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Coronavirus has claimed more than 156,000 lives and infected nearly 2.3 million people around the world.

Among them is UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is now recuperating after being treated in hospital for Covid-19.

What are the coronavirus symptoms?

Coronavirus infects the lungs. The two main symptoms are a fever or a dry cough, which can sometimes lead to breathing problems.

The cough to look out for is a new, continuous cough. This means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or having three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours. If you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual.

You have a fever if your temperature is above 37.8C. This can make you feel warm, cold or shivery.

A sore throat, headache and diarrhoea have also been reported and a loss of smell and taste may also be a symptom.

It takes five days on average to start showing the symptoms, but some people will get them much later. The World Health Organization (WHO) says the incubation period lasts up to 14 days.

On 18 April, the US's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its list of symptoms to look out for, to include:

Chills
Repeated shaking with chills
Muscle pain
Headache
Sore throat
New loss of taste or smell

Previously it only detailed a fever, cough and shortness of breath.

When do people need to go to hospital?

The majority of people with coronavirus will recover after rest and pain relief (such as paracetamol).

The main reason people need hospital treatment is difficulty breathing.

Doctors may scan the lungs to see how badly they are affected and give support, such as oxygen or ventilation, if needed.

However, people should not go to A&E if they are concerned. In the UK, the NHS 111 website will guide you through what to do.

If you are so breathless that you are unable to speak more than a few words you will be told to call 999, as this is a medical emergency.

If you become so ill that you've stopped doing all of your usual daily activities then it will advise speaking to a nurse by dialling NHS 111.

What happens in intensive care?

Intensive care units (ICUs) are specialist wards for people who are very ill.

Coronavirus patients will get oxygen support, which can involve using a facemask, or a tube in the nose.

The most invasive way - for the most seriously ill patients - is ventilation where air, with increased levels of oxygen, is pushed into the lungs via a tube in the mouth, nose or through a small cut in the throat.

What should I do if I have mild symptoms?

People are advised not to ring NHS 111 to report their symptoms unless they are worried. They should also not go to their GP, or A&E.

Details for Scotland are to check NHS inform, then ring your GP in office hours, or 111 out-of-hours. In Wales call NHS 111, and in Northern Ireland, call your GP.

If you have come into contact with somebody who may be infected, you may be told to self-isolate.

How deadly is coronavirus?

The proportion dying from the disease appears low (between 1% and 2%) - but the figures are unreliable.

Thousands are being treated but may go on to die - so the death rate could be higher. But it may also be lower if lots of mild cases are unreported.

A World Health Organization (WHO) examination of data from 56,000 patients suggests:

6% become critically ill - lung failure, septic shock, organ failure and risk of death
14% develop severe symptoms - difficulty breathing and shortness of breath
80% develop mild symptoms - fever and cough and some may have pneumonia

Older people, and those with pre-existing medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure), are more likely to become severely ill. Men are at slightly higher risk of dying from the virus than women.

What do I need to know about the coronavirus?

EASY STEPS: What can I do?
CONTAINMENT: What it means to self-isolate
UK LATEST: What's the UK's plan and what could happen next?
MAPS AND CHARTS: Visual guide to the outbreak
VIDEO: The 20-second hand wash

How do I protect myself?

The best thing is regular and thorough hand washing, preferably with soap and water.

Coronavirus spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes small droplets - packed with the virus - into the air. These can be breathed in, or cause an infection if you touch a surface they have landed on, then your eyes, nose or mouth.

So, coughing and sneezing into tissues, not touching your face with unwashed hands, and avoiding close contact with infected people are important.

People will be most infectious when they have symptoms, but some may spread the virus even before they are sick.

This explainer will be regularly updated to reflect the audience's questions about coronavirus. Details of how to get in touch are below.

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The BETTER way to protect yourself from coronavirus

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With a growing number of cases of the new coronavirus confirmed across the United States, having a sore throat or some sniffles might feel like a cause for concern. But in most cases, there is no reason to worry, experts say.

If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, which include fever, cough and shortness of breath, here are the steps that doctors and public health officials recommend you take.

Don't panic.

While researchers are still learning about the new coronavirus, most people sickened by it appear to not get all that ill.

