COVID-19 training cource

Question 1

What are signs?

Answer 1

Signs are objectice measurements to characterize illness during a physical exam.
Temperature.
Breathing faster than normal

Question 2

What are symptoms

Answer 2

Symptoms are what patients say about how they feel.
Fatigue.
Nausea
Loss of taste or smell.
Muscle ache.

Question 3

Signs and Symptoms of COVID-19

Answer 3

Signs and symptoms can vary widely.
Some people have no symptoms and are asymptomatic.
Some people have mild disease.
Some people have more serious disease that can lead to death.

Question 4

Common signs and symptoms:

Answer 4

Fever.
Tiredness (fatigue)
Chills
Muscle pain
Cough
Loss of smell or taste
Difficulty breathing
Headache
Sore throat.

Question 5

Nonspecific symptoms of covid-19

Answer 5

Many symptoms (such as fever, cough, and myalgia (muscle pain) are nonspecific.
They are in COVID-19 and in other respiratory diseases.

Question 6

Some are more specific for COVID-19

Answer 6

For example, on third of patients report a recent loss of ability to smell or taste,
This is very uncommon in other infections.

Question 7

Severe Signs and Symptoms

Answer 7

Some signs and symptoms mean that the disease is becoming more severe (or progressing).
The most common signs of progressive infection are increased and more severe fevers and increased difficulty breathing.

Question 8

Severe signs and Symtoms #2

Answer 8

Patients should immediately seek care if they have emergency warning signs of symptoms, such as: Pale, gray or blue colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone, which could mean they are not getting enough oxygen.
Increased rate or breathing.
Shortness of breath.
Chest pain when. breathing.
Waking up during sleep with shortness of breath.
New confusion or difficulty waking up.

Question 9

Incubation period of SARS-COV-2

Answer 9

The incubation period is the time from when someone is infected until symptoms develop.
The SARS-COV-2 incubation period ranges from 2-14 days.
50% of people will become ill by 5 days after they are infected.

Question 10

SARS-COV-2 infectious period

Answer 10

The infectious period is the time during which someone infected with SARS-COV-2 can transmit the virus to other people.

Question 11

For people with COVID-19 disease:

Answer 11

The infectious period begins 2 days before the start of signs and symptoms of disease.

Question 12

The end of the infectious period is defined as when

Answer 12

It is at least 10 days after the onset of illness.
AND symptoms are improving.
AND there has been no fever within the past 24 hours.

Question 13

People who are asymptomatic can also be infectious

Answer 13

For these people, the infectious period is more difficult to define.

Question 14

Older Age, and Obesity as risk factors

Answer 14

Some people over 65 are more likely to have severe disease if they get infected.
Older adults >65 years of age (increasing risk with age.)
People who are obese.
Some young, healthy people become severely ill:
Small proportions of infection.
Children unlikely go be severely ill.

Question 15

Existing medical condition as risk factors:

Answer 15

Other existing medical conditions:
Diabetes.
Hypertension. (High blood pressure)
Any kind of lung disease.
Heart disease.
Liver disease.
Kidney disease.
Weakened immune system,

Question 16

Risk factors for death:
(How the disease can kill)

Answer 16

If the lungs do not recover, the person can not breathe on their own.
Lack of oxygen can damage the organs in the body, including risk for heart attacks, kidney failure, stroke and clotting disorders.

Question 17

Important risks for death.

Answer 17

Risk for death depends on access to care and general health.
Death is rare among young and healthy people.
Death is more common among older adults.
Of those 65 to 75 years old 2%-5% die.
Of those 75 to 85 years old 4%-10% die.
Of those >85 years or older >10% die.

Question 18

treatment for covid-19

Answer 18

There is no specific treatment to cure covid-19
Treatment is to support the body’s functions until the body’s immune system can fight the infection.
Many patients with lung disease require mechanical ventilation (breathing machine ventilator) to help them breathe.
People who need it will receive support to keep their lungs working so that the body can continue to get the oxygen it needs.

Question 19

Diagnosing covid-19
(Diagnostic tests)

Answer 19

Diagnostic tests (which are used to identify viruses in the body.)
These are polymerase chain reaction tests (also called molecular tests).
These tests give a sign that there are/is a viruses/virus being produced in your cells.

Question 20

Antibody testing:

Answer 20

Identify antibodies to the virus, usually in blood.
Antibodies are made by your immune system to fight our viruses or bacterias.
Some antibodies (IgG) begin to develop when you are sick, and can be identified after you recover.
No test is perfect.

Question 21

How we test for active infection?

Answer 21

The PCR test is usually used when a person has signs and symptoms of an infection.
It detects the RNA (genetic material) of the virus.
Swab is taken from the nose, throat, or mouth.
Specimen typically comes from somewhere in the respiratory tract.
Saliva can also be tested.

Question 22

A positive PCR test….

Answer 22

Shows that there are virus particles in the sample.
Means there is an active infection.

There are also false negative results
Not all people infected will have RNA in their sample.

