Is novel coronavirus a kind of flu?

Transmission

Both the flu and the novel coronavirus are transmitted in similar ways, by direct contact with infected patients or small droplets from the nose or mouth when a person with virus coughs or exhales.

Flu can be spread by an infected person for several days before their symptoms appear. As for the novel coronavirus, spread might be possible before people show symptoms, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.

For the novel coronavirus, there is also a risk for aerosol transmission.

In health facilities, people may catch the virus if they breathed in aerosol, the suspension of fine solid or liquid particles in the air, that have been contaminated by the virus. But the risk of aerosol transmission in outdoor spaces is very low.

The novel coronavirus has also be found in patients' fecal samples, but fecal-oral transmission does not appear to be a major transmission route.

Vaccines and treatments

Vaccines are available to prevent or reduce the severity of some types of flu, while there are not yet any vaccines for the novel coronavirus.

In regard to treatment, there are not yet specific treatments for COVID-19.

Antiviral treatments used on a trial basis include interferon-α, lopinavir/ritonavir, an anti-HIV drug, and anti-malaria drug chloroquine phosphate.

Transfusing plasma from recovered patients is also used to treat severe cases. Traditional Chinese medicine has also been used widely to treat COVID-19 patients, and improved recovery rates.