"The one thing we really don't need is mass hysteria," said Dr. Robert Murphy, executive director of the Institute for Global Health at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and an infectious diseases professor. "Eighty percent of people have such minor symptoms, they don't actually require any medical care at all. The 20 percent who do feel quite ill need to be evaluated, and some of them will require hospitalization and some of them will require intensive care."

Dr. Anthony Fauci offers advice on how to avoid coronavirus

Those most at-risk for severe symptoms include senior citizens and/or people with underlying medical conditions, such as cardiovascular or lung disease, cancer or diabetes, he said.

As of Friday evening, there were more than 300 confirmed cases of the coronavirus across the United States. Some have already recovered.

Before you do anything else, call your health care provider.

If you are worried you might have the coronavirus, pick up the phone before you seek medical treatment. The reason for this is twofold: In very mild cases, your doctor might be able to give you advice on how to treat your symptoms at home without needing to see you in person, which would reduce the number of other people you expose.

"The vast majority of cases are going to be mild, and people are going to recover just like they do from a cold or flu-like illness," said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and an infectious diseases doctor.

In more serious cases, where medical treatment might be necessary to assist with breathing issues or other problems, an urgent care center or a hospital emergency department will benefit from advance notice of your arrival. They may have a special entrance they want you to come in through so you don't expose other patients on your way in, or a mask they want you to put on, Adalja said.

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Not everyone needs to be tested, experts say. If you have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with the coronavirus or have recently traveled to an area where the virus is spreading, and you develop a fever, a cough or difficulty breathing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends you call a health care professional for guidance on whether to be tested.

This advice has been echoed by local public health districts. In Snohomish County, Washington, where there are at least four confirmed cases of the coronavirus, officials urged the public to call their health care provider if they think they have been exposed or feel ill with "only mild cold symptoms." They advised against going to an urgent care clinic or a hospital to get tested in those situations.

"Doing so displaces other patients who truly need urgent care and increases the risk of spread of respiratory infections in health care settings. Furthermore, there is little personal health value in pursuing COVID-19 testing of patients who are not severely ill or part of a public health investigation," the Snohomish Health District said in a statement.

Even if you have not had prolonged contact with known coronavirus patients, but are concerned you might have caught the illness, calling your doctor first is the best course of action.

"If you have any anxiety or reason to believe you have coronavirus infection, or heck, even if you have influenza, call your health care provider, because you don't want to just show up in the waiting room and give it to everybody else," said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases specialist at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

What your doctor recommends you do will depend on the severity of your symptoms. Shortness of breath, an unremitting fever or feeling extremely weak require medical attention, which could include visiting an urgent care center or an emergency department, according to Johns Hopkins' Adalja.

"Otherwise, I would treat it symptomatically. That might include taking medicine to reduce fever, or cold and flu medicines to reduce symptoms," he said.

Stay home until your symptoms go away.

As with any illness, it's best to keep your germs to yourself.

"Don't go to work and spread it to your co-workers. Don't go to the gym. Hunker down."

"Don't go to work and spread it to your co-workers. Don't go to the gym. Hunker down," Schaffner said.

Because the coronavirus is believed to be most contagious when patients are symptomatic, the CDC has asked those with it to isolate themselves until their cough, fever and other symptoms go away — which is likely to be at least a week or two, according to Northwestern's Murphy.

But because much is not known yet about the virus, the contagious period could be longer than that, Murphy added.

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For close contacts of the infected person, or those who have had prolonged contact within six feet of a confirmed patient, the CDC considers the incubation period to be 14 days, during which they should be quarantined and monitored for symptoms.

As for others in the community with whom those close contacts have been in touch, "the contact of the contact is probably not going to be a problem. Now, if the person gets sick, they move up the ladder and then they're a real contact," Murphy said.

And if you are not sick.

The coronavirus is believed to spread mostly through respiratory droplets — which are dispersed when a sick person coughs, the Rhode Island Department of Health spokesman Joseph Wendelken said over the weekend, when the state announced its first two cases. He said most people should still go about their normal lives.

“If someone is not exhibiting any symptoms, there is no need to change your daily routine,” he said.

