As COVID-19 continues to be a very concerning epidemic, staying home when possible, practicing social distancing, and washing your hands is vital. Chief Medical Officer for OSF HealthCare Western Region, Dr. Cliff Martin, has the symptoms of the viral illness:
“The symptoms are very similar to a lot of other viruses that we deal with. The virus for most people, who get symptoms, is upper respiratory type of symptoms: scratchy throat, muscle aches, nasal congestion, runny nose, and along with that a fever. If the fever is high enough there may be chills or just muscle aches if it is a lower temperature. Like any virus, it can give us different symptoms. People can get an irritated eye and some people worldwide who have presented more with intestinal symptoms,” Dr. Martin explains.
Anyone that is feeling ill, touch base with your medical provider and discuss the symptoms you may be experiencing.
Changing the coronavirus in a way that it no longer attacks humans is the process scientists and laboratories are working on to find a vaccine. Dr. Martin, states developing a vaccine is a time process that will take several months:
“What we could be hopeful for is that we have a vaccine that would prevent an illness next year, but it really won’t stop progression of this current virus at the moment,” reports Dr. Martin.
Continued preparation and mindfulness of resources used to monitor this type of illness throughout the world will be seen to learn more in preventing another viral outbreak.
