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Coronavirus: Symptoms, Prevention, Helplines, All You Need To Know

Can it travel through food? How long does it live on surfaces? Can your pet get it? When should one get tested? Some of your questions answered.
A railway worker wears face mask as a preventive measure against coronavirus, as she cleans the railway station in Guwahati, Assam, India on March 12, 2020.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A railway worker wears face mask as a preventive measure against coronavirus, as she cleans the railway station in Guwahati, Assam, India on March 12, 2020.

There are 75 people who have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus across the country, with the most recent case being a Google employee inn Bengaluru.

A 76-year-old man, who died last week, was confirmed as India’s first coronavirus death.

Amid the outbreak, Delhi has shut down it’s schools, colleges and cinema halls, while offices across the country are asking employees to work from home.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and PM Narendra Modi, has asked people to avoid mass public gatherings amid apprehensions of an epidemic. Primary schools in Delhi will remain shut till 31 March.

The World Health Organisation in a report said that the illness and severity of the disease has to do with age. It has also declared it an epidemic.

As many of us panic about what the disease exactly is, and how to manage it, here’s all that you need to know.

What is a coronavirus?

According to the WHO “Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.”

What are the symptoms?

— fever

— cough

— shortness of breath

— breathing difficulties

Symptoms in severe cases

— pneumonia

—severe acute respiratory syndrome

— kidney failure

Here’s a good video on prevention:

While this is some basic information on coronvirus, here are some more articles that could answer some of your questions:

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.