While the CDC has warned that Americans should be prepared for a coronavirus outbreak in their communities, guidance on how to stay healthy has mostly revolved around commonsense measures, including washing your hands and not touching your face.

Those who are medically frail or elderly should take extra precautions to not expose themselves to the virus by avoiding large gatherings, experts said. For everyone else, making any major changes is an individual decision, not an edict.

"We certainly ought to be prudent," Schaffner said. "Maybe I'll watch TV instead of going to the movies. This is maybe not the time to go out and spend a lot of time at the mall shopping."

But, Schaffner pointed out, those are good measures to take during cold and flu season anyway.

"Please don't panic. Remember that even if you should have coronavirus infection, most of the infections, we're now learning, are fortunately rather mild," he said.

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). The most recently discovered coronavirus causes coronavirus disease COVID-19.

COVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. COVID-19 is now a pandemic affecting many countries globally.

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, dry cough, and tiredness. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, sore throat or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected but only have very mild symptoms. Most people (about 80%) recover from the disease without needing hospital treatment. Around 1 out of every 5 people who gets COVID-19 becomes seriously ill and develops difficulty breathing. Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart and lung problems, diabetes, or cancer , are at higher risk of developing serious illness. However anyone can catch COVID-19 and become seriously ill. Even people with very mild symptoms of COVID-19 can transmit the virus. People of all ages who experience fever, cough and difficulty breathing should seek medical attention.

If you have minor symptoms, such as a slight cough or a mild fever, there is generally no need to seek medical care. Stay at home, self-isolate and monitor your symptoms. Follow national guidance on self-isolation.

However, if you live in an area with malaria or dengue fever it is important that you do not ignore symptoms of fever. Seek medical help. When you attend the health facility wear a mask if possible, keep at least 1 metre distance from other people and do not touch surfaces with your hands. If it is a child who is sick help the child stick to this advice.

Seek immediate medical care if you have difficulty breathing or pain/pressure in the chest. If possible, call your health care provider in advance, so he/she can direct you to the right health facility.

People can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. The disease spreads primarily from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth, which are expelled when a person with COVID-19 coughs, sneezes, or speaks. These droplets are relatively heavy, do not travel far and quickly sink to the ground. People can catch COVID-19 if they breathe in these droplets from a person infected with the virus. This is why it is important to stay at least 1 metre (3 feet) away from others. These droplets can land on objects and surfaces around the person such as tables, doorknobs and handrails. People can become infected by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. This is why it is important to wash your hands regularly with soap and water or clean with alcohol-based hand rub.

WHO is assessing ongoing research on the ways that COVID-19 is spread and will continue to share updated findings.

COVID-19 is mainly spread through respiratory droplets expelled by someone who is coughing or has other symptoms such as fever or tiredness. Many people with COVID-19 experience only mild symptoms. This is particularly true in the early stages of the disease. It is possible to catch COVID-19 from someone who has just a mild cough and does not feel ill.

Some reports have indicated that people with no symptoms can transmit the virus. It is not yet known how often it happens. WHO is assessing ongoing research on the topic and will continue to share updated findings.

Practicing hand and respiratory hygiene is important at ALL times and is the best way to protect others and yourself.

When possible maintain at least a 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and others. This is especially important if you are standing by someone who is coughing or sneezing. Since some infected persons may not yet be exhibiting symptoms or their symptoms may be mild, maintaining a physical distance with everyone is a good idea if you are in an area where COVID-19 is circulating.

If you have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19, you may be infected.

Close contact means that you live with or have been in settings of less than 1 metre from those who have the disease. In these cases, it is best to stay at home.

However, if you live in an area with malaria or dengue fever it is important that you do not ignore symptoms of fever. Seek medical help. When you attend the health facility wear a mask if possible, keep at least 1 metre distant from other people and do not touch surfaces with your hands. If it is a child who is sick help the child stick to this advice.

If you do not live in an area with malaria or dengue fever please do the following:

If you become ill, even with very mild symptoms you must self-isolate
Even if you don’t think you have been exposed to COVID-19 but develop symptoms, then self-isolate and monitor yourself
You are more likely to infect others in the early stages of the disease when you just have mild symptoms, therefore early self-isolation is very important.
If you do not have symptoms, but have been exposed to an infected person, self-quarantine for 14 days.

