Viruses are tiny living things that can make people sick.
They are so small you can only see them with a microscope.
There is one big group called coronavirus.
Many of them make us a bit sick.
A new one called COVID -19 makes people very sick.
It goes quickly from person to person when they sneeze of cough.
Some COVID-19 Facts
Viruses are microscopic parasites that cause illness in people.
They can only be seen using a microscope.
They live inside the body.
They are not germs (bacteria) and they are much smaller than bacteria.
They can’t thrive and reproduce outside of a host body.
One group of viruses is coronavirus, which usually spread things like colds or flu.
There is a new coronavirus that is called COVID-19 and it is really serious. is a new infectious disease caused by a coronavirus that has
It has spread across the world very quickly, and this spread is called a pandemic.
At the moment (April 2020) there is no cure for the COVID-19 disease.
Scientists hope to find a vaccine to stop people catching the disease and getting sick.
Very few children get the disease but older people do. Most people recover, some have to be in hospital and some people die.
These are the symptoms of the disease
If a person has any of the symptoms under Common on the chart, they should go to a doctor.© iStock
Why are we told we have to stay home?
We have been told by scientists and the government that we need to stay with our family and in our own homes to cut down the spread of COVID-19.
We can’t visit friends or even other members of our family who live in different houses. This is because we could spread the disease to others, or catch it from them.
Older people seem to catch the disease more easily than younger people. So it’s important to stay away from them to keep them safe. If you want to keep in touch with older people like grandparents, write a letter, send email or make a phone call.
We are told we must keep two and a half metres apart to avoid contact with tiny droplets of people’s spit or sweat that hover in the air for periods of time.
In many places schools are closed, so are many shops and factories because if they were open, people would be close together and the disease would spread.
There are no playgrounds for you to play in, and sports are not happening. Again this is to stop people mixing and passing on the coronavirus disease.
You can walk the dog, go out to shop and to exercise, but to be safe you must not get too close to other people.
If you are looking for ideas about what to do while you are staying at home, there are lots of activity ideas on the kidcyber and kidcyberteachers Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/kidcyberaustralia/posts/?ref=page_internal
How we can all help stop the spread of this disease
Cough or sneeze into a tissue and put it in a bin with a lid. ©Getty
Wash your hands with soap and water lots of times through the day. Wash for 20 seconds, which is as long as it takes to sing Happy Birthday. Or maybe Row,Row, Row your Boat. Or a short favourite.
Cough or sneeze into your sleeve or into a tissue that you put in a bin that has a lid.
Try not to touch your face. If you haven’t washed your hands, touching your face could put the virus where you could breathe it in.
Cough or sneeze into your elbow ©Getty
Stay about 2.5 metres away from people who are sick, or people you don’t know.
Stay home and only go out for a walk or for a medical appointment or for a quick visit to a shop for things you need.
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. ©Getty