By Consolata Kiara

According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, new edition, a virus is a microscopic organism or agent consisting mainly of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) in a protein coat, multiplying only in living cells of both animals and plants and often causing diseases.  Examples of viruses include smallpox, common cold, mumps, chickenpox, shingles, polio, hepatitis, herpes, rabies, and Ebola. There is no known cure for a virus, but appropriate vaccination can stop them from spreading.

Corona virus disease 2019 (or COVID-19) is a respiratory virus which spreads primarily through droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus can cause a range of symptoms ranging from mild illness to pneumonia. Symptoms consist of fever, cough, sore throat and headaches. In severe cases, difficulty in breathing and death can occur.

No part of the globe is spared from current COVID-19 pandemic. WHO Director General, Dr Tedros, in a regular briefing in April 2020 cautioned that the virus will be with us for a very long time. “There must be a ‘new normal’
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