Game Intro | A.E.P.S.COV

So… What is “Coronavirus“ ? What is COVID-19?

Coronavirus refers to a family of viruses that can cause many different types of disease.

COVID-19 is a new disease caused from the new coronavirus (SARS CoV-2). It is not fully understood by doctors and scientists.
The name COVID-19 comes from “Corona” (CO), meaning crown in Greek, and from two English words, “Virus” (VI) and “Disease” (DI). The number 19 stands for the year 2019, when the virus was first detected.

Some characteristics of Coronavirus

Coronavirus is very small and round, it has crown shaped spikes and you can’t look at it without a microscope
It is smaller than germs (bacteria) and we cannot see it with a naked eye!
To detect Coronavirus, most accurate method is to detect its genetic material in nasopharyngeal specimen, meaning that lab scientists use molecular methods, that are accomplished in specialized labs
Our body is made up of millions of tiny cells. Viruses can’t survive outside the cells for long, so they try to get into the cells of our body. When this happens we get infected. It first infects the respiratory tract (the nose and lungs)
The virus then multiplies and spreads to other cells
Many people get sick because the virus is new and our body does not recognize it
It can spread in winter and during summer, but it is not fully understood if temperature influences its life-cycle

How did COVID-19 begin?

Some diseases begin from animals before they even start affecting people. These types of diseases are called “zoonoses”.

cow

bat

camel

Cows, bats and camels are some of the animals that have transmitted diseases to humans in the past.

COVID-19 is one of these diseases (zoonoses) and appeared for the first time in December 2019 in a city called Wuhan in China.

It is believed that it started in a market in Wuhan in China where live animals are sold.

How does COVID-19 spread?

The virus can spread from an infected person’s mouth or nose in small liquid particles when they cough, sneeze, speak, sing or breath heavily.

kid

door

People may become infected by touching contaminated surfaces, knobs, handrails, then touch their eyes, noses or mouths without cleaning their hands first.

We do not know yet if humans can transmit the virus to animals (e.g. dogs or cats).

Fighting coronavirus

How does the virus attack us? It uses its thick spikes to adhere onto human cells, then it enters the cells and starts multiplying within them. After that the cells are destroyed… and we get sick.

The immune system is to protect us from infectious organisms. It will recognize the virus and start fighting!

Then, our body responds with antibodies!

How can we protect ourselves from coronavirus ?

The best protection from COVID-19 are:

If somebody is sick, face masks can protect other people from being infected
The mask protects us from infections
We should wear face masks! Face masks keep us safe and shouldn’t scare us!
We have to wear our face masks properly
We should avoid touching our face, especially our eyes, nose and mouth
When we cough or sneeze, we must cover our nose and mouth with our elbow or use a handkerchief or tissue. After using the tissue or handkerchief, throw it in the garbage
Keep away from crowds of people
Avoid shaking hands with other people

Social distancing

Keep your distance from other people.

Ideally
1.6 -2m

Washing our hands well

Washing our hands well for at least 20 seconds with soap and water helps to get rid of the virus.

Food and coronavirus

What do we know?

The risk of getting sick with COVID-19 from eating or handling food (including frozen food and products) and food packages is considered very low.

There is no evidence that food or food packaging is related to COVID-19.

We can be infected if we touch a contaminated food package. However, this is rather an usual way of spread.

What should we do?

After shopping, handling food packages, or before preparing or eating food, always wash your hands

IMPORTANT:
Take care of your body and follow a healthy diet.
It helps to fight the coronavirus

How should we wear our face mask properly?

Place your face mask over your mouth and nose and chin.
Tie it behind your head or use ear loops. Make sure it is comfortable
Don't touch the surface of your mask while wearing it
If you accidentally touch your mask, wash or sanitize your hands
Put the used mask in a sealable bag until you can get rid of it
Remove the mask by untying it or lifting off the ear loops without touching the front of the mask or your face
For children under 5 years of age there is no need of face mask

Right!

Right!

Wrong!

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

Symptoms appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus.

Fever, chills

Shortness of breath

Headache

Loss of smell or taste

Cough

Fatigue, body pain

Sore throat, stuffy nose

Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea (less frequent)

Some patients may be asymptomatic which means that they have no symptoms. Some people may have severe symptoms because their immune system becomes disorganized. In this case, they need to go to hospital for treatment.

The disease

So what will happen if I get sick with COVID?

If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19, you must stay at home and away from other people and your pet. Avoid coming in contact, especially with your grand-parents because older people are in higher danger.

Always consult your doctor.

Should I worry?

You may feel anxious, stressed, worried, sad, bored, lonely or frustrated:
Do things that make you happy. Ask for psychological support from an expert.

If you are in Greece you can call the he HELPLINE 10306

The most important thing to remember is that we are all together in this effort but… at a DISTANCE.

So what is QUARANTINE?

Isolation or quarantine of people through lock-down and curfew keeps them safe and reduces the threat of infection.

Lock-down keeps us in our homes when there is a high danger of spread of the virus

It quarantines the people who may be infected with virus from spreading it to other people

What can you do during Quarantine?

Do things that make you happy
Your parents may be more pressured than usual, especially if they are working from home or need to isolate, so try to think of things you can do for them
You can access free educational-interactive websites
Read a book, play or work out.

These changes are not forever but they help reduce the spread of the virus.

Where should we get information about the virus?

YOU CAN HELP BREAK THE FAKE NEWS CHAIN!

Unless the information comes directly from an official source, take it with a grain of salt.

Establish whether you have indeed come across fake information
Be mindful – fake news will often tell you what you want to hear
Look around – is the website trustworthy?
Check the sources – is any other news source reporting on the same thing?
Check the date –Check the publication date of the article and check if the timeline it refers to makes sense
Turn to the experts – go to reputable websites, such as the World Health Organization, your national health authority and the European Commission. Is the information also available there?

Never consult invalid sources, or rely on discussions from people on the internet-no fake news, no conspiracy theories!

Be careful to recognize fake news and responsible to stop dissemination of them!

We should only consult official sources.

World Health Organization (WHO)

Centre for Disease Control (CDC)

European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC)

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Εθνικές, όπως ο Εθνικός Οργανισμός Δημόσιας Υγείαςς ΕΟΔΥ