HOW DOES COVID-19 AFFECT THE BODY?

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a family of viruses that cause sicknesses like the common cold, as well as more severe diseases, such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain – one that hasn’t previously been recognized in humans.
Coronaviruses cause diseases in mammals and birds. A zoonotic virus is one that is transmitted between animals and people. When a virus circulating in animal populations infects people, this is termed a “spillover event”.
How does CoVID-19 affect the body? The virus is fitted with protein spikes sticking out of the envelope that forms the surface and houses a core of genetic material. Any virus that enters your body looks for cells with compatible receptors – ones that allow it to invade the cell. Once they find the right cell, they enter and use the cell’s replication machinery to create copies of themselves. It is likely that COVID-19 uses the same receptor as SARS – found in both lungs and small intestines.
It is thought that CoVID-19 shares many similarities with SARS, which has three phases of attack: viral replication, hyper-reactivity of the immune system, and finally pulmonary destruction. Early on in infection, the coronavirus invades two types of cells in the lungs – mucus and cilia cells. Mucus keeps your lungs from drying out and protects them from pathogens. Cilia beat the mucus towards the exterior of your body, clearing debris – including viruses! – out of your lungs. Cilia cells were the preferred hosts of SARS-CoV, and are likely the preferred hosts of the new coronavirus. When these cells die, they slough off into your airways, filling them with debris and fluid. Symptoms include a fever, cough, and breathing difficulties. Many of those infected get pneumonia in both their lungs.
Enter the immune system. Immune cells recognize the virus and flood into the lungs. The lung tissue becomes inflamed. During normal immune function, the inflammatory process is highly regulated and is confined to infected areas. However, sometimes the immune system overreacts, and this results in damage to healthy tissue. More cells die and slough off into the lungs, further clogging them and worsening the pneumonia.
As damage to the lungs increases, stage three begins, potentially resulting in respiratory failure. Patients that reach this stage of infection can incur permanent lung damage or even die. We see the same lesions in the lungs of those infected by the novel coronavirus as those with SARS. SARS creates holes in the lungs, so they look honeycomb-like. This is probably due to the aforementioned over-reactive immune response, which affects tissue both infected and healthy and creates scars that stiffen the lungs. As such, some patients may require ventilators to aid breathing.
The inflammation also results in more permeable alveoli. This is the location of the thin interface of gas exchange, where your lungs replace carbon dioxide in your blood with fresh oxygen you just inhaled. Increased permeability causes fluid to leak into the lungs. This decreases the lungs’ ability to oxygenate blood, and in severe cases, floods them so that you become unable to breathe. Sometimes, this can be fatal.
The immune system’s over-reaction can also cause another kind of damage. Proteins called cytokines are the immune system’s alarm system, recruiting immune cells to the infection site. Over-production of cytokines can result in a cytokine storm, where there is large-scale inflammation in the body. Blood vessels become more permeable and fluid seeps out. This makes it difficult for blood and oxygen to reach the rest of the body and can result in multi-organ failure. This has happened in the most severe cases of CoVid-19. Although there are no specific treatments for coronaviruses, symptoms can be treated through supportive care. Also, vaccines are currently in development.
What can you do to protect yourself from CoVid-19? Basic protocol comes down to regular hand washing, avoiding close contact with anyone coughing or sneezing, avoiding unnecessary contact with animals, washing hands after contact with animals, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs prior to consumption, and covering your mouth and nose while coughing or sneezing. Respiratory viruses are typically transmitted via droplets in sneezes or coughs of those infected, so preventing their travel stops the spread of disease.

[NeuralAcademy]

There have been a lot of awful, racist comments on this video. I am starting to delete them now. Don't post any more - they will be removed!!

[MetroBeto]

Please lord protect my mother while she’s in the hospital 😞🙏🏽

[princechampcamp]

I lost my dad due to the corona virus. He was 46. We live in Las Vegas, Nevada. He leaves behind my mother, my self & 3 younger brothers. He was the neighborhood dad. Everyone loved him & I miss very much. He went to the doctor for what we thought was heart burn so my mom mom didn’t wanna take any risk she made him go to the hospital. He celebrated our youngest brothers 17th bday on March 27th, was in the hospital on April 1st & we lost him on April 8th. PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. I don’t want anyone feeling like this, God Bless.

