Leading Google Coronavirus Research Reveals Australia's Concerns About Epidemic – Science News

The new coronavirus has dominated global headlines and closed borders, but when it comes to their personal concerns, Australians are turning to the Internet for answers.

The most frequent searches on Google over the past week suggest that many of us want to know how the disease spreads, as well as practical questions on how best to protect ourselves.

These are the 10 most requested coronavirus requests from last week, asked by Google users. We have submitted them to the experts.

1. Should I refuel with coronavirus?

With more COVID-19 cases expected to emerge in the coming days and weeks, experts say it's time to prepare, but don't panic.

University of Queensland virologist Ian Mackay told the ABC that this is not "buying panic", but rather "buying panic" be smart with what you add to your cart.

"We can do a little preparation ourselves to make ourselves feel a bit in control," said Professor Mackay.

"We can get some staple food, dry food, dried fruit, some medicine if you have prescriptions, it's good to fill them now."

He said it was a good idea to do this in advance, before any potential stock or supply disruptions.

"We can be a little ahead of this curve and we still have a lot of time because the virus is not yet spreading widely here."

2. How the coronavirus spreads

The coronavirus is spread by direct contact with respiratory droplets, the small secretions that we generate when we sneeze or cough.

It is spread when an infected person coughs or exhales and small droplets land on objects and the surfaces around them. Other people then catch the virus by touching these objects and surfaces, then touching the nose or mouth with their eyes.

3. Will the coronavirus end?

At this point, it is too early to say whether or how the coronavirus will "end" and health researchers have lots of different views.

One possibility is that it will become another seasonal illness like colds and flu.

The first thing to know is that four coronaviruses are currently circulating in the population, said William Rawlinson, senior medical virologist at NSW Health Pathology.

They cause colds, for example, and come back every winter.

SARS, another coronavirus, has spread quickly, but has now almost disappeared.

MERS, on the other hand, appears to have persisted at low levels in some parts of the world.

"My personal opinion and hope is that … (the COVID-19 epidemic) will go away over time, rather than becoming a part of the population," said Professor Rawlinson.

A woman wearing a health mask looks at her phone in Milan, Italy.

AP: Claudio Furlan / Lapresse

4. How is coronavirus transmitted?

As noted above, coronavirus spreads from person to person via droplets of infected fluid.

Since there is no vaccine to avoid getting infected with the virus, the most important thing you can do is to reduce your risk, which starts with good hygiene. personal.

The top of your priority list should be regular hand washing, which research has shown can go a long way in preventing disease and spreading infection.

It is also important to avoid touching your face (especially if you have not washed your hands) and to clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Although many people have rushed to buy face masks, they are not necessary for the general public and may in fact cause a shortage of masks among healthcare workers who need them.

5. Do I have to worry about coronavirus?

Australia recorded its first cases of human-to-human transmission yesterday, and authorities are now considering more extreme prevention measures.

As the number of cases in Australia is expected to increase, a massive epidemic could still be stopped, said Peter Collignon, an infectious disease expert at Australian National University.

"I think it is likely that we will have more cases because Iran is a good example where you can have a lot of cases in the community, it is not realized then people who come into contact with these people bring it back here and potentially spread it, "said Professor Collignon.

"But I don't think it is inevitable that we will have a widespread and uncontrolled spread across the community."

It's not just the health issues that we need to worry about. The coronavirus epidemic has also become a serious economic story. As the virus has spread to almost all continents, the global financial markets have become volatile.

The Australian stock market has plummeted and the impact is expected to continue unless the coronavirus is brought under control.

6. What are the symptoms of Coronavirus 2020?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, fatigue and dry cough.

Some people may also experience aches and pains, nasal congestion, a runny nose, a sore throat, or diarrhea.

Although symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually, some infected people do not develop any symptoms or do not feel well.

7. Can you get coronavirus twice?

Scientists learn more about the coronavirus every day, but at this point, it's not clear if you can get the disease twice.

Concerns about the possibility of catching it more than once seem to stem largely from an incident in Japan, where government officials have reported that a woman is said to have contracted the virus a second time.

Professor Rawlinson said it was too early to tell if it was a feature of the virus.

There are several possible scenarios, including that detection of the virus becomes negative in the nose and throat but persists in the lungs.

Posters from Dr. Li Wenliang, who warned Chinese authorities of the coronavirus outbreak.

8. Is the coronavirus worse than the flu?

Many people who fall ill with the new coronavirus will have mild flu-like symptoms; however, it appears to be more deadly than the seasonal flu.

Although the exact death rate is still unclear and early estimates suggest somewhere around 2%, a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine last week found a lower rate: 1.4 percent.

This means that for every 1,000 cases of COVID-19, there will be approximately 14 deaths.

In contrast, seasonal flu strains kill about 0.1% of those infected, or about 1 in 1,000 people. This makes coronavirus about 10 times more deadly.

It is important to note, however, that the true death rate from this epidemic may turn out to be much lower if there are many mild, unreported cases, which is certainly possible.

As with seasonal flu, the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions (such as high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes) seem to be at the highest risk of developing serious disease from coronavirus.

The good news is that children seem to be safe from severe symptoms.

Australia's interest in "coronavirus", as shown by the past 90 days on Google trends.

9. How many people die from the flu?

Each year, the seasonal flu is expected to kill between 290,000 and 650,000 people worldwide.

So far, the number of people around the world who have been infected with coronavirus has exceeded 90,000, and more than 3,000 people have died since the epidemic began in December.

10. Is the coronavirus a pandemic?

Although WHO has described the coronavirus as having "pandemic potential", it has so far not declared a pandemic as the global spread of a new disease.

"At the moment we are not witnessing the uncontrolled global spread of this virus and we are not witnessing serious illness or large-scale death," said WHO director-general last week, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

But many health experts believe that this is increasingly likely to change.

The virus has now spread from China to other regions of Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, Africa and Australia.

The Australian government operates on the basis that the virus is a pandemic, and last week pulled the trigger of its emergency response plan.

"We believe that the risk of a global pandemic is very present to us and, therefore, as a government, we must take the necessary steps to prepare for such a pandemic," said Prime Minister Scott Morrison. .