{"id":37186,"date":"2021-04-16T20:25:48","date_gmt":"2021-04-16T10:25:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hudson.org.au?post_type=disease&p=37186"},"modified":"2026-04-14T12:04:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T02:04:55","slug":"covid-19","status":"publish","type":"disease","link":"https:\/\/hudson.org.au\/disease\/inflammation\/covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n
\n\n
\n
\n
\n\n

COVID-19 explained<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease caused by a strain of coronavirus, SARS-CoV2. While around two per cent of people who get the flu in a typical season have severe or life-threatening complications requiring hospitalisation, around 10 per cent of COVID-19 cases result in life-threatening complications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

COVID-19 is set to be the third-leading cause of death in Australia<\/a> in the first seven months of 2022, after ischaemic heart disease and dementia, and ahead of cerebrovascular disease and lung cancer.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n\n

FAQs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n \n
\n
\n

What is coronavirus?<\/h3>\n \n <\/div>\n
\n
\n

A virus is a particle that infects living hosts, either humans or animals and uses the host\u2019s cells to replicate itself. Coronaviruses are a large family of common human and animal viruses that were discovered in the 1930s in chickens. Coronaviruses usually cause respiratory illnesses such as the common cold, and can also cause gastrointestinal infections.<\/p>\n

Through a microscope, a coronavirus looks like it has a crown-like spikes around it. In Latin, \u2018corona\u2019 means \u2018crown\u2019, hence \u2018coronavirus\u2019.<\/p>\n

While COVID-19 is caused by a new coronavirus, it is linked to the family of viruses called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Seven coronaviruses are known to cause disease in humans. Four cause symptoms similar to the common cold, while three are diseases that have caused serious lung infections including<\/p>\n