1. What is Coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are widespread in nature, named for their crown-like morphology when viewed under electron microscopy, and mainly cause respiratory diseases.

At present, seven coronaviruses have been found to infect humans, among which SARS virus, MERS virus (Middle East respiratory syndrome virus) and novel coronavirus can cause more serious human diseases.

In addition to humans, coronaviruses can also infect pigs, cattle, cats, dogs, mink, camels, bats, mice, hedgehogs, and many other mammals and birds.

2. What is the novel coronavirus?

The novel coronavirus refers to a new strain of coronavirus that has never been detected in humans before. The virus that caused the outbreak of viral pneumonia in Wuhan in December 2019 was a novel coronavirus, which the World Health Organization named 2019-nCoV.

3. What is the difference between the novel coronavirus, the SARS virus, and the MERS virus?

The novel coronavirus, SARS virus and MERS virus belong to the same "brothers and sisters" in the coronavirus family, and genetic evolution analysis shows that they belong to different subgroups and branches, and the virus gene sequences are different.

4. Which coronaviruses can infect humans?

So far, in addition to the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which caused the viral pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, a total of six coronaviruses that can infect humans have been discovered, namely HCoV-229E, HCoV-OC43, SARS-CoV, HCoV-NL63, HCoV-HKU1, and MERS-CoV.

5. Will the novel coronavirus spread from person to person?

Yes! Although the source of the novel coronavirus is not yet known, it has the ability to spread from person to person, and it has been found to be circulating in healthcare facilities and communities.

6. How is the novel coronavirus transmitted?

According to the analysis of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it is certain that the novel coronavirus has droplet transmission, and it is almost certain that there is contact transmission, but it is not yet certain whether there is airborne transmission.

7. Is the spread of the novel coronavirus strong?

According to the analysis of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the new coronavirus has a certain transmission intensity, and if protective measures are not taken, theoretically 1 patient can spread the virus to 2~3 people.

8. Is there a vaccine against the novel coronavirus?

The novel coronavirus is a newly discovered virus for which there is currently no vaccine available. It can take years to develop a new vaccine.

9. Is there any medicine to prevent the novel coronavirus infection?

Not at the moment. For viral diseases, there is usually no specific cure, except for a few diseases such as influenza.

10. Can pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus be treated?

Although there is currently no specific treatment for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, many symptoms can be treated symptomatically and can effectively reduce the patient's condition. In addition, adjunctive care for infected people can be very effective.

11. What is a close contact?

To put it simply, a close contact is someone who has been in close contact with a sick person (suspected or confirmed) (e.g., in the same transportation, sharing a classroom, living in the same house) but has not taken any protective measures (e.g., wearing a mask, etc.). Whether or not they are close contacts ultimately requires a professional determination by CDC professionals after conducting an epidemiological investigation.

12. What should I do if I receive a notification from the disease prevention and control department that you are a close contact?

According to the requirements, close contacts need to be quarantined at home for observation, and there is no need to panic. As a close contact, do not go to work, do not go out casually, do a good job of self-observation of your physical condition, and receive regular follow-up visits from community doctors. If there are abnormal clinical manifestations such as fever and cough, it should be reported to the follow-up doctor in the local community in a timely manner, and under his guidance, go to the designated medical department for investigation, diagnosis and treatment.

13. Why should close contacts be quarantined for 14 days?

The quarantine and observation of close contacts is mainly to adopt a containment strategy to cut off the spread of the virus, which is a responsible attitude towards public health and safety, and is also a common practice in the international community.

Based on the current understanding of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus, the maximum time from exposure to the virus to the onset of illness is 14 days, so we need to observe close contacts for 14 days. After 14 days, if there is no illness, it can be determined that the person is not infected.

14. What are the types of infectious diseases? What is the type of pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus?

The Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases stipulates that the infectious diseases managed are divided into three categories: A, B and C, and there are 39 kinds of infectious diseases. Class A infectious diseases refer to virulent infectious diseases that are highly contagious, have a high case fatality rate, and are prone to cause pandemics.

On January 20, 2020, with the approval of the State Council, the pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus was newly included in the Category B infectious diseases stipulated in the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, and the prevention and control measures of Category A infectious diseases were adopted for management.

15. Will I get pneumonia if I am infected with the new coronavirus?

According to the information currently available, cases of pneumonia infected by the new coronavirus will have different degrees of lung imaging changes, that is, all of them have manifestations of pneumonia. As the understanding of the disease deepens, it is also possible to identify patients without signs of pneumonia.

16. What should patients infected with the novel coronavirus pay attention to when going to the hospital for medical treatment?

Patients should pay attention to wearing masks correctly, preferably disposable medical masks, and take the initiative to inform doctors of their travel history and contact history to help doctors judge their conditions.