Coronaviruses are common viruses that will affect most people at some point in their lives.

Coronaviruses are named for the crown-like spikes on their surface. There are four main sub-groupings of coronaviruses, known as alpha, beta, gamma, and delta.

Most people have multiple coronavirus infections over their lifetime. Young children are most likely to get infected.

Human coronaviruses spread from an infected person to others through the air, by coughing and sneezing, and through close personal contact, such as by touching or shaking hands.

These viruses may also spread by touching contaminated objects or surfaces and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.

Human coronaviruses 229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1 usually cause mild to moderate upper respiratory tract illnesses, like the common cold, that last for a short amount of time. Symptoms:

These viruses can sometimes cause lower respiratory tract illnesses, such as pneumonia. This is more common in people with cardiopulmonary diseases or compromised immune systems, or the elderly.
The remaining three viruses SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 can cause infection ranging from asymptomatic to highly symptomatic.

Symptoms can include fever, cough and shortness of breath, that can progress to pneumonia and even to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop complications.

You may be able to reduce the risk of infection by doing the following:

In case of a positive COVID-19 rapid test and in the presence of common symptoms of viral respiratory diseases such as runny nose, sore throat and dry, short-lived cough, it is recommended to seek medical advice and use individually prescribed treatments to relieve your symptoms. It is also advised to stay at home to reduce the risk of spreading the infection. The antiviral drugs available on the market are only prescribed in individual cases and are not suitable for everyone: not prescribed to children, persons under the age of 18, pregnant or breastfeeding women.

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