SARS-CoV-2 is the strain of coronavirus that causes Covid-19. It is also one of several know coronavirus strains that affects humans.

Seven known strains of coronavirus that can infect humans according to WebMd

• 229E
• NL63
• OC43
• HKU1
• MERS-CoV, a beta virus that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)
• SARS-CoV, a beta virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
• SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19

Origin of Coronavirus

Coronavirus was first discovered in the 1930s when respiratory infections greatly affected domesticated chickens. The infections were caused by the infectious bronchitis virus (IBV).

Coronavirus was first discovered in humans in the 1960s. Studies over a few decades result in the discovery of new strains of the virus that infects humans. These include SARS-COV in 2003, HCV NL63 in the next year or 2004, HCV HKU1 in 2005, MERS-CoV in 2012, and SARS-CoV-2 in 2019.

SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) is currently responsible for the global pandemic. It originates from Wuhan city, China in 2019, and then spread to other countries. For example, regions such as the US, UK, Italy, and Spain. As of today, Covid-19 is responsible for over 128 million infections worldwide with more than 2.7 million deaths. United States, Brazil, India, France, and Russia are among the top 5 countries with the most infections.

Who is at Risk?

Covid-19 can infect anyone but some people are more at risk than others.  Therefore, older people and anyone with underlying health problems such as kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a fragile immune system, diabetes, heart diseases or cardiovascular disease, and cancer are most likely to be at risk.

Prevention From Getting Infected

According to the Centers for Disease control and prevention (CDC), the best way to pervert infection is to avoid being exposed to the virus.

• Wash your hands regularly with soap and water or use hand sanitizer
• Only travel if necessary
• If you are sick stay home and only leave home to seek medical attention
• Wear a mask indoor and outdoor when you are in public places
• Maintain social distancing at all times in public places (stay at least 6 feet apart)
• Avoid gathering in groups without people from your household

Symptoms of Covid-19

Coronavirus causes respiratory tract infections that range from placid to fatal. It can take around 5-6 days to show the symptoms when someone is infected.

The most common symptoms are:

• Fever or chills
• Coughing
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Muscle or body aches
• Sore throat
• Loss of taste or smell
• Diarrhea
• Headache
• Tiredness or  fatigue
• Nausea or vomiting
• Congestion or runny nose

Diagnoses

Covid-19 can be diagnosed in two ways. Both methods of testing are very accurate and reliable. On rare occasions, the diagnosis can produce a false-negative result. False-negative results are more common in the PCR rapid test method, while PCR testing done in a lab is considered highly accurate.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) – this test can tell you if you are infected with the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. It is commonly done by collecting a fluid sample by using a cotton swab to collect the sample from your nostril. In other cases, samples can be collected by inserting a long swab into the back of the throat or spitting into a test tube to collect a saliva sample.

Antigen test – this test detects a type of protein in the virus. A fluid sample is taken for this test. A long nasal swab collects fluid samples.

How to Prevent the Spread of Covid-19

If you are Experiencing Symptoms or have been diagnosed positive please follow the steps below:

• Wear a mask to protect others and stop the spread
• Quarantine Immediately
• If immediate quarantine not possible distance yourself from others (Stay as far as possible but not less than six feet from others)
• Avoid crowds and poorly ventilated spaces
• Sanitizer all surfaces and objects you came in contact with (door handles, phones, keys, TV remote, etc.)
• Monitor your health daily
• Call emergency service (911) if you need help or need to go to the hospital.
•  Practice all the above steps until you received a negative test

 Treatment

Drugs

There are no drugs or vaccine available to stop coronavirus infections. The only approved drug available to treat coronavirus infections is remdesivir (Veklury). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved and authorized remdesivir (Veklury) to help treat COVID-19 patients.

 Several antiviral have been identified as potential drugs to cure coronaviruses such as polymerases, viral proteases, and entry proteins. Currently, doctors use different therapies to alleviate the effect of the virus. It includes antiviral medications, a mechanical ventilator for breathing support, and different steroids to avoid lung swelling.

Vaccines

There are currently six vaccines that are in use worldwide.  These vaccines do not prevent us from getting infected or stop the spread of Covid-19, it only helps protect most of us who received the vaccine from dying or getting very sick. Persons infected with Covid-19 after receiving the vaccine have only reported mild symptoms.

According to Ourworlddata only 127 million individuals have be vaccinated worldwide, which is only 1.63% of the world’s population.

Vaccines Available Worldwide

Who are Now Eligible for Vaccination in the US?

• Everyone 30 years and older
• Health care personnel
• Essential workers
• Adults of any age with medical conditions

Pfizer Inc. is currently doing trials on vaccines for kids between the ages of 12 to 15. Pfizer claims that the vaccine is currently 100% effective in protecting against symptomatic disease. The study was done on more than 2,200 children, the research also did not find any safety concerns with the vaccines.

Economic Impact

Coronavirus has greatly affected the economic growth and progress around the world. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of many countries became negative which could resulted in inflation worldwide. Different industries such as sports, tourism, financial sector, and airline industries became stagnated which resulted in billions of dollars lost to these industries. Unemployment numbers also sky-rocketed worldwide.

