{"parse":{"title":"COVID-19","pageid":63030231,"text":{"*":"

This article is about the disease itself. For the global pandemic caused by the disease, see COVID-19 pandemic. For other diseases caused by coronaviruses, see Coronavirus diseases.

\n\n\n\n

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Other names	COVID, (the) coronavirus

Transmission and life-cycle of SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19
Pronunciation	/k\u0259\u02c8ro\u028an\u0259va\u026ar\u0259s/ /\u02ccko\u028av\u026adna\u026an\u02c8ti\u02d0n, \u02cck\u0252v\u026ad-/^[1]
Specialty	Infectious disease
Symptoms	Fever, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, vomiting, loss of taste or smell; some cases asymptomatic^[2]^[3]
Complications	Pneumonia, sepsis, ARDS, kidney failure, respiratory failure, pulmonary fibrosis, CKS, MIS-C, long COVID
Usual onset	2\u201314 days (typically 5) after infection
Duration	5 days to chronic
Causes	SARS-CoV-2
Diagnostic method	RT‑PCR testing, CT scan, rapid antigen test
Prevention	Vaccination, face coverings, quarantine, social distancing, ventilation, hand washing
Treatment	Symptomatic and supportive
Frequency	777,314,975^[4] confirmed cases (true case count is expected to be much higher^[5])
Deaths	7,083,856^[4] (reported) 18.2\u201333.5 million^[6] (estimated)

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020 the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.\n

The symptoms of COVID\u201119 can vary but often include fever,^[7] fatigue, cough, breathing difficulties, loss of smell, and loss of taste.^[8]^[9]^[10] Symptoms may begin one to fourteen days after exposure to the virus. At least a third of people who are infected do not develop noticeable symptoms.^[11]^[12] Of those who develop symptoms noticeable enough to be classified as patients, most (81%) develop mild to moderate symptoms (up to mild pneumonia), while 14% develop severe symptoms (dyspnea, hypoxia, or more than 50% lung involvement on imaging), and 5% develop critical symptoms (respiratory failure, shock, or multiorgan dysfunction).^[13] Older people have a higher risk of developing severe symptoms. Some complications result in death. Some people continue to experience a range of effects (long COVID) for months or years after infection, and damage to organs has been observed.^[14] Multi-year studies on the long-term effects are ongoing.^[15]\n

COVID\u201119 transmission occurs when infectious particles are breathed in or come into contact with the eyes, nose, or mouth. The risk is highest when people are in close proximity, but small airborne particles containing the virus can remain suspended in the air and travel over longer distances, particularly indoors. Transmission can also occur when people touch their eyes, nose or mouth after touching surfaces or objects that have been contaminated by the virus. People remain contagious for up to 20 days and can spread the virus even if they do not develop symptoms.^[16]\n

Testing methods for COVID-19 to detect the virus's nucleic acid include real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‑PCR),^[17]^[18] transcription-mediated amplification,^[17]^[18]^[19] and reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT‑LAMP)^[17]^[18] from a nasopharyngeal swab.^[20]\n

Several COVID-19 vaccines have been approved and distributed in various countries, many of which have initiated mass vaccination campaigns. Other preventive measures include physical or social distancing, quarantining, ventilation of indoor spaces, use of face masks or coverings in public, covering coughs and sneezes, hand washing, and keeping unwashed hands away from the face. While drugs have been developed to inhibit the virus, the primary treatment is still symptomatic, managing the disease through supportive care, isolation, and experimental measures.\n

The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.^[21] Most scientists believe the SARS-CoV-2 virus entered into human populations through natural zoonosis, similar to the SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV outbreaks, and consistent with other pandemics in human history.^[22]^[23] Social and environmental factors including climate change, natural ecosystem destruction and wildlife trade increased the likelihood of such zoonotic spillover.^[24]^[25]^[26]^[27]\n

