CORONAVIRUS AND DENTISTRY
WHAT IS CORONAVIRUS? Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a new strain that was discovered in 2019 and has not been previously identified in humans. The new virus is dangerous - so far, around 20 per cent of confirmed cases have been classed as severe or critical. So far, around 15 to 20 per cent of hospital cases have been classed as "severe" and the current death rate varies between 0.7 per cent and 3.4 per cent depending on the location and, crucially, access to good hospital care. This is much lower than fatality rates for Mers (30 per cent) and Sars (10 per cent), but still a significant threat. HOW DOES IT SPREAD? Like cold and flu bugs, the virus is spread via droplets when a person coughs or sneezes. The droplets land on s...