What you need to know about the coronavirus (COVID-19)

Published: March 14, 2020, 8:45 a.m.

On 31 December 2019, the first reported outbreak of the current coronavirus (COVID-19) was said to be in Wuhan, China. Since that first reported outbreak in China, the disease has spread rapidly across the world and caused thousands of death and put many people in critical condition. However, it is also important to note that many who contracted the disease have also succesfully recovered from it. In this bonus episode of The Tefo Mohapi Show I spoke to Dr. Mary Stephen, Technical Officer at the World Health Organization's Regional Office for Africa, about the coronavirus. Dr. Stephen explains what the disease is, clarifies some major myths, explains why we should take it seriously, and more. What is also insightful, despite a lot of the fake news (disinformation and misinformation) that is being circulated about COVID-19, is that from a scientific point of view as Dr. Stephen explains in the podcast there is currently no known effective treatment or vaccine of coronavirus as research and investigations into its origins, transmissibility, and treatment are ongoing.