Hello friends, meeting you after a long hiatus. Many women especially who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy must be very concerned and have many queries because of the Covid 19 pandemic. I will try to remove your fears by the following discussion. Being pregnant can already be stressful, but it’s even more overwhelming given the spread of the novel coronavirus and COVID-19, the disease it causes. The virus, which originated in Wuhan, China, has rapidly spread across the globe, including to every state in the U.S. What is coronavirus? There are actually seven different types of coronavirus known to infect humans, according to the CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC). Many are mild and cause colds, but some forms of the virus can cause severe illness. The form of coronavirus that's circulating right now is 2019-nCoV or COVID 19. The coronavirus that is circulating today was only recently found to infect humans. How is the coronavirus spread, and what are the symptoms? Coronaviruses typically spread from an infected person to other people via respiratory drops that get into the air by coughing or sneezing. Touching or shaking hands, or touching a surface that has been contaminated with the virus and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes before you wash your hands may also spread the virus. People who have had confirmed cases of novel coronavirus have experienced the following symptoms. Fever Cough Shortness of breath Chills Shaking with chills Muscle pain Headache Sore throat A new loss of taste or smell Symptoms can appear anywhere from two to 14 days after a person has been exposed, and they’ve ranged from causing mild illness to severe cases. It's important to note that some people with COVID-19 do not show symptoms, but they can still spread the virus. To be continued------ dr nandini shete