Coronavirus - Catch The Facts

Knowledge is your first step in staying safe in the crisis.

- Penny Lewis

Since January COVID-19, known more commonly as coronavirus, has spread from its point of origin in Wuhan, China, to many parts of the world, including three confirmed cases in New Zealand at the time of going to print. So far, more than 90,000 cases have been confirmed internationally, with the tally growing by the day.

The new strain of coronavirus was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) at the end of 2019. NZ’s first case was confirmed at the end of last month, and the second and third on March 4 and 5.

Ministry of Health officials say Aotearoa is prepared and ready to deal with a coronavirus outbreak should it occur here. The risk of an ongoing outbreak is low-moderate, and the Ministry is monitoring the situation closely.

For up-to-date news and advice, read the Ministry of Health’s website health.govt.nz. We share some facts here ...

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

Symptoms of coronavirus are similar to a range of other illnesses such as influenza (the flu). Having any of these symptoms does not necessarily mean that you have COVID-19.

Symptoms include:

• Fever
• Coughing
• Difficulty breathing (breathing difficulties is a sign of possible pneumonia and requires immediate medical attention).

It is not yet known for sure how long symptoms take to show after a person has been infected, but current WHO assessments suggest an incubation period of between one to 14 days, most commonly around five days.