If you have definitely had COVID-19 (confirmed by a test) self-isolate for 14 days even after symptoms have disappeared as a precautionary measure – it is not yet known exactly how long people remain infectious after they have recovered. Follow national advice on self-isolation.

Self-isolation is an important measure taken by those who have COVID-19 symptoms to avoid infecting others in the community, including family members.

Self-isolation is when a person who is experiencing fever, cough or other COVID-19 symptoms stays at home and does not go to work, school or public places. This can be voluntarily or based on his/her health care provider’s recommendation. However, if you live in an area with malaria or dengue fever it is important that you do not ignore symptoms of fever. Seek medical help. When you attend the health facility wear a mask if possible, keep at least 1 metre distant from other people and do not touch surfaces with your hands. If it is a child who is sick help the child stick to this advice.

If you do not live in an area with malaria or dengue fever please do the following:

- If a person is in self-isolation, it is because he/she is ill but not severely ill (requiring medical attention)

have a large, well-ventilated with hand-hygiene and toilet facilities
If this is not possible, place beds at least 1 metre apart
Keep at least 1 metre (3 feet) from others, even from your family members
Monitor your symptoms daily
Isolate for 14 days, even if you feel healthy
If you develop difficulty breathing, contact your healthcare provider immediately – call them first if possible
Stay positive and energized by keeping in touch with loved ones by phone or online, and by exercising yourself at home.

To self-quarantine means to separate yourself from others because you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 even though you, yourself, do not have symptoms. During self-quarantine you monitor yourself for symptoms. The goal of the self-quarantine is to prevent transmission. Since people who become ill with COVID-19 can infect people immediately self-quarantine can prevent some infections from happening. .

Have a large, well-ventilated single room with hand hygiene and toilet facilities
If this is not available place beds at least 1 metre apart.
Keep at least 1-metre distance from others, even from your family members.
Monitor your symptoms daily
Self-quarantine for 14 days, even if you feel healthy
If you develop difficulty breathing, contact your healthcare provider immediately – call them first if possible.
Stay positive and energized by keeping in touch with loved ones by phone or online, and by exercising yourself at home.

However, if you live in an area with malaria or dengue fever it is important that you do not ignore symptoms of fever. Seek medical help. When you attend the health facility wear a mask if possible, keep at least 1 metre distant from other people and do not touch surfaces with your hands. If it is a child who is sick help the child stick to this advice.

Quarantine means restricting activities or separating people who are not ill themselves but may have been exposed to COVID-19. The goal is to prevent spread of the disease at the time when people just develop symptoms.

Isolation means separating people who are ill with symptoms of COVID-19 and may be infectious to prevent the spread of the disease.

Physical distancing means being physically apart. WHO recommends keeping at least 1-metre (3 feet) distance from others. This is a general measure that everyone should take even if they are well with no known exposure to COVID-19.

Research indicates that children and adolescents are just as likely to become infected as any other age group and can spread the disease.

Evidence to date suggests that children and young adults are less likely to get severe disease, but severe cases can still happen in these age groups.

Children and adults should follow the same guidance on self-quarantine and self-isolation if there is a risk they have been exposed or are showing symptoms. It is particularly important that children avoid contact with older people and others who are at risk of more severe disease.

Stay aware of the latest information on the COVID-19 outbreak, available on the WHO website and through your national and local public health authority. Most countries around the world have seen cases of COVID-19 and many are experiencing outbreaks. Authorities in China and some other countries have succeeded in slowing their outbreaks. However, the situation is unpredictable so check regularly for the latest news.

