COVID-19 is a highly contagious virus that is 3.5 times more deadly than the seasonal flu. It spreads through respiratory droplets when people are in close contact. There are several variants of concern that spread more easily. Getting exposed can lead to asymptomatic, pre-symptomatic, or symptomatic infection. Common symptoms include cough, fever, and shortness of breath. Prevention strategies include vaccination, physical distancing, masks, hand hygiene, and isolation of infected individuals. Treatment focuses on symptom relief and secondary prevention to avoid further spread.

1. COVID-19

2. COVID-19 What Is It?
• Virus
• Highly contagious
• 3.5 times more deadly than the seasonal flu virus
• Has already developed numerous variants throughout the world,
which allow it to spread quicker than the original sars-cov-2 virus
(Covid-19). Currently, not all variants have arrived in Canada and not
all variants are listed below.
• B.1.1.7 UK variant
• B.1.351 South African variant
• B.1.525 Nigerian variant
• Cal.20C Californian variant
• P.1 Brazilian variant

3. Why is This so concerning?
• With the variants spreading quicker;
• It can put a strain on the healthcare resources (Covid-19 test sites,
doctor’s offices, hospitals, labs)
• It can lead to more hospitalizations
• Potentially lead to more deaths
• Existing health issues continue to compound, as surgeries would be
cancelled and people will continue to avoid obtaining
healthcare for routine preventative measures
• It can put a strain on community resources (ex: taxi services and
ambulance services take longer for turn around due to disinfectant
processes, increased costs)

4. How Does it Spread?
• Through respiratory droplets
• Close prolonged contact (defined as 15 minutes within a 24
timeframe)
• Touching an infected area and then touching your eyes, nose or
mouth
• **It can survive on some surfaces outside the human body for up to 7
• days, but specifically;
• Up to 3 hours as an aerosol
• Up to 72 hours on plastic and stainless steel
• Up to 4 hours on copper
• Up to 24 hours on cardboard
• 5 days on glass
• 4 days on wood

5. So, What Happens When You
Get EXPOSED?
• The virus gets in your body through your eyes, nose, or mouth
• It attaches to the ACE2 receptors in the body, which is a protein that
lines our organs (lungs, heart, blood vessels, kidneys, liver, GI tract)
• Once it attaches to these proteins, it causes inflammation
• This can overwhelm your immune system
• Under certain conditions (increased risk factors discussed later), there
is an increased risk of experiencing severe symptoms of the COVID-19,
or even death

6. Different Categories of Infection
Once you are infected you are either:
Asymptomatic
(no symptoms for the
duration)
Pre-symptomatic
(Currently exhibiting no symptoms
but will eventually develop
symptoms)
Symptomatic
(Currently exhibiting symptoms)
The World Health Organization (WHO) believes that once you are infected, you have the
potential to infect others, regardless of the degree of symptoms you are
exhibiting.
In fact, the WHO also believes that you are more likely to infect others around the time
you are experiencing the onset of symptoms

7. COVID-19 Symptoms
• Watch for symptoms.
• Symptoms can vary from person to person and in different age
groups.
• Symptoms may take up to 14 days to appear after exposure to COVID-
19.
• The severity of COVID-19 symptoms can range from mild to severe,
and in some cases, can lead to death.
• Current information suggests most people don't experience severe
illness or need to be hospitalized.

8. EPIDEMIOLOGY
• Since the initial report from China, the disease spread rapidly, and the number
of cases increased exponentially.
• On January 11, the first case was reported outside mainland China in Thailand,
7 and within months, the disease spread to all the continents except
Antarctica. India reported its first case of COVID-19 on January 30, 2020.
• This rose to three cases by February 3, 2020. No further cases were reported
in February 2020.
• However, by mid-March, the number of infected cases started to increase, and
many cases were reported from all over India.
• The first COVID-19 related death in India was reported on March 12, 2020. By
the second week of April, the disease spread to all states in India except
Sikkim.
• At the time of writing this manuscript, there have been 2,170,265 cases and
135,163 deaths globally and 15,712 cases and 507 deaths in India.

9. PERSON

10. PLACE

11. PLACE

12. PLACE

13. TIME

14. COMMON SYMPTOMS
Sore throat
Cough
(new or
worsening)
Shortness
of breath
Fever
(chills, sweats)
Headache

15. YOU should get tested For COVID-19
• If you have symptoms of Covid-19
• If Public Health determines you are a close or moderate contact of a confirmed
case of Covid-19
• If you were at a potential exposure site (see http://www.nshealth.ca/covid-
exposures?title=&field_covid_exposure_zone_value=All&order=changed&sort=d
esc for updated list and directions)
• If you have travelled and arrived in Canada recently
• If you don’t have symptoms, it is recommended that you get routine testing to
ensure you are not an asymptomatic carrier of the virus
• If you are experiencing any other symptoms that concern you
• **If you are asked to isolate by 811, please inform your immediate supervisor and
depending on the severity of your symptoms, discuss work options at that time

16. Recovery
• Most people with COVID-19 recover or feel better within
two weeks.
• Severe cases can take longer than 6 weeks and may or
may not cause permanent damage to your organs.
• There is currently insufficient research, but some
individuals are reporting lingering symptoms after COVID-
19 infection (called long-haulers).

17. PRIMARY PREVENTION
• No compromise can be made for adherence to the main
pillars of primary prevention including physical distancing,
wearing a mask, keeping rooms well ventilated, avoiding
crowds, cleaning the hands, and coughing into a bent
elbow or tissue.

18. secondary prevention
• The secondary prevention measures of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-
19)encompasses measures to make sure that an infected individual does not transfer
the disease to others.
• Infection Control : WHO recommends home care for patients with suspected COVID-
19 who present with mild symptoms.
• It is highly recommended for people with suspected or affirmed COVID-19 (including
those anticipating test results) should remain at home and attempt to isolate
themselves from other members and animals in the family unit.
• World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended wearing a medical mask if
family members are in the same room with the COVID-19 patient to prevent the
spread of the virus. Whereas, according to the United States Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), a cloth face Cover can be acceptable for caregivers at
home and has considered the use of a medical mask for healthcare workers.
• It is highly recommended for COVID-19.patients to use a separate bedroom and
bathroom to prevent the spread of infection to family members. To avoid sharing
rooms and if sharing space in a home is unavoidable, keeping a six feet (two meters)
distance is extremely emphasized.

19. secondary prevention Cont.
• Care providers should perform hand hygiene after any form of contact with patients
or their immediate environment. In a process of providing care to the patient, the
caregiver should wear gloves while touching the patient's blood, stool, or body fluids,
such as saliva, sputum, nasal mucus, vomit, and urine.
• Certain things should not be shared with COVID-19 patients such as dishes, drinking
glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, bedding, and thermometers. After theCOVID-19
patients use these things, they should be properly disinfected.
• COVID-19 patients who require nebulizer treatment and patients with sleep apnea
who use continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine should avoid using
them in shared spaces where there is a risk of aerosol transmission to family
members.
• Symptomatic Treatment:• Symptomatic treatment of mild COVID-19 includes
antipyretics and analgesics for fever, myalgias, and headaches.• Lying on a prone
position has shown a symptomatic . improvement for patients with cough or
dyspnea.
• Anti-Viral Therapy for COVID-19:

20. Tertiary prevention
• Tertiary prevention strategies seek to treat and
rehabilitate those with the clinical disease,
toward reducing sequelae or complications and
improving quality of life within a holistic or
biopsychosocial framework.

21. CREDITS: This presentation template was created by Slidesgo,
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