[Seankey]

My brother that was diagnosed with kidney failure beat covid last week🙏 He was on the verge of death but never gave up thanks to god. Hopefully god can help others too❤️🙏

[rivera]

Please keep my mother in prayer
She’s a breast cancer survivor and now fighting against COVID-19
I’m worried and concerned & scared to loose another parent
She has cough & her lungs are affected
Thank you I highly appreciate it

[irvincalixtojesuschristisl]

No weapon formed against me shall prosper.

[kelvingonzalez]

My dad is Inficted can u please pray :(

[Alex-zlol]

This virus makes me paranoid over every single thing i feel within my body

[dontspeak__]

all my fellow covid-19 infectees we will get through this
#staystrong

[darkedy]

Stay strong y’all, even if ur not infected

[-lancepie-]

Didnt they tell us as kids to not cough in the air or into your hands? Also wash them throughly with hot water? I clearly remember they did.

[sirenenoire]

Ya know, seeing some of these comments reminds me that social distancing isn’t all that bad....

[aeshiacee]

Please Pray for me to survive covid-19.
Im 15 and i just got positive from covid, at first i was positive that i will get better no matter what but i feel like I'm getting weak....i have no problem in dying but my problem is leaving my family without having to achieve much to repay what they've done for me and wanting to have my own fam in the future too.

[babeena_gt_]

I hope everyone who is getting infected get better soon. I know there may be some death, but I hope most will be ok

[manganeoumar]

To Those who are jocking about this situation:
# Please don't forget that people have lost loved ones.
#If you or any of your family, friends, or other were touched by it, you wouldn't be so distant from reality.

[jazzyc]

I pray my grandma wins the battle against covid-19. She is currently in the hospital and has pneumonia, I pray God helps her get through this❤️🙏🏼

[stephaniesanchez]

Im Currently going through COVID-19 right now, all I can say it’s nothing like a regular flu. It’s so intense and scary at times I’m afraid I’ll end up in the hospital. My boyfriend and I are going through it and it’s been tough please be safe out there protect yourselves

[rajinirock]

I lost my mom two weeks before ... it was huge loss and pain ... irreplaceable..

[InvaderMixo]

WAY more informative than some of the other videos. Great job. High quality.

[Em-qcdm]

My husband and I caught this in March. We had the cough for about 8 weeks. End of May I noticed I seemed to be losing a lot of hair in the shower. This month more hair and even my eyelashes started falling out. It doesn't stop falling out in the shower. It doesn't stop falling out while brushing. It falls out when I simply walk. If I even touch my hair, multiple strands just fall out. I don't even have to pull. It's everywhere! Someone said it's due to aging. I'm barely over 40 and I don't think eyelashes would typically fall out with hair thinning due to age. Guess what, my husband just started complaining of the same issue on Friday. He was at work, ran his fingers through his hair, and all these hairs were in his hand. Freaked him out. I am telling you, this virus can cause hair loss. Besides that, I now have a burning chest pain that I didn't have since the first 2 weeks of infection. I had to sit down just from walking from one end of the living room today to the other end of the house. Got dizzy just sweeping my floor. Now I have to get this checked out. Don't know if the virus did something to my heart or my lungs. This thing is awful. I even had a horrible, painful and excruciating head to toe rash beginning in week 2 of it that lasted almost to the 3rd week of April, so 3 weeks of that. Imagine the fear I had when I woke up and walked to the bathroom, saw myself in the mirror looking red like a lobster with purple splotches. I thought I was in organ failure and dying. No doctor would see me and they couldn't tell me anything. The teledoc cost me $75 just for him to say, I'm not prescribing anything for this because it looks similar to hives. I probably am dying and just don't know it yet. I wonder if I will keel over one day just washing the dishes or carrying my laundry to the washer. I already told my family not to be surprised if it happens. Prior to this I did not have high blood pressure or diabetes. I was however 15 pounds over recommended weight for my height. That's not terrible. So I'm still experiencing issues and we are almost in July now!!!