Question 23

How we test for past infection:

Answer 23

IgG antibody is the most common antibody test.
The body starts to produce IgG antibodies 10 to 14 days after infection.
Antiboy tests are usually performed on blood.
They can be performed after someone recovers or in people who never had symptoms

Question 24

A positve IgG antibody test:

Answer 24

Shows that you were infected with the virus in the past
Does not tell you when you were infected.
Could mean that you have some protection from future SARS-COV2 infection (not sure yet, according to the lady.)

Question 25

Timeline of testing.
(Diagnostic test)

Answer 25

Viral RNA detectable in the respiratory tract.

Question 26

Past infection

Answer 26

antibodies to viruses detectable in your blood.

Question 27

How SARS-CoV2 is transmitted

Answer 27

Infected people have the virus in their respiratory tract.
First way: Droplets or aerosols come out when we talk, laugh, or cough, and especially sneezing.
Those droplets or aerosols are then transmitted through the mouth, nose or eyes.

Question 28

Second way it’s transmitted.

Answer 28

Surfaces may have viruses from someone’s respiratory droplets (less common)
Viruses can “survive” on surfaces and then contaminate the hands of others.
Hands can transfer virus to your mouth, nose, or
eyes.
Handwashing and cleaning is important in conclusion.

Question 29

Infectious Respiratory Droplets and Aerosols can travel….

Answer 29

They can travel by: Travel during sneezes, coughs, talking, or singing.
Can travel up to six feet, and beyond in some cases.
Land in the eyes, nose or mouth of people.
Be inhaled
Land on surfaces
Mask use can reduce transmission:
Fewer droplets and aerosols from infectious people.

Question 30

SARS-CoV-2 transmitted effectively:

Answer 30

People are infectious before they have symptoms
Some people never develop symptoms (asymptomatic)
We must test symptomatic people and identify their contacts quickly to limit the spread.

Question 31

Transmission is more likely with close contact:

Answer 31

Physical contact
Close contact(within 6 ft for 15 minutes or more)
Shared enviornment (offices and restaurants.)
Sharing food and bathrooms (toothbrushes and tootpaste.)
Sharing beds.

Question 32

Close contact definition according to the CDC:

Answer 32

A close contact is a person who has been within 6ft of a person with COVID-19 for 15 minutes or more in a 24 hour time period. The 15 minutes do not have to be consecutive. They add up over time.
So if someone is near a person infected with covid-19 within 6ft for about 15 minutes, that is considered “close contact.”

Question 33

When is transmission more likely?

Answer 33

Transmission is more likely between people with close contact, so for example people who live together in shared spaces with limited air conditioning.

Question 34

Living conditions that increase risk for transmission

Answer 34

Sometimes called congregate housing, many people live in close quarters (a situation of being very or uncomfortably close to someone or something~wikipedia).
Examples: Prison/Jail cells
Group homes
Dormitories.
Shelters.

Question 35

Nursing homes (worse case scenario)

Answer 35

Nursing home residents are at high risk for severe disease:
Older age
Mutliple underlying conditions
Need for mutliple interventions, such as feeding and toileting. Staff are therefore at risk for exposure, and infection.
Nursing homes are not hospitals and are not set up for severe infections.

Question 36

Why stopping transmission is important:

Answer 36

Its important to find the people who are infected
We have to limit the number of people who have been in contact with, so that the transmission chain doesn’t keep going.

Question 37

Why is stopping transmissions difficult to do?

Answer 37

They will become infectious, causing them to spread this to more people.

Question 37

How do we make sure that transmissions are more limited?

Answer 37

1. Find those who’ve been exposed. 2. Find the people who are infected but not sick yet. 3. Ask them to change their behaviour, to limit their contact with other people, to stop the transmission, because the window of this opportunity is very short, and reduces the chances of the infected person to spread the infection.

Question 38

Reproductive number (R0 or R-Naught)

Answer 38

Reproductive number: The number of people one infectious person will infect if everyone that person has contact with is suceptible.
This is a good way to measure how fast a disease can spread.
The higher the reproductive number, the more people who’ll be infected.

Question 39

Even small reproductive numbers create large outbreaks:

Answer 39

If each infected person infects just 2 people the size of the outbreak doubles quickly

Question 40

Impact of preventing just one infection

Answer 40

Preventing just one infection can now lead to big reductions of cases over time

Question 41

SARS-COV2 is a new virus

Answer 41

It is a new virus that can infect people and causing covid-19 disease.
Although some people may not develop symptoms or signs of the disease, others are at high risk for severe disease and death.
People at risk for severe disease and death include older adults and people with other pre-existing medical conditions.

Question 42

SARS-COV-2 testing and transmission

Answer 42

There are laboratory tests that can identify weather someone has an active infection or weather someone has been infected in the past.
People are infectious before the become ill and during their illness.
They can infect other people through virus that comes from their respiratory tract.
Without any intervention, each person will affect 2-3 people.
However, we can dramatically decrease the number of cases by reducing transmission, and vaccines are a part in reducing transmissions of the infection.