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The entire world is dealing with a virus called COVID-19 or Coronavirus. The question on everyone's minds is what this virus does to the body. Covid-19 typically affects the respiratory system and causes symptoms like coughing and shortness of breath. The virus works by getting inside the cells your body and then hijacks them.
One of the critical things to bear in mind with this virus is that at an early stage, you may not get sick and that some people do not even detect symptoms. The time between infection and first symptoms appearing varies, but typically it's five to seven days on average. According to the World Health Organisation, common symptoms include fever, tiredness, a dry cough, shortness of breath, body aches, sore throat, and very few people will report diarrhea, nausea, or a runny nose.
When the virus enters your system, usually beginning in the back of the throat, they multiply infecting the neighboring cells. Once it reaches and damages the lungs, it becomes difficult for the lungs to perform their main functions and supply oxygen to the blood that travels throughout the body. The virus multiplies in the respiratory tract and can cause a range of symptoms, according to Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, who heads the WHO's Health Emergencies Programme. "You have mild cases, which look like the common cold, which have some respiratory symptoms, sore throat, runny nose, fever, all the way through pneumonia. There can be varying levels of severity of pneumonia all the way through multi-organ failure and death," she told reporters in Geneva on February 7 according to a report on Aljazeera.
It is important to do whatever is possible to prevent this virus from entering your bodies. WHO has provided a list of guidelines to be followed, and even though they may seem basic, it is very important to follow them. These include washing your hands with water and soap or using an alcohol-based hand rub, avoid touching your face with your hands, covering your mouth when you sneeze or cough, and maintaining social distancing.
While everyone isn't an expert and can only follow the advice given, we do have some of you interested in a career in health and who want to know more about how the human body works. The course on Essential Human Biology: Cells and Tissues provides a foundation in human anatomy and physiology. The course gives you an understanding of the relationships between typical structure and the function in human cells and tissues. What's more, it employs several engaging learning methods, including videos, animations, interactive activities, and quizzes to help guide you through key concepts and helps make learning relevant. So, if you do decide to take this course, you'll get knowledge of the structure and function of human cells and tissues. You'll understand basic human anatomy and physiology and you will be able to prepare yourself for a career in health.