• Question: how can we stop the coronavirus

    Asked by anon-243305 to Pan-ngum, Natalia, Mick, Manjit, Filipe, Bruce on 10 Mar 2020. This question was also asked by anon-243291, anon-244031, anon-243365, anon-243411, anon-243414, anon-243428.
    • Photo: Natalia Brodaczewska

      Natalia Brodaczewska answered on 10 Mar 2020:

      I’m afraid that at this point it may not be possible to stop coronavirus completely. This virus is highly contagious which means that it spreads very easily from one person to another. In the modern world it is so easy to travel that it is also very hard to contain a virus of this kind. Coronavirus has been already found in 115 countries and it is likely going to spread even further soon. What we can try and do is to slow the virus down a bit by washing our hands as often as we can and not going in to work or travelling when we’re ill. This will hopefully help to limit the number of people affected by the virus. Eventually, we should be able to develop a vaccine which will protect people from getting coronavirus – we do this already for flu and other viruses.

    • Photo: Michael Schubert

      Michael Schubert answered on 10 Mar 2020:

      Natalia is right – it can be very difficult to stop a virus from spreading, especially one like the coronavirus that spreads very easily. Also, the milder a virus is, the more likely it is to spread – and the coronavirus is quite mild for most people (like a bad cold or a flu), so it gets around quickly.
      Because the virus doesn’t cause a serious illness in most people, we shouldn’t panic about it. Instead, we should do all of the things we do in winter to avoid colds and flu: wash our hands often, avoid crowded spaces, and stay home if we’re ill. You should also try to stay healthy in other ways (by getting your flu jab, for instance), so that your body can stay as strong as possible, which helps it fight off the coronavirus and other diseases too.

Comments

  • Photo: anon-243933

    anon-243933 commented on :

    The coronavirus is very dangerous because loads of people have died then we are going to have a lock down

    • Photo: Mick

      Mick commented on :

      It’s true that some people have died from COVID-19, the infection caused by the novel coronavirus. Most of those people are either elderly or had other health problems, so don’t be afraid that this sort of thing will happen to you and your friends – if you get the disease, you will probably just feel like you have a cough, cold, or flu. But you can also pass it on to other people who might be weaker, so it’s important to wash your hands as often as possible and stay home if you feel ill.

  • Photo: Mod Em

    Mod Em commented on :

    IMPORTANT: This question and its answers are about coronavirus (COVID-19). The information on this page might be out of date or wrong.
    For up-to-date health information and advice, please go to the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/