You can reduce your chances of being infected or spreading COVID-19 by taking some simple precautions:

Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Why? Washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands.
Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and others. Why? When someone coughs, sneezes, or speaks they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person has the disease.
Avoid going to crowded places. Why? Where people come together in crowds, you are more likely to come into close contact with someone that has COIVD-19 and it is more difficult to maintain physical distance of 1 metre (3 feet).
Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth. Why? Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and infect you.
Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately and wash your hands. Why? Droplets spread virus. By following good respiratory hygiene, you protect the people around you from viruses such as cold, flu and COVID-19.
Stay home and self-isolate even with minor symptoms such as cough, headache, mild fever, until you recover. Have someone bring you supplies. If you need to leave your house, wear a mask to avoid infecting others. Why? Avoiding contact with others will protect them from possible COVID-19 and other viruses.
If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention, but call by telephone in advance if possible and follow the directions of your local health authority. Why? National and local authorities will have the most up to date information on the situation in your area. Calling in advance will allow your health care provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This will also protect you and help prevent spread of viruses and other infections.
Keep up to date on the latest information from trusted sources, such as WHO or your local and national health authorities. Why? Local and national authorities are best placed to advise on what people in your area should be doing to protect themselves.

Not yet. To date, there is no vaccine and no specific antiviral medicines against COVID-19. However, .people, particularly those with serious illness, may need to be hospitalized so that they can receive life-saving treatment for complications.. Most patients recover thanks to such care.

Possible vaccines and some specific drug treatments are currently under investigation. They are being tested through clinical trials. WHO is coordinating efforts to develop vaccines and medicines to prevent and treat COVID-19.

The most effective ways to protect yourself and others against COVID-19 are to:

Clean your hands frequently and thoroughly
Avoid touching your eyes, mouth and nose
Cover your cough with the bend of elbow or tissue. If a tissue is used, discard it immediately and wash your hands.
Maintain a distance of at least 1 metre (3 feet) from others.

The time between exposure to COVID-19 and the moment when symptoms start is commonly around five to six days but can range from 1 – 14 days.

COVID-19 is spread through human-to-human transmission.

We already know a lot about other viruses in the coronavirus family and most of these types of viruses have an origin in animals. The COVID-19 virus (also called SARS-CoV-2) is a new virus in humans. The possible animal source of COVID-19 has not yet been confirmed but research is ongoing.

WHO continues to monitor the latest research on this and other COVID-19 topics and will update, as new findings are available.

Several dogs and cats (domestic cats and a tiger) in contact with infected humans have tested positive for COVID-19. In addition, ferrets appear to be susceptible to the infection. In experimental conditions, both cats and ferrets were able to transmit infection to other animals of the same species, but there is no evidence that these animals can transmit the disease to human and play a role in spreading COVID-19. COVID-19 is mainly spread through droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks.

It is still recommended that people who are sick with COVID-19 and people who are at risk limit contact with companion and other animals. When handling and caring for animals, basic hygiene measures should always be implemented. This includes hand washing after handling animals, their food, or supplies, as well as avoiding kissing, licking or sharing food.

WHO continues to monitor the latest research on this and other COVID-19 topics and will update as new findings are available

The most important thing to know about coronavirus on surfaces is that they can easily be cleaned with common household disinfectants that will kill the virus. Studies have shown that the COVID-19 virus can survive for up to 72 hours on plastic and stainless steel, less than 4 hours on copper and less than 24 hours on cardboard.

As, always clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, or nose.

When grocery shopping, keep at least 1-metre distance from others and avoid touching your eyes, mouth and nose. If possible, sanitize the handles of shopping trolleys or baskets before shopping. Once home, wash your hands thoroughly and also after handling and storing your purchased products.

There is currently no confirmed case of COVID-19 transmitted through food or food packaging.

Fruits and vegetables are important components of a healthy diet. Wash them the same way you should do under any circumstance: before handling them, wash your hands with soap and water. Then, wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly with clean water, especially if you eat them raw.

No. Antibiotics do not work against viruses; they only work on bacterial infections. COVID-19 is caused by a virus, so antibiotics do not work. Antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention or treatment of COVID-19. In hospitals physicians will sometimes use antibiotics to prevent or treat secondary bacterial infections which can be a complication of COVID-19 in severely ill patients. They should only be used as directed by a physician to treat a bacterial infection.

While initial investigations suggest the virus may be present in faeces in some cases, to date, there have not been reports of faecal-oral transmission of COVID-19. Additionally, there is no evidence to date on the survival of the COVID-19 virus in water or sewage.

WHO is assessing ongoing research on the ways COVID-19 is spread and will continue to share new findings on this topic.

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