Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses which may cause illness in animals or humans. In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Some human coronaviruses spread easily between people, while others do not.

The most recent coronavirus relevant to humans is SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Your risk of severe illness may be higher if you have a weakened immune system. This may be the case for:

• Older individuals
• People with chronic disease (for example: diabetes, cancer, heart, renal or chronic lung disease)

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It first emerged in Wuhan, China in December late 2019 and quickly spread worldwide, resulting in a global pandemic.

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, cough and shortness of breath. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected, but don’t develop any symptoms.

Most people recover from the disease without needing special treatment. Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness. People with fever, cough, sore throat and difficulty breathing should seek medical attention.

People can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. The illness can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales. ese droplets can travel varying distances through the air depending on their size. People can catch COVID-19 if they breathe in droplets from a person with COVID-19 who coughs out or exhales droplets. The droplets also land on objects and surfaces around the person. People can catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.

This is why it is important to maintain safe distance and avoid overcrowding spaces, especially during respiratory season and also practice good handwashing.

The main way the disease spreads is through respiratory droplets expelled by someone who is coughing. The risk of catching COVID-19 from someone with no symptoms at all is very low. However, many people with COVID-19 experience only mild symptoms. This is particularly true at the early stages of the disease. As such, it is possible to catch COVID-19 from someone who has, for example, just a mild cough and does not feel ill. WHO is assessing ongoing research on the period of transmission of COVID-19 and will continue to share updated findings.

The risk of catching COVID-19 from the feces of an infected person appears to be low. While initial investigations suggest the virus may be present in feces in some cases, spread through this route is not a main feature of the outbreak. However, it is advised to clean hands regularly, after using the bathroom and before eating.

Based on available evidence, children do not appear to be at higher risk for COVID-19 than adults. While some children and infants have been sick with COVID-19, adults make up most of the known cases to date. To learn more about who is most at risk for health problems if they have COVID-19 infection, please visit the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Risk and Prevention page.

We do not currently know if pregnant women have a greater chance of getting sick from COVID-19 than the general public. With viruses from the same family as COVID-19, and other viral respiratory infections, such as influenza, pregnant women have had a higher risk of developing severe illness.

• Avoid crowded spaces and keep a safe distance from others.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer ranges in concentration from 60-90% alcohol content. A minimum of 70% alcohol content is recommended for health-care settings, and a minimum of 60% alcohol content is recommended for personal use.
• Avoid touching your eyes, mouth and nose as much as possible.
• Avoid contact with people who are ill and their items.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands. Wash hands after coughing and sneezing.
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle, including a healthy diet, exercise and enough sleep, to enhance your body's immune system.
• See the following guidance on self-monitoring and self-isolation from the Public Health Agency of Canada for more information.