Welcome to the Pandemic Series!
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause illness in animals or humans. In humans there are several known coronaviruses that cause respiratory infections. These coronaviruses range from the common cold to more severe diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and COVID-19.
COVID-19 was identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019. COVID-19 is caused by the virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a new virus in humans causing respiratory illness which can be spread from person-to-person. Early in the outbreak, many patients were reported to have a link to a large seafood and live animal market, however, later cases with no link to the market confirmed person-to-person transmission of the disease. Additionally, travel-related exportation of cases has occurred.
A wide range of symptoms for COVID-19 have been reported, including:
•Fever or chills
•Cough
•Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
•Fatigue
•Headache
•Nasal congestion or runny nose
•Muscle or body aches
•Sore throat
•New loss of smell or taste
•Nausea or vomiting
•Diarrhea
The estimated incubation period is between 2 and 14 days with a median of 5 days. It is important to note that some people become infected and do not develop any symptoms or feel unwell.
This cache was placed as part of Hike-n-Seek 2020.
