Last updated on August 5, 2020
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Understanding COVID-19 in Easy English
COVID-19 is a disease. It is caused by a virus called SARS-CoV-2. A virus is very small and this one can make people very sick. The SARS-CoV-2 virus is so small, it cannot be seen by a normal microscope.
How Did It Begin?
The first cases of COVID-19 appeared in the city of Wuhan in central China. This happened sometime before December 31, 2019. On that day, China told the rest of the world about the new disease.
How Did It Spread?
The virus spread very fast from one person to another. Many people traveled from China to other countries without knowing they were sick. This allowed the virus to spread around the world.
What Does “Pandemic” Mean?
We call COVID-19 a pandemic because it is a disease that affects many countries and many people. A pandemic means that the disease continues to spread in many places around the world
What is a Virus?
A virus is very small. It is so tiny that it is not really alive. A virus does not have a brain. It is not an animal and is not made of cells. All animals have many small cells in their bodies, but a virus does not.
Different Kinds of Viruses
There are many different kinds of viruses. Some viruses make people sick. Some viruses only gives people a cold. Each virus can be very different. Some viruses can get people very sick.
Inside a Virus
This SARS-CoV-2 virus looks like a tiny ball with sticks sticking out called spikes. Inside the virus, there is a long, thin molecule called RNA. This RNA holds instructions for making new viruses. It works like a computer program with groups of molecules that act like letters or numbers.
How the Virus Reproduces
Because a virus is not really alive, it must find a living cell to multiply. It finds a living cell and puts its RNA inside it. The cell then reads the RNA and makes new viruses. These new viruses leave the cell and can go on to attack other cells. This process allows the virus to spread in the body.
SARS-CoV-2 is a Novel Coronavirus
The word “novel” means “new.” This is a new virus within the coronavirus family of viruses. It has not been seen in people before.
What Is a Coronavirus?
A coronavirus is a kind of virus. It has RNA inside it. There are spikes on the outside help the virus to attach to cells and start an infection.
Where Did SARS-CoV-2 Come From?
This new virus came from another animal. Scientists believe that it might have come from a bat. It is also possible that another animal carried the virus from a bat to a person. We do not know exactly how the it first infected people.
Where Was It First Found?
We know that the virus was in the city of Wuhan in China in 2019.
It Spreads through the Air
This coronavirus is very infectious. It spreads very easily from one person to another. The virus can travel in tiny drops of water that come from people when they sneeze, cough, or even breathe. Some of these drops are so small that they can stay in the air for a long time, especially indoors. A person can breathe in these tiny drops and become infected .
It Can Spread by Touching
The virus can also spread when a person touches an object with many tiny viruses on it. Then, if that person touches their eyes, nose, or mouth, the virus can enter the body. Once it enters, the virus attacks the cells it finds nearby.
Infection in the Nose and Loss of Smell
The virus often first attacks the cells inside the nasal cavity. These cells are very easy for the virus to infect. Once infected, these cells make more viruses, which then infect even more cells. The virus in the nose can make nearby nerve cells, which help us smell, stop working. This is why many people with COVID-19 lose their ability to smell.
It Can Spread to the Lungs
If the virus is not stopped in the nose, it can move deeper into the body. In a few days, the viruses may reach the lungs. Once in the lungs, the virus might cause much more serious disease.
Spreading Before Symptoms Start
When the virus moves down to the lungs, people often do not feel sick. Even though they feel fine, they can still spread the virus to other people. In fact, people are very infectious starting two days before they feel sick. This means they can pass the virus to many people even when they do not look sick.
Why the Virus Spreads So Easily
Because people can spread the virus before they know they are sick, it can enter many people without being noticed. The virus is very contagious, meaning it spreads very easily from one person to another. This is one reason why China could not stop the virus and why it spread all over the world.
The Virus Might Reach the Lungs
Scientists think that when you breathe in, the virus moves from your nose to your throat or lungs. The virus travels in tiny droplets that come with your breath. You might get a sore throat, which is not usually serious. These droplets might carry the virus down into the lungs where the disease might get serious.
Attacking the Lungs
In the lungs, the virus spreads from one cell to another. It can kill cells as it spreads. Our lungs are very important because they take oxygen from the air and bring it into our blood. When the virus is in the lungs, it makes our immune system kill more cells. The dead cells and extra liquid in the lungs lowers the amount of oxygen reaching the blood.
Danger of Low Oxygen
Even though a person can still breathe in and out and might feel okay, too little oxygen reaches the blood. This is very dangerous because every cell in our body needs oxygen to live. When cells do not get enough oxygen, they start to die. If you feel that it is difficult to breathe, you must go to the hospital. There, doctors can give you extra oxygen to help keep your cells alive.
Can be Serious or not Serious
Most people who get COVID-19 do not feel very sick or feel only a little sick. Some may have some fever or a mild cough. However, some people feel very sick and need to go to the hospital. Older people or people with other health problems are more likely to get very sick, but even young and healthy people can become very sick.
