Cape Town – It's becoming a familiar scene in a world gripped by the coronavirus. Someone sneezes or coughs, sparking a range of possible fears and, in some instances, an outcry from someone in the immediate vicinity.
In South Africa, social media is highly amused over a woman travelling in a taxi in Soweto reprimanding another commuter to cover their mouth when coughing, especially in such close proximity.
The coronavirus isn't something to be sneezed at and with everyone on alert for the most obvious signs – like the woman in the Soweto taxi – it is highly concerning that infected people may be able to pass on the new coronavirus even if they have few obvious symptoms, a study in Germany has found.
Since the first reported coronavirus case in South Africa late last week, fears have intensified.
There have even been chancers who made fake allegations that they had the virus or knew people who had it – a Parow man, 32, who allegedly wanted to jump the queue at Tygerberg Hospital, claiming to have returned from China within the last three weeks; a National Health Laboratory Service employee who allegedly claimed in a voicenote there are cases of the coronavirus at the Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital in Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal; and a woman in the Eastern Cape.
With Covid-19 being the medical term for coronavirus, an illegal "Covid-19" number plate has also caused a stir on social media after it was spotted on a red Audi RS 6 in KwaZulu-Natal.
Commenting on the findings of the German study, Dr William Schaffner, an expert in infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, told The New York Times that’s “bad news”.
Somewhere in a taxi to Soweto🤣🤣 Sembi💀 pic.twitter.com/BpSGMVblo2
— Mary Jane🌸 (@_Aqua_montez) March 8, 2020
When people don’t know they are infected, “they’re up and about, going to work or the gym or to religious services, and breathing on or near other people”, he said.
Luckily, a report by the World Health Organisation suggests that asymptomatic cases are rare.
People infected with the virus produce tiny respiratory droplets when they breathe, talk, cough or sneeze, allowing the virus to travel through the air.
Most respiratory droplets fall to the ground within a few feet. People who are in close contact with those infected could catch the virus in this manner
Scientists don’t know how long the new coronavirus can live on surfaces, and preliminary research suggests that hot and humid environments may not slow down its spread. Warm weather does, however, tend to inhibit influenza and milder coronaviruses.
Surprisingly, at least four types of coronaviruses cause very mild infections every year, like the common cold. Most people get infected with one or more of these viruses at some point in their lives.