Coronaviruses (CoV) nah large family of viruses wey dey cause illness ranging from de common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) nah new strain wey dey discovered for 2019 and dey no been previously identified for humans. COVID-19 dey difficult to detect and control as many pipu wey dey carry de disease sometimes no dey display no symptoms.

Scientists believe say e dey highly likely say de virus originated for bats and passed through an intermediary animal before infecting humans.

COVID-19 don spread now to nearly every country for de world since it first emerged for China and millions of pipu don known to been infected by de virus.

De World Health Organization (WHO) designated COVID-19 as de official name for de disease, previously known as ‘novel coronavirus’. De name COVID-19 been derived from de first letters of the words ‘coronavirus’, ‘virus’ and ‘disease’.

Pipu with COVID-19 sometimes dey display a wide range of symptoms – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Dese symptoms fit appear between 2 – 14 days after exposure to de virus.

Common signs of infection include:

• New continuous cough
• Fever
• Chills
• Muscle pain
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste or smell
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Other less common symptoms include nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. for severe cases, de virus fit cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and possible death.

If you get any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 contact your local healthcare provider and self isolate for 14 days.

De virus been dey spread mainly from person-to-person through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. De virus fit also spread by touching a contaminated object or surface, and den touching de mouth, nose or eyes but e dey  primarily spread through de respiratory droplets of pipu in close contact. Additionally, new strains of COVID-19 fit been dey spread through de air for  some settings, particularly for poorly ventilated and/or crowded indoor spaces.

If you are a waka abroad or person seeking asylum during de virus outbreak, you should take precautionary measures to avoid catching and spreading COVID-19. De following tips fit help stop de virus from spreading further:

• Frequent handwashing
  • Wash your hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you been go public place, or after sneezing or coughing.
  • If soap and water no dey readily available, use a hand sanitizer wey contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until dey feel dry.
• Avoid close contact with others
  • De World Health Organization advises say you should maintain a safe distance of at least 1 metre (3 feet) between yourself and others. Dis dey especially important for pipu wey dey at higher risk of getting very sick such as the elderly and dose with respiratory issues.
• Cover coughs and sneezes
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use de inside of your elbow, and throw used tissues in the rubbish bin and immediately wash your hands.
• Cover your mouth and nose
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face mask if you dey for public space. Dese should not be placed for young children under de age of 2.
  • Ensure say you maintain a safe distance (1m) between yourself and others even whilst wearing a mask.
  • Cloth face covers are designed to protect other pipu for in case you dey infected.

Dere are now several vaccines wey dey in use wey dey protect against COVID-19 by helping your body develop an immunity to de virus. Having immunity fit help your body fight de virus if you’dey exposed, and fit help protect you against de most more serious consequences. Getting vaccinated dey particularly important to protect pipu at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19, such as healthcare providers, older or elderly adults, and pipu with other medical conditions. Vaccination protects you from getting seriously ill and dying from COVID-19, but it does not guarantee say you no go dey infected.

While de vaccine fit help protect you and dose around you from serious illness, researchers and organisations like the WHO dey still dey learn about how de vaccine will work for de long-term, especially in consideration of new variants of COVID. To help keep you and others safe, continue to practice proper hygiene such as washing your hands, coughing or sneezing into your elbow, wearing a mask, and keeping distance from others. Always follow de guidance from your local authorities.

De Delta variant nah variant of COVID-19 wey dey concerning researchers and international health authorities because of how easily transmissible it is. As of early July 2021, de Delta variant don been reported for 96 countries and we expect say de Delta variant go continue to spread. According to de WHO, de world remains largely susceptible to infection, including de Delta variant.

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