On the last day of 2019, it was reported that an unknown virus started spreading in Wuhan, China. Later on, it started spreading across the globe, and the virus was named COVID-19, a new strain from the coronavirus family. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that mainly attacks an individual’s respiratory system. And like the majority of viruses, COVID-19 is highly transmissible. Its symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue, loss of taste and smell, shortness of breath, and chest pain.
But aside from being contagious, the toll on the economy and the death rate caused by COVID-19 has been alarming. Governments around the world have exhausted their best efforts to combat the virus. However, despite all these efforts, COVID-19, with its constant mutations, still poses severe dangers to the people.
Fortunately, vaccines were developed in 2021. The vaccines have provided tremendous aid in lowering the mortality rate of those infected with the virus. But despite the help they brought, these vaccines can only offer to boost one’s immune system and not fully immunize them from the virus. Because of this, the health of people under the immunocompromised category is still at risk.
The immunocompromised include the elderly, pregnant women, individuals with respiratory ailments, and persons with comorbidities. These people are more susceptible to the virus, which is why they should be prioritized in hospitals and vaccination sites.
So if you or your loved one belongs to this category, you are highly encouraged to stay at home as much as possible and take COVID tests, such as rapid antigen test or PCR test, to ensure that you will not be infected with the virus.
Indeed, everyone wants to go back to their lives again similar before the pandemic happened, but COVID-19 is undoubtedly a battle that will take a long time to conquer. Thus, all we can do is be prepared and do our best to stay safe. If you want to know more about COVID-19 and whether or not you are at higher risk of being infected, you can check this infographic created by Harley Medic.
