Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months something you’ve probably heard of is the all so deadly coronavirus also known as COVID-19. However, the virus itself isn’t also deadly, today I’m going to go in depth on what the virus is and how we can prevent it from spreading and what to do if you or a loved one contracts the virus.

To start out, what is coronavirus? Basically COVID-19, also known as a strain of the coronavirus, started in Wuhan, China in the late months of 2019, but by February 2020, the virus had spread worldwide.

Coronavirus itself is a respiratory infection, this strain of the coronavirus infects a person by entering through the lungs, attacking the lung cells and causing breathing issues. Symptoms are: fever, dry cough, sore throat and shortness of breath. However, coronavirus is not as deadly as it seems, the death rate of the virus is .03 for people under 30, most cases recover within 10-14 days, but you should still try to prevent the virus, it’s not fun to have or to be around someone that has coronavirus. There also isn’t a vaccine approved yet, so many people who are elderly or have preexisting health conditions are at a higher risk of having worse symptoms or even death.

Unlike other diseases and viruses such as the plague or the flu, coronavirus does not have a real cure or vaccine, but people can prevent getting and spreading it. In order to prevent coronavirus, stay indoors, social distance from friends/unmediated family, sanitize and wash things very often, wash your hands for 20 seconds frequently throughout the day, wear a mask when outside your home, and if you feel sick or have symptoms of coronavirus, stay home until you feel better.

Big businesses, schools and other parts of the community are also doing things to help prevent spread of coronavirus: shutting down for multiple weeks during the outbreak to help prevent the rapid spread of the virus, providing curbside pickup or delivery of products and food, and keeping everyone updated on their social media pages.

Now we all know what it is and how to prevent it, but the spread of the coronavirus will not stop unless you actually follow the steps to preventing it. All schools in Iowa are shut down until next year; world-wide there is a huge shortage of supplies like toilet paper, cleaning supplies and other necessities. People are quarantined in their houses and only allowed out to go to the grocery store or doctor. If we want the virus to disappear, we need to actually do our part to stop it, so please, wash your hands, don’t touch your face, and stay inside.