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COVID-19 one of the most well known virus's known to man kind because of our recent outbreak. This is caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2 which belongs to the coronavirus family. This family also includes viruses that cause the common cold as well as MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome).

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This virus primarily affects the respiratory system causing symptoms like coughing, fever, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing and lastly a loss in taste and smell. While that provides some information about the virus the biggest question asked back in 2020 when it first arose in the United States was "How does it spread?". COVID-19 is spread through droplets of saliva when one infected person coughs, sneezes or talks to a non-infected person.

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The spherical shape is packed around it's perimeter with spike-like projections giving it a crown-like appearance. The spikes contain S protein, which plays a big part in attaching to and infecting host cells. The membrane protein helps to stabilize N proteins and promotes completion of viral assembly by stabilizing the N protein-RNA complex, inside the internal virion.

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One of the most common ways to get COVID-19 from another person is through droplets of saliva. Whether they are covering their mouth or not, droplets exit the oral cavity and either land on you or an object that you might touch and contact the virus through. Another big mode of transmission is close contact with those that are battling COVID. This is why quarantine is important as well as wearing a mask during breakouts. This was a huge problem in the breakout in 2020 because most people were staying away from each other and still coming down with it.

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There are a lot of different symptoms when it comes to COVID-19 but the main ones would be fever, chilling, dry cough or shortness of breath. Another symptom that could be an indicator of COVID-19 would be the loss of taste or smell. This is one of the most common signs to covid vs the flu and this is because of ACE2 (your receptors responsible for taste and smell). This is also know as enzyme 2 receptors which are affected/binded to SARS-CoV-2 when you become sick which cause these receptors to not work properly.

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The number one way that any Dr. tests for COVID-19 is by performing a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Test. In the test they are trying to detect the genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Virus by amplifying specific regions of the virus's RNA. This can be done by oral or nasal cavity swab tests. These tests are highly accurate and can detect the early stages of COVID-19. With that being said most people nowadays either go to a clinic or test at home by using an antigen test or "at home tests". These are more likely to give you a false reading as they are less sensitive to the virus's RNA. The pros to this method include results up to 15-30 minutes after testing, at home use and of course saving money by not going to the doctors office.

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The most important virulence factor when talking about COVID-19 would be the spike proteins on the outside of the virus. This causes the virus to enter the host cell easier, initiate, infect, viral fusion and immune evasion. Without the spikes this virus would have never took over the world and caused so much damage. This would inhibit attaching to host cells.

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While COVID-19 has only been well known for the past 4 years there is already an FDA approved drug that can help patients fight off replication from the SARS-CoV-2 virus and this is called Remdesivir. More specifically if used correctly within the 7 day symptom window this drug prematurely blocks all replication of the virus causing no spread and an opportunity to turn the virus around. Just like with any drug this is a 5 day cycle and if not taken correctly can lead to serious complications. This is only for emergency cases only to where doctors may think the patient won't do good without it. The best thing about this drug is it's safe for infants that are 28 days or older and even adults. This is a wide range of people that it's benefiting and helping.

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When it comes to long term affects we only know a little bit about what those look like but what we do know is it can cause lung damage which could cause issues if pneumonia ever struck a COVID-19 surviver. Another "long-term" affect is fatigue. Some people my go through a years worth of time and still feel the fatigue that COVID-19 caused on their body. This is acute fatigue but still lingers. You can also develop cardiovascular complications such as myocarditis, (inflammation to the heart), arrhythmias (irregular heart rhythms) or even blood clots. These can all increase the chances of heart attacks or strokes.

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This virus started out in China and rapidly made it's way around the states/the rest of the world within 6 months.

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Gediz Erturk, A.; Sahin, A.; Bati Ay, E.; Pelit, E.; Bagdatli, E.; Kulu, I.; Gul, M.; Mesci, S.; Eryilmaz, S.; Oba Ilter, S.; et al. A Multidisciplinary Approach to Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). Molecules 2021, 26, 3526. https://doi.org/10.3390/ molecules26123526

World Health Organization. (n.d.). Modes of transmission of virus causing COVID-19: Implications for IPC precaution recommendations. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/modes-of-transmission-of-virus-causing-covid-19-implications-for-ipc-precaution-recommendations#:~:text=Modes%20of%20transmission%20of%20the%20COVID-19%20virus&text=According%20to%20current%20evidence%2C%20COVID,respiratory%20droplets%20and%20contact%20routes.&text=In%20an%20analysis%20of%2075%2C465,airborne%20transmission%20was%20not%20reported.

The latest on the coronavirus. News. (2023, February 23). https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/the-latest-on-the-coronavirus/