Common Symptoms
People who are sick with COVID-19 often have a fever. A fever means that the body has a high temperature. This high temperature is one way the body tries to kill the virus. A sick person often has a dry cough. When a person becomes very sick, they feel weak and have trouble breathing. If you have trouble breathing, it is very important to go to the hospital.
Hospital Treatment
In the hospital, a person with COVID-19 will get extra oxygen if necessary. Doctors and nurses use special devices (a pulse oxymeter) to check that there is enough oxygen in the blood. It is best if you can breathe on your own. If you become too weak, the doctors may put a breathing tube into your mouth. The tube goes into the lungs and connects to a machine called a ventilator. A ventilator helps push and pull air in and out of your lungs so that your body gets the oxygen it needs.
Virus in the Blood
The virus can easily move from the lungs into the blood. Once in the blood, it moves with the blood. When the virus is in the blood, it can reach many parts of the body.
Attack on Blood Vessels
Inside our blood vessels, the virus can attack special cells called endothelial cells. These cells are on the inside wall of our blood vessels. When the virus attacks these cells, it causes inflammation in many parts of the body. Inflammation means the body reacts by swelling and sometimes causing pain.
Harm to Organs
This inflammation can hurt important organs such as the heart and kidneys. The virus and the inflammation can kill cells in these organs. When too many cells die, it can be very dangerous and may even lead to death.
COVID-19 in Young People
Very few healthy people younger than 40 die from COVID-19. Scientists think this is because their endothelial cells are very healthy. These are special cells on the inside surface of our blood vessels and help keep our blood thin.
Health Problems and Higher Risk
Older people or those with other diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure, have a higher chance (a higher risk) of dying from COVID-19. These people often have endothelial cells that are not as healthy. When the virus damages these cells, it can cause inflammation in many parts of the body, which makes the disease worse.
Blood Clots and Organ Damage
Healthy endothelial cells help keep the blood flowing smoothly. When these cells are damaged, the blood can become thick and form clots. These clots block the blood from reaching cells, and without enough oxygen, the cells die. For example, if the blood does not reach the brain, a stroke can occur. COVID-19 can also lead to heart attacks. Even though young people usually do not get these problems, even young people with less healthy endothelial cells can become very sick or even die.
The Virus in the Stomach
Sometimes the virus can get into your stomach. This may cause diarrhea, which means you have loose, watery stools. Because the virus is in the stool, it can spread if you do not wash your hands after using the toilet. It is important to wash your hands well to keep the virus from spreading to other people.
Toilet Safety
The virus can also spread when tiny droplets come out of the toilet. When someone flushes without closing the lid, small droplets may rise into the air. These droplets can carry the virus. To help stop this, always close the lid before flushing the toilet. This simple step can prevent invisible clouds of droplets from spreading the virus.
Hospital Checkup
When you go to the hospital with COVID-19, doctors and nurses check your body very carefully. They look at your heart, kidneys, and other organs to make sure everything is okay. They want you to you stay alive.
Medicine and Treatment
If you are very sick, the hospital team will try all they can to save you with medicines. They give you treatments to help your body fight the virus. Because this virus is so new, doctors are still learning which medicines work best. Science is working hard to learn more about the virus and to find or make new medicines. With new and better medicines, it will become easier for doctors to help COVID-19 patients get better.
Risk and Hospital Capacity
Scientists think that about 0.5% to 1% of people with Covid-19 may die. This means that one out of 100 or one out of 200 people might not survive. Even if this percentage is small, it still means a lot of people might die if many are infected. If there are not enough hospitals or if hospitals are very crowded, even more people could die. That is why science is trying to stop the virus from spreading and to make treatments better for everyone.
Helping Scientists Learn
If we all try not to get sick with COVID-19 for many months or get others sick, we give scientists time to study the disease. With this time, doctors can learn the best ways to care for patients. Scientists can also work to make new medicines that help fight the virus.
Medicines and Treatments
Right now, there are only two medicines that help treat people with Covid-19: remdesivir and dexamethasone). There are other medicines that may help too, depending on how the virus spreads in the body. These medicines can be dangerous and must be given at the right time. In the future, scientists hope to develop medicines that work even better. Making new medicines takes a few months of careful research and testing.
Waiting for a Vaccine
There is hope that a vaccine will be available soon. A vaccine prevents you from getting sick with Covid-19. Maybe as soon as winter, we will have a vaccine. If we are lucky, the vaccine will stop the virus so that no one gets sick with it again. If we are not as lucky, the virus might keep spreading and could even become worse in the future.
A Hopeful Future
We all hope that one day we can completely stop this disease and save many lives. Even if only a small percentage of people, like one out of 100 or one out of 200, die from Covid-19, that still means many people can lose their lives around the world. By protecting ourselves and others, we help give scientists and doctors the time they need to find better ways to treat and stop the virus.
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To know more about COVID-19, see how much you can understand on the What we knew page. If you have questions, please send them to me on my contact page or on the general comments page.
©2020, 2021 Dr. Michael Herrera