Age group	IFR\n
0\u201334	0.004%\n
35\u201344	0.068%\n
45\u201354	0.23%\n
55\u201364	0.75%\n
65\u201374	2.5%\n
75\u201384	8.5%\n
85\u2009+	28.3%\n

Percentage of infected people who are hospitalised\n
0\u201319	20\u201329	30\u201339	40\u201349	50\u201359	60\u201369	70\u201379	80+	Total\n
Female\n	0.1 (0.07\u20130.2)\n	0.5 (0.3\u20130.8)\n	0.9 (0.5\u20131.5)\n	1.3 (0.7\u20132.1)\n	2.6 (1.5\u20134.2)\n	5.1 (2.9\u20138.3)\n	7.8 (4.4\u201312.8)\n	19.3 (10.9\u201331.6)\n	2.6 (1.5\u20134.3)\n
Male\n	0.2 (0.08\u20130.2)\n	0.6 (0.3\u20130.9)\n	1.2 (0.7\u20131.9)\n	1.6 (0.9\u20132.6)\n	3.2 (1.8\u20135.2)\n	6.7 (3.7\u201310.9)\n	11.0 (6.2\u201317.9)\n	37.6 (21.1\u201361.3)\n	3.3 (1.8\u20135.3)\n
Total\n	0.1 (0.08\u20130.2)\n	0.5 (0.3\u20130.8)\n	1.1 (0.6\u20131.7)\n	1.4 (0.8\u20132.3)\n	2.9 (1.6\u20134.7)\n	5.8 (3.3\u20139.5)\n	9.3 (5.2\u201315.1)\n	26.2 (14.8\u201342.7)\n	2.9 (1.7\u20134.8)\n
Percentage of hospitalised people who go to Intensive Care Unit\n
0\u201319	20\u201329	30\u201339	40\u201349	50\u201359	60\u201369	70\u201379	80+	Total\n
Female\n	16.7 (14.3\u201319.3)\n	8.7 (7.5\u20139.9)\n	11.9 (10.9\u201313.0)\n	16.6 (15.6\u201317.7)\n	20.7 (19.8\u201321.6)\n	23.1 (22.2\u201324.0)\n	18.7 (18.0\u201319.5)\n	4.2 (4.0\u20134.5)\n	14.3 (13.9\u201314.7)\n
Male\n	26.9 (23.1\u201331.1)\n	14.0 (12.2\u201316.0)\n	19.2 (17.6\u201320.9)\n	26.9 (25.4\u201328.4)\n	33.4 (32.0\u201334.8)\n	37.3 (36.0\u201338.6)\n	30.2 (29.1\u201331.3)\n	6.8 (6.5\u20137.2)\n	23.1 (22.6\u201323.6)\n
Total\n	22.2 (19.1\u201325.7)\n	11.6 (10.1\u201313.2)\n	15.9 (14.5\u201317.3)\n	22.2 (21.0\u201323.5)\n	27.6 (26.5\u201328.7)\n	30.8 (29.8\u201331.8)\n	24.9 (24.1\u201325.8)\n	5.6 (5.3\u20135.9)\n	19.0 (18.7\u201319.44)\n
Percent of hospitalised people who die\n
0\u201319	20\u201329	30\u201339	40\u201349	50\u201359	60\u201369	70\u201379	80+	Total\n
Female\n	0.5 (0.2\u20131.0)\n	0.9 (0.5\u20131.3)\n	1.5 (1.2\u20131.9)\n	2.6 (2.3\u20133.0)\n	5.2 (4.8\u20135.6)\n	10.1 (9.5\u201310.6)\n	16.7 (16.0\u201317.4)\n	25.2 (24.4\u201326.0)\n	14.4 (14.0\u201314.8)\n
Male\n	0.7 (0.3\u20131.5)\n	1.3 (0.8\u20131.9)\n	2.2 (1.7\u20132.7)\n	3.8 (3.3\u20134.4)\n	7.6 (7.0\u20138.2)\n	14.8 (14.1\u201315.6)\n	24.6 (23.7\u201325.6)\n	37.1 (36.1\u201338.2)\n	21.2 (20.8\u201321.7)\n
Total\n	0.6 (0.2\u20131.3)\n	1.1 (0.7\u20131.6)\n	1.9 (1.5\u20132.3)\n	3.3 (2.9\u20133.8)\n	6.5 (6.0\u20137.0)\n	12.6 (12.0\u201313.2)\n	21.0 (20.3\u201321.7)\n	31.6 (30.9\u201332.4)\n	18.1 (17.8\u201318.4)\n
Percent of infected people who die – infection fatality rate (IFR)\n
0\u201319	20\u201329	30\u201339	40\u201349	50\u201359	60\u201369	70\u201379	80+	Total\n
Female\n	0.001 (<0.001\u20130.002)\n	0.004 (0.002\u20130.007)\n	0.01 (0.007\u20130.02)\n	0.03 (0.02\u20130.06)\n	0.1 (0.08\u20130.2)\n	0.5 (0.3\u20130.8)\n	1.3 (0.7\u20132.1)\n	4.9 (2.7\u20138.0)\n	0.4 (0.2\u20130.6)\n
Male\n	0.001 (<0.001\u20130.003)\n	0.007 (0.003\u20130.01)\n	0.03 (0.02\u20130.05)\n	0.06 (0.03\u20130.1)\n	0.2 (0.1\u20130.4)\n	1.0 (0.6\u20131.6)\n	2.7 (1.5\u20131.4)\n	14.0 (7.9\u201322.7)\n	0.7 (0.4\u20131.1)\n
Total\n	0.001 (<0.001\u20130.002)\n	0.005 (0.003\u20130.01)\n	0.02 (0.01\u20130.03)\n	0.05 (0.03\u20130.08)\n	0.2 (0.1\u20130.3)\n	0.7 (0.4\u20131.2)\n	1.9 (1.1\u20133.2)\n	8.3 (4.7\u201313.5)\n	0.5 (0.3\u20130.9)\n
Numbers in parentheses are 95% credible intervals for the estimates.\n

