By Abdellatif Sharaa

"coronavirus, which surfaced in a Chinese seafood and poultry market late last year, has spread to at least 177 countries, killing more than 75,000 and sickening more than one million in a matter of weeks. The World Health Organization has declared the situation a pandemic", reported the New York Times earlier in the year, and of course the numbers now are approaching two million cases and the death toll is rising at a scary rate!

I really tried hard to stay away from getting into the subject of the coronavirus, but found it very hard to do so, especially since we are facing something invisible, and if neglected, it can be highly invasive. Once it reaches its destination - the respiratory system - it takes a foothold, and fighting it is a real struggle and a long and painful process.

Statistics show how dangerous the number of cases are in five developed European countries and the US - infections reached 1,220,584 by Tuesday morning and deaths 90,484 for the same period.

The danger of this disease is that the people may be infected with it for 1 to 14 days before starting to feel the symptoms, such as fever, tiredness and dry cough, while 80 percent of people may recover without needing special treatment. But even asymptomatic patients can infect others. We must note that older people and people with medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease) may be more vulnerable to becoming very ill.

Please remember that you can avoid the virus and prevent it from reaching others by first washing your hands frequently with soap and water correctly, and keep a sanitizer close so you can use it when necessary. Remain at least 1.5 meters away from the person close to you, even farther if the person seems to be unwell, and the best of all is to stay home and not be out for longer periods. Please do not touch your mouth, eyes or nose and even your ears until after you wash your hands.

It is very important to remember that it is not exactly known how long the virus stays viable outside the body, though specialists say it may survive for hours or up to several days. We must not get bored with the daily routine to stay healthy and keep those around us healthy. There will be a day when the coronavirus will be no more, so let us prepare to celebrate that day without having regrets or bad memories. Let us be among those who say "we did", not "if we had done"!

A final word: "Many of life's failure are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." - Thomas Edison

[email protected]