Brazil is the epicenter of the coronavirus
Dr. Campos, doctor in Veterinary Sciences at UFRGS, professor of undergraduate and graduate studies at the Federal University of Tocantins and member of the Board of the Brazilian Society of Virology, explained about the Coronavirus during the activity.
“We live daily with viruses. We are in contact with these microorganisms constantly. They are the most abundant beings on earth", explained Dr. Campos.
According to the professor, the first case of coronavirus appeared in 2002/2003. This is the SARS-CoV-1. The second, the MERS-CoV, had the camel as an intermediate host and occurred in 2012. SARS-CoV-2 arrived in humans in 2019 by a series of mutations accumulated over time. "We have more than 2,500 different coronaviruses, which infect different species and mostly bats, but only now has the virus managed to reach humans in a more impactful way."
Dr. Campos explained that the new coronavirus appeared in China, but it could have appeared anywhere else. Today, Brazil is considered one of the epicenters of the disease due to the difficulty of obeying social distancing.
“We have been socially distant for 3 months, but it is being partial. Our hospitals are full. After a little while Porto Alegre will have to take a more drastic measure, making a lockdown”.
There are many asymptomatic people. So the risk is very high and schools have been closed. In Europe, the schools that opened had to close again due to the speed of contagion.
Habits such as the use of gel alcohol and washing hands with soap and water decrease the risk of contamination of the virus, as it has an enveloped layer that is easily destroyed by these substances.
Another measure that reduces the risk of contamination is the use of masks. “We are talking about a respiratory virus and these particles travel in the air. Two people wearing a mask greatly reduces the likelihood of the virus spreading.”
"Being very optimistic, we will only have a vaccine at the end of the year or 2021. Even so, the production of doses for everyone will last a long time," he concluded.