How deadly Covid-19 is spreading in sufferers

WHAT HAPPENS

SUFFERERS typically catch the virus by inhaling it or touching an infected surface and then rubbing their face.

It attacks cells lining the throat and moves through the airways to the lungs.

These are turned into “coronavirus factories”, infecting more and more cells. Only about five days after infection do the first symptoms appear. For most people they are a dry cough and high temperature, anything above 37.8C is suspicious. Normal human body temperature is 36.5-37.5C.

Other symptoms can include aching bodies, a sore throat and a headache.

Feeling ill, particularly through a fever, is the body’s natural reaction to an alien disease triggering the immune system.

As well as infecting the lungs, Covid-19 can damage kidneys and send people’s immune systems haywire.

It causes serious illness and potentially deadly pneumonia by attaching to lung tissue, reproducing and spreading. As the tissue is killed off it builds up in clumps inside the organs, making it hard to breathe and triggering further infections.

The virus can also send the immune system into overdrive as it tries to fight off infection, triggering swelling which can lead to more breathing difficulties.

If a severe infection takes hold it may move on to cause damage or dysfunction to the stomach, intestines, heart, liver and kidneys. It can even cause organ failure.

Some infected people will deteriorate as their immune systems overreact and may need to be treated with a ventilator in hospital. This could be about 14 per cent of sufferers, according to evidence from China.

Globally nearly 170,000 people have been infected with the disease.

An estimated six per cent of patients will become critically ill, creating a real risk of premature death.

However, most patients will only have mild flu symptoms and the best treatment is to go to bed, drink plenty of fluids and take paracetamol. The majority of sufferers will be better in a week.