v t e Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
\n SARS-CoV-1 \n SARSr-CoV \n
General topics	\n 2002\u20132004 SARS outbreak\n Outbreak among healthcare workers \n List of medical professionals who died \n Air China Flight 112 \n SARS conspiracy theory \n
People	\n Zhong Nanshan \n Ab Osterhaus \n Joanna Tse \n Carlo Urbani \n Jiang Yanyong \n
In popular culture	\n Plague City: SARS in Toronto \n Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto \n 1:99 Concert \n Contagion \n SARS Wars \n
Related articles	\n Coronavirus \n Global alert \n Health in China \n MERS\n MERS-CoV \n COVID-19\n SARS-CoV-2 \n pandemic \n

Nomenclature

Symptoms and signs

Complications

Cause

Transmission

Virology

SARS-CoV-2 variants

Pathophysiology

Respiratory tract

Nervous system

Gastrointestinal tract

Cardiovascular system

Kidneys

Immunopathology

Viral and host factors

Virus proteins

Host factors

Host cytokine response

Pregnancy response

Diagnosis

Viral testing

Imaging

Coding

Pathology

Prevention

Vaccine

Face masks and respiratory hygiene

Indoor ventilation and avoiding crowded indoor spaces

Hand-washing and hygiene

Social distancing

Surface cleaning

Self-isolation

International travel-related control measures

Treatment

Prognosis and risk factors

Genetic risk factors

Children

Long-term effects

Immunity

Mortality

Case fatality rate

Infection fatality rate

Estimates

Earlier estimates of IFR

Sex differences

Ethnic differences

Comorbidities

History

Misinformation

Other species

Research

Transmission and prevention research

Treatment-related research

Cytokine storm

Passive antibodies

Bioethics

See also

References

Further reading

External links

Health agencies

Directories

Medical journals

Treatment guidelines

What happened with COVID-19 on 2 December, 2020