The virus can cause pneumonia. Those who have fallen ill are reported to suffer coughs, fever and breathing difficulties. In severe cases there can be organ failure. As this is viral pneumonia, antibiotics are of no use.
The antiviral drugs we have against flu will not work. Recovery depends on the strength of the immune system. Many of those who have died were already in poor health.
The symptoms to look out for, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are fever, coughing and shortness of breath. These symptoms usually appear between two days and two weeks of exposure to the virus.
According to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, as many as 98% of COVID-19 patients have a fever, between 76% and 82% have a dry cough, and 11% to 44% report exhaustion and fatigue.
The disease appears to become more severe with age, with the 30- to 79-year-old age range predominating the detected cases in Wuhan, where the outbreak began, according to a study in JAMA. Children seem to be at less risk of suffering noticeable symptoms of the disease.
In more serious cases of COVID-19, patients experience pneumonia, which means their lungs begin to fill with pockets of pus or fluid. This leads to intense shortness of breath and painful coughing.
All you need to know on Coronavirus
Where do Coronaviruses come from?
What is COVID-19? What is SARS-CoV-2?
Is this coronavirus comparable to SARS or to the seasonal flu (influenza)?
What is the mode of transmission?
How (easily) does Coronavirus spread?
Can someone spread the coronavirus without being sick?
Are some people at more coronavirus risk than others?
Is there a treatment for the COVID-19 disease?
When should I be tested for COVID-19?
How does the Coronavirus spread?
Have there been other coronaviruses?