Teton Obgyn Idaho Falls
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Physicians
    • What Our Patients Say
  • Contact
  • Our Services & Treatments
    • Obstetrics
    • Office Gynecology
    • Advanced Gyn Surgery
  • FAQs
    • Pregnancy FAQ
    • Gynecology FAQ
    • Surgery FAQ
  • Blog
  • Patient Resources
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Physicians
    • What Our Patients Say
  • Contact
  • Our Services & Treatments
    • Obstetrics
    • Office Gynecology
    • Advanced Gyn Surgery
  • FAQs
    • Pregnancy FAQ
    • Gynecology FAQ
    • Surgery FAQ
  • Blog
  • Patient Resources

What do we know about the coronavirus so far?

2/18/2020

0 Comments

 
One of the biggest international headlines of the year has been the outbreak of coronavirus in China, and its potential spread around the globe.  Here in Idaho, that seems pretty far away, but with the connectedness provided by international travel, are we really that isolated?  It turns out, cases have been reported as close as Washington state, right next door.  While there are many things we don’t yet about this disease, here is an overview of the information we have so far:

What is a coronavirus, and where does it come from?  These include a large number of viruses common in animals but that in some cases may spread to humans.  For instance, SARS was a coronavirus thought to have originated in civet cats (a nocturnal Asian mammal).  There is some speculation that this new Coronavirus (COVID-19) may have originated in bats in Wuhan, China at the live food market.  In answer to your next question, yep, some people may eat bats. 

How does it spread?  If this disease was only limited to those with a culinary affinity for flying mammals, then it would have likely remained relatively isolated; however, COVID-19 appears to have developed the ability to spread from person to person.  This transmission appears to mostly occur via spread of respiratory droplets affecting those within up to 6 feet of the infected individual, so please cover your mouth when you cough.  Transmission may also occur through fomites (things people touch with their dirty hands), though, so be sure to wash your hands regularly.  In fact, this latter form of spread has become enough of a problem in China that they may be considering destroying currency (money) in circulation and printing new yuan (bills).

What else can be done to limit the spread of coronavirus?  In addition to handwashing and good hygiene, the government is limiting travel to and from affected areas.  Recent travelers and those with confirmed cases are also being held in quarantine as affected individuals may not show symptoms for up to 2 weeks.  While putting your life on hold for a couple of weeks of mandatory isolation may sound aggressive, it’s certainly not as intense as the North Korean government’s reported execution of an official who broke quarantine by going to a public bath after returning from China.

What hasn’t worked to limit transimission of coronavirus?  Use of surgical masks on a day-to-day basis hasn’t been proven to reduce infection frequency except in health care workers regularly exposed to the virus.  Also, despite the name, there is no association of the virus with Corona beer.

Well, just how big of a problem is the coronavirus?  At this point, over 70,000 people have been reported infected, and a little under 2,000 have died, or approximately 2.5% of those infected.  2.5% mortality would place it as somewhere more deadly than the flu, which kills only 0.1% or so of those infected, but much less lethal than Ebola, of which some outbreaks are fatal in 90% of infected individuals.  That being said, the actual death rate may be either higher (many of the 70,000 infected individuals are still sick and may still die) or lower (many mild cases may be present and not ever diagnosed).  Even so, 2.5% mortality would be “nothing to sneeze at” if the number of infected individuals becomes high enough.  For instance, the flu typically infects 3 million people in the US each year, and a similar number of coronavirus cases would cause the death of 75,000 people.

So, what is the take home message from all of this?  At this point, we haven’t seen any cases of coronavirus in this state yet, but that could change in the future.  Continue to use good health hygiene, limit your and your family’s exposure to sick individuals, and continue to keep an eye on the news for updates.

Dr. Nick
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Call Us

    Teton Women's 

    We address the topics you need to know about regarding pregnancy and women's health issues.

    Archives

    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016

    Categories

    All
    Babies
    Breast Feeding
    Contraception
    Cord Blood Banking
    Delayed Cord Clamping
    Diet And Exercise
    Diet And Exercise In Pregnancy
    First Trimester
    Genetic Screening
    Guest Blogs
    Gynecologic Surgery
    Health And Fitness
    Hormones
    Induction Of Labor
    Infertility
    Just For Fun
    Menopause
    Overview Of Pregnancy
    Ovulation Prediction
    Pain Management In Labor
    Pap Smear
    Postpartum Depression
    Pregnancy Planning
    Second Trimester
    Sexual Health
    Sleep
    Vaginal Discharge
    Women's Health
    Zika Virus

    RSS Feed

Location

GET DIRECTIONS!
Teton Women's Health Center

2001 S Woodruff Ave #10
Idaho Falls, ID 83404









​Sitemap

Contact Us

Tel: 208-523-2060
​Fax: 208-523-9874

Office Hours

Mon - Thurs: 8:00 am - 12:00 pm & 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Fri - 8:00 am - 12:00 pm

Be sure to follow us on social media for the latest updates at Teton Women's Health Center!

**While we are excited to answer your questions, please be aware that the links below are not intended to provide urgent or emergent medical advice.  Thank you!