Conclusion

Covid-19 has changed the dynamic of the entire world. The devastation caused worldwide resulted in millions of death. However, its death ratio is significantly low as compared to the number of people infected with Covid-19.

Covid-19 is still around today after started in the last quarter of 2019, and it’s still causing worldwide devastation. Most importantly, all of us need to do our part and take preventive measures to reduce the spread

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In the first week of February, Republican Senator Susan Collins and Democratic Senator Joe Manchin proposed a plan to block high-income Americans from receiving the third stimulus checks in the third phase of coronavirus federal relief. This plan was passed by the senate. However, the plan does not offer any definition of ‘upper income’ levels. This plan adds a degree of uncertainty to the relief measures proposed by the White House.

Stimulus checks and The US Economy

Economic data released on February 17, the second round of stimulus checks did do its job as intended. Retail sales had increased by over 5 percent in the month of January, which was better than market expectations. 

Yet despite the stimulus packages, the American economy continues to stutter due to different setbacks. These setbacks include the loss of income, job losses, and increased layoffs, etc. According to the Labor Department, applications for unemployment benefits increased in the third week of February to around 861,000. This was in contrast to the steady decline in this area over the last many weeks.

The same week, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities also released a statement about the economy. As per the organization, the US economy continues to be weak; the momentum of jobs recovery had slowed down to a crawl; and that there were almost 10 million fewer jobs this February as compared to February 2020. It also stated that the new stimulus package would help millions of Americans in these dire times.

The democrats in the House have finished their markups without making any major alterations to the President’s Covid relief plan. The bill will be put to vote in the House in the last week of February 2021. It will then pass to the Senate who will take it up for voting in the first week of March.

Democrats in Congress are planning to move the relief bill forward via a process known as budget reconciliation. This will permit the Senate to approve and pass the bill without any support from Republican senators.

Who received the First and Second Stimulus checks?

In the first two phases of Covid relief, checks of $1,200 and $600 were disbursed by the federal government. These packages also had restrictions on eligibility. In both cases, single individuals earning up to $75,000 and married couples earning up to $150,000 were eligible and received the full amount.

As income increased, the payout amounts became lower until it was cut off fully for high-income individuals or married couples. The cut-off limit for payouts in the first round was $198,000 for married people and $99,000 for singles. In the second round, the cut-off limits were $174,000 for married people and $87,000 for single individuals.

Who will be eligible for the $1,400 stimulus checks?

New data shows that many middle and high-income earner’s finances have stabilized as of February 2021. Most of them have been able to work from home and earn a stable income. Data also indicated that the second stimulus checks were quickly used up by people earning under $78,000 per year, while those earning more than $78,000, saved or invested their stimulus money.

Lawmakers in Congress are in a current debate over targeted relief checks towards low-income Americans who are most vulnerable to the economic strife imposed by the pandemic and its continued spread.

In the first week of February, Democrats in the House had opposed the idea of lowering the income level limits; they wanted the same income levels to continue as was the case in the first two rounds. But the stirring debate about the targeting of stimulus checks has resulted in President Biden articulating his willingness to negotiate. The President has stated that he will not negotiate the amount, i.e., $1,400 checks, but will be fine with directing the checks to Americans who need it the most.

If the negotiations are fruitful, there is a possibility that the eligibility threshold for stimulus checks can be lowered. Accordingly, married couples earning up to $100,000 and singles earning up to $50,000 may qualify for the checks. If the threshold is lowered, then it would mean that millions of Americans who received the checks in the first two phases will not get the checks in the third round. In the first two rounds, the IRS had made payouts to about 30 million American households earning over $75,000. With the new limits, it is likely that a lot of these households will not get the full $1,400 check in the third stimulus package.

When can Americans expect their third stimulus checks?

According to Democratic House and Senate members, the new coronavirus relief bill will most likely pass Congress by mid-March, before the expiration of the current weekly $300 additional unemployment aid on March 14.

After the passage of the bill by Congress, the President has to sign it. Once President Biden signs it, the stimulus checks would be directed by the IRS to all qualified households. Based on the data from the last two phases, the checks will be paid in the form of direct deposits within 1 week after the bill is signed by the President.

Americans who do not have bank accounts or Americans whose payment information is not available with the IRS will need to wait longer. Their stimulus checks will be delivered via mail in the form of prepaid debit cards or paper checks.

Covid-19 Vaccination Update in the US

The first vaccinations in the US were conducted in December 2020. Since then, over 73 million doses of vaccines have been delivered by the federal government to different states and jurisdictions.

Moderna has promised to deliver 200 million doses by end of May and another 100 million by end of July. Pfizer is also expected to delivering about 200 million doses by end of May.

If Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine gets authorized for emergency use by the FDA, the company promised to deliver 100 million doses by end of June. Taking all of this into account, the entire US population will be fully vaccinated by end of July.

Who is now eligible to be vaccinated?

• Everyone 65 years and older
• Health care personnel
• Essential workers
• Adults of any age with medical conditions

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