NEW DELHI: There is widespread panic across the world about Covid-19 caused by the novel coronavirus. But what does this insidious infection agent do to the human body? There are some answers after a review of nearly 56,000 Covid-19 cases from China, the country of origin of the perilous spread.
The review of the Chinese cases shows that the virus causes mild to moderate symptoms after infection in most cases, such as fever, dry cough and fatigue. But this is when the infection is limited to the upper respiratory tract — the nose and the throat. Once the infection involves the lower respiratory tract, complications set in.
The human lower respiratory tract consists of the windpipe (trachea), and the bronchi, bronchioles and alveoli that make up the lungs. These structures pull in air from the upper respiratory system, absorb the oxygen into the blood and release carbon dioxide in exchange.
A review of the Covid-19 cases that had turned severe and critical,