptoms, virus is replicating, person is contagious (3 to 23 days) 80% of people will only experience mild symptoms (may include cough, sore throat, runny nose, diarrhea, fever) In 20% of people, symptoms may become more severe, and include fever, fatigue, shortness of breath, and pneumonia Symptoms appear to be mild at the beginning of the infection, and can become more severe within the 2nd week, and in the most severe cases, can progress to pneumonia in both the upper and lower lungs. COVID-19 vs. The Flu New data is coming in all the time, and we will probably not get truly accurate statistics until we reach the end of this outbreak. But here is what we know so far: SARS-CoV-2 spreads faster. One person with SARS-CoV-2 may infect on average 3.3 people, where as 1 person with influenza will infect 1.3 people. SARS-CoV-2 is more deadly. The current data for mortality rate for SARS-CoV-2 is 2-3%, whereas for influenza it is 0.1% SARS-CoV-2 has a long, infectious incubation period. A person can be infected with SARS-CoV-2 can be asymptomatic for up to 23 days, all the while spreading it to others. Whereas the flu virus has an incubation period of up to 4 days. COVID-19 is a more serious illness. 20% of SARS-CoV-2 infections result in serious symptoms that need medical intervention, which is more than 10 times the hospitalization rate for the flu. COVID-19 lasts longer. Symptoms of COVID-19 can last over a month, compared to the flu which lasts an average of 4 days There is not vaccine for SARS-CoV-2. Whereas the number of deaths from influenza may be lowered due to immunization, there is no such protection from SARS-CoV-2.In summary: SARS-CoV-2 spreads faster and easier, is more deadly, is harder to control, lasts longer, and uses more medical resources. Are We At Risk In Ontario? As the international community is seeing the virus start to spread in both Europe and the Middle East, health officials in Canada and the US have stated that COVID-19 spread in North America is likely. Although the number of cases in Canada and the US are still relatively low, our governments have disclosed that this may be due to limited testing, as we have so far only been testing those who have travelled from China. Now that the disease is more widespread, any person travelling from abroad could be bringing the virus into the country. There is also the possibility that the virus could already be here, spreading in the community, and may not be detected until the incubation period has lapsed and these people start to exhibit symptoms, as was seen in Italy. The CDC warned Tuesday that containment measures in the US could affect people’s day-to-day lives, adding “we’re asking folks in every sector, as well as people within their families, to start planning for this, because as we’ve seen from the recent countries that have had community spread, when it hit in those countries, it has moved quite rapidly.” Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer said on Monday “we have to prepare across governments, across communities and as families and individuals, in the event of more widespread transmission in our community.” |
| CORONAVIRUS PREPARATION: How to Protect Yourself and Your Family |
| As Naturopathic Doctors, we believe that prevention is the best medicine. One of the best ways to prepare yourself for a potential COVID-19 outbreak is to help your body be as robust as possible to either ward off the infection, help your body fight off the infection faster and/or prevent severe symptoms. Here are a few tips that you can start TODAY to get your body healthy. 1. Strengthen your immune system Consider supplements like Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Medicinal mushrooms Incorporate hydrotherapy techniques like contrast showers 2. Drink plenty of fluids Drink at least 7-8 cups of water per day. Herbal teas count too! 3. Quit smoking.Smokers have been experiencing much more severe symptoms and higher mortality rates from COVID-19. Now is the perfect time to quit. If you need support, please speak to your ND. 4. Strengthen your lungs As COVID-19 severity is linked to pneumonia, people with lung conditions are at risk. If you have a lung condition, like asthma, emphysema, etc., get it as controlled as possible. You can strengthen your lungs with deep breathing and aerobic exercise Your Naturopathic Doctor may also recommend some herbs or other supplements to support your lungs 5. Provide your body with good nutrition Plenty of vitamin C rich foods – cantaloupe, cauliflower, kale, kiwi, oranges, papaya, sweet peppers, broccoli, citrus fruits and tomatoes. Spice & cook with immune boosting foods, natural antimicrobials and anti-inflammatories like garlic, oregano, thyme, rosemary and ginger Incorporate mushrooms into your diet – white button, cremini & shiitake varieties can help to increase the production of cytokines, which is the part of the immune system that defends the body against invading pathogens Zinc rich foods – our bodies use zinc to build and strengthen our immune system function – baked beans, beef, shellfish (crab, oysters), pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, almonds, nutritional yeast, wheat germ and oats Limiting refined and packaged foods – often high in sugar and saturated fats which have been linked to suppressing innate immune function 6. Ensure you are getting restful sleep Adults should aim for at least 7 hours of good quality sleep every night. Studies show that your immune system is more active, and T-cells have a higher potential to fight infection in those who consistently get good quality sleep 7. Take a prophylactic anti-viral and deep-immune enhancer To help support your body to fight infections: Echinachea, Andrographis, Licorice, Elderberry, Astragalus Please note that although we encourage you to seek Naturopathic care for the common cold, influenza, stomach flu and other seasonal illnesses, we strongly urge you to seek appropriate care from your Family Doctor, walk-in doctor, or hospital if you have a suspected COVID-19 infection. Preparing Your Household In addition to preparing your physical health, health agencies across North America are encouraging individuals and families to be ready for a potential outbreak by having at least 2 weeks worth of food, medicines, and household items in your home. This may be helpful in the event of a lockdown (as was seen in China and Italy), to prevent the “panic buying” (as was seen in Hong Kong) which led to supply shortages, and to prevent the spread of infections by people lining up or gathering in crowded supermarkets/stores. As we have seen in other regions, if a lockdown is required, it will happen quickly and may not enable everyone to have time to purchase supplies. Key items to have stocked in your home: – Prescription medicines, other medicines and supplements – Household supplies (cleaning supplies, toilet paper, diapers, toothpaste, etc) – Non-perishable foods (canned goods, rice, flour, pasta, tea, etc.) – Emergency supplies (batteries, flashlights, candles, etc) |
