Coronavirus - what you need to know......
What is coronavirus (COVID-19?)
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause a wide range of symptoms from the common cold to more severe disease states such as SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). Coronaviruses are transmitted from animals to humans however the current novel coronavirus has not been detected in humans before.
Symptoms can range from mild illness to pneumonia and other more complex disease states. Some people will recover easily whilst others may get very sick very quickly. People with coronavirus may experience:
- Fever
- flu-like symptoms such as coughing, sore throat and fatigue
- shortness of breath
People with mild symptoms may recover within a few days. People who have pneumonia may take longer to recover (days to weeks).
The virus is most likely spread through:
- close contact with an infectious person
- contact with droplets from an infected person’s cough or sneeze
- touching objects or surfaces (like doorknobs or tables) that have cough or sneeze droplets from an infected person, and then touching your mouth or face
Everyone should practise good hygiene to protect against infections. Good hygiene includes:
- washing your hands often with soap and water
- using a tissue and cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze
- avoiding close contact with others, such as touching
(source https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov)
What are the current statistics?
(All information below is adapted from World Health Organisation)
As at 1100 hours on 11th March 2020, we have 112 confirmed cases of coronavirus including 3 deaths in Australia.
- 60 in New South Wales
- 15 in Queensland
- 6 in South Australia
- 2 in Tasmania
- 15 in Victoria*
- 4 in Western Australia
- 10 associated with the Diamond Princess cruise ship
Across the world, there have been more than 117,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) and more than 4,200 reported deaths. Of confirmed cases reported globally, the case fatality rate is approximately 3.6%. The case fatality rate in countries and regions outside mainland China is approximately 3.1%. Interestingly, influenza has caused significantly more deaths than COVID-19 has.
Who is at risk?
- people with compromised immune systems (e.g. cancer)
- elderly people
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, as they have higher rates of chronic illness
- people with diagnosed chronic medical conditions
- very young children and babies*
- people in group residential settings
- people in detention facilities
Why the concern?
On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The new virus spreads much more readily than the one that caused SARS (also a coronavirus), and has infected more than ten times the number of people who contracted SARS.
What is Change It Up doing about the situation?
Like everyone, we are alarmed at the mass hysteria surrounding COVID-19 – don’t get me started on the toilet paper issue……!! In an attempt to mitigate exposure, from now on we will be wiping down all equipment at the end of each class and providing wipes and hand sanitizer for your use. (providing they don’t run out!) We do recommend that you bring towels along and that you diligently wash your hands before and after class (at least 20 seconds of thorough handwashing is recommended). If you have recently travelled to a country of concern (Mainland China, Iran, Italy, Republic of Korea) then you are required to be in isolation for a 14 day period. We also ask that if you have any cold symptoms consistent with COVID-19 (this includes our trainers) that you abstain from coming to class. We will otherwise be guided by recommendations from local and state governments, the Department of Health and the World Health Organisation. We don’t foresee any immediate need to change practise and there are currently no recommendations in place to cancel any classes. In fact, by maintaining a good base level of health and fitness, it will actually help provide you with immunity to better protect yourself against disease. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to have a chat and we will keep you posted on any further changes as they come to hand.