Itâs official - India has begun to move swiftly to manage the recent nCoV2019 Coronavirus outbreak from China, as a medical student from Wuhan university has been placed under quarantine in Kerala.

Meanwhile, Indians in Wuhan breathe a sigh of relief through their facemasks as Air India has sent a special pair of flights to help evacuate Indians from the city. China's National Health Commission, in its daily report, said that out of 7,711 people infected with the virus, 1,370 patients were critical and 12,167 under observation for suspected infection. But around 89,000 people have been in close contact with patients, so far - while the city itself houses some 11 million-odd people.

© Reuters

But what exactly is the Coronavirus, and how does it manifest itself in human patients? Letâs take a closer look.

Under The Microscope

© Wikimedia

Coronaviradae, as theyâre medically called, refers to a family of viruses that affects mammals and birds - previous outbreaks such as SARS and MERS are also members of this group. âCoronaâ, which means âcrownâ in Latin, was chosen in their nomenclature due to the petal-like projections on their surface - these, when viewed on an electron microscope cause a visual effect that resembles the âsolar coronaâ - a halo of light that can be seen during solar eclipses.

The way a coronavirus attacks a cell is pretty dependent on these projections as well. Depending on the genetic code of the virus, these projections act as a sort of âkeyâ - being able to break into a target cell. Once inside, they hijack the cell's functional parts, using it to create more coronaviruses  - usually killing the cell in the process and infecting the organism it belonged to.

Fortunately, our immune system IS pretty vigilant, and as it detects cell death due to the virus, it will begin to mount an immune response - these will show up as pretty common flu-like symptoms such as sneezing, coughs, sore throats, fevers and body aches.

The fevers raise your body temperature to make the virusâ environment more inhospitable, while phlegm and runny noses help flush out dead cells and make the virus less likely to keep infecting you.

While your body is usually capable of handling the Coronavirus through a combination of your own immune system and basic medical attention, what if your immune system isnât doing so good?

© ASAPScience

As the graph above shows, the virus has been far more lethal towards the elderly. As we grow older, our immune systems become compromised. The body slows down and loses some of its speed and efficacy at fighting off invaders.

In the case of those with weaker immune systems, the body might go into overdrive after detecting the virus too late. In severe cases, this leads to an excess of white blood cells, which in turn results in a variety of chemical responses in the body, which can finally lead to fluid leaking into the lungs - a condition known as pulmonary oedema.

Caption: An X-Ray showing a case of pulmonary oedema - notice how the left lung is suffocated.

Once the lungs are choked, oxygen levels in blood drop, and this can lead to organ failure. This can also cascade into further infections and complications, and if not resolved, possibly death. 

While this all might sound scary, doctors and medical professionals assure us that while the elderly are at risk, the death toll of this virus is relatively low, and it can be effectively managed. 

As the virus currently has no vaccine, itâs important to keep conscious about personal hygiene, and rely on useful measures such as hand sanitisers and regular checkups to keep ahead of the epidemic.

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