Category: Covid-19

Coronavirus has taken a toll on the entire world. Currently, there are over 4.12 million active cases and 283K deaths in the whole world. This deadly virus has two types of victims, symptomatic and asymptomatic victims. Symptomatic victims are those that have typical symptoms like fever, dry cough, tiredness, and many more. In contrast, asymptomatic victims are those victims who are carrying the deadly virus but do not show any effects from it.

This article will focus on asymptomatic patients. These patients do not realize that they are carrying this deadly coronavirus, so they continue to lead an everyday life like they usually do. They meet other people and spend close moments with the family without even realizing they are continually spreading the virus. Researchers have revealed that there are three types of silent spreaders of this deadly virus.

• Mildly Symptomatic: These patients show very mild or little symptoms like mild fever or cough and can feel a low down. These symptoms are often confused with normal cough and colds so that it can spread the virus very quickly without anyone’s knowledge.
• Presymptomatic: These coronavirus-affected patients do not develop any symptoms for at least a week after coming in contact with it. After a week, they show symptoms like fever and coughing.
• Asymptomatic: These patients do not develop symptoms at all; they carry the virus throughout and spread it without even knowing.

Asymptomatic patients are considered to be more dangerous than other patients because it is tough to identify those patients. The only way to identify them is by doing the tests. The test reports can only reveal these asymptomatic patients. So, it is advised to everyone to have proper precautions and maintain social distancing for the safeguard of the entire world.

The whole world is now facing a pandemic in the form of the coronavirus outbreak. This outbreak has caused a major portion of the world to go under complete lockdown and all the activities and travels have been completely suspended. Most of us are sitting in our homes, worried but this is not the time to be worried, this is the time for us to adopt some simple strategies that can help the nation fight against the COVID-19.

Given below are some of the most simple measures we can effectively use as the most useful strategies in the fight against corona virus and keep ourselves and our families safe.

Social distancing

This is the most simple, yet effective strategy to break the chain of contamination through the virus. Social distancing means minimizing contact with outsiders. The best way to do is to stay at your home and even if you go outside for something important maintain at least 3 feet of distance.

Lockdown

This is something the whole world is going through right now. Lockdown means a complete prohibition on the normal activities sans the emergency services and this is aimed at enforcing social distancing and also to eliminate large gatherings in common places where the virus could transmit. We are under lockdown right now and the health service staffers are working hard for our safety so we must comply with the lockdown and we can win the fight against the coronavirus.

Using masks, sanitizer

Always use sanitizers and wear masks wherever you go. Keeping clean hygiene is the key to prevent transmission and infection from this virus. This is not only for you, but is also for the safety of your family.

Using medicines like hydroxychloroquine

There is no need to panic and take normal medicines like paracetamol as a precaution if you observe signs of illness. But a word of caution, before you consume hydroxychloroquine, it is very strong medicine and therefore consult with a doctor before taking any of them.

New vaccine trials

New vaccine strains are being tested as you read this article. So the health workers and researchers are tirelessly working to get us out of this situation and we must maintain these simple strategies to make their efforts fruitful. This is the time for us to fight against the coronavirus.

COVID-19 is a contagious disease which is caused by a virus named coronavirus discovered in China. There is not any fixed confirmed medicine or vaccine discovered for treatment. The treatment procedures are done according to the various symptoms of patients. Antibiotics are also proving to be ineffective as COVID-19 is not a bacterial infection but a viral infection.

For symptoms which are severe in condition, the supportive treatments can be given. It includes:

• Giving fluids which minimize the chances of dehydration
• Providing medicines for reducing fever
• Facilitating supplemental oxygen in the cases which are severe

People having serious breathing difficulties due to disease of COVID-19 may have a need of a respirator or ventilator.

Some of the drugs used to treat the patients are:

Chloroquine

Chloroquine is a medicine brought in use to fight autoimmune diseases and malaria. It has been used for 70 and more years and is also considered to be safe. After doing studies in test tubes, it is discovered that chloroquine is effective and efficient in fighting this virus.

Kaletra

Ritonavir and lopinavir are the drugs which are sold as Kaletra. These drugs are produced to cure HIV. According to WHO (World Health Organization), this drug in combination with other drugs can benefit in treating COVID-19.

Remdesivir

Remdesivir is a drug used to fight Ebola. It is an antiviral drug which is experimental and has broad spectrum. It is found by researchers that in isolated cells, this drug is impressively effective at combating coronavirus.

The use of this drug is yet to get approval in humans, but it has been tested twice in China. One of the tests also got the approval of FDA in US.

At present, chloroquine is the most effective and is progressively being used in combating COVID-19.

To fully conquer this disease, proper preventive measure like wearing face masks, washing hands with sanitizer or soap oftenly, etc. should be taken. The chain of community transmission can be stopped by contact tracing and mass testing. People should follow social distancing and follow all the medical advisories given by experts.

Coronavirus has created a pandemic situation in the entire world; currently there are over 22 lakhs people infected with this deadly virus and more than 1.5 lakhs people are dead all over the world. The virus is very contagious and it is spread through air as small droplets. The virus can stay alive on the human skin for a long time, and it can enter the body of a person through the nose and mouth, directly affecting the lungs. It is advised to use N95 masks in various communities, health care and home care in the areas where positive COVID-19 cases have been found. The mask should be used by all the health care professionals, managers and workers as it is a very important precaution against the Coronavirus. Previously it was said that only affected people and the health professionals should wear masks; but with the rapid spread of the virus, it is advised for everyone to wear masks.

When to Use Masks

• Before putting on the mask, the person should clean their hands with sanitizers that are mainly alcohol based or with water and soap.
• Cover nose and mouth with the mask and make sure that there should be no gaps between the mask and the face.
• Avoid touching the mask when using it; if by mistake a person touches it, then he or she should clean their hands properly.
• The damp masks should be replaced with the new ones immediately.
• The mask should be removed from behind after it gets damp, and the user should immediately throw it in the dustbin.

How and When to Wear Masks

• If a person is healthy, then he or she should wear mask only when taking care of a COVID-19 positive patient.
• If a person is coughing and sneezing, then using a mask is very important.

The spread of coronavirus is gradually increasing around the globe, but India has prevented more disaster caused by this global pandemic disease by taking early measures such as announcing lockdowns and providing various test kits and masks to the healthcare workers who are working through this whole situation and risking their lives. Also, the population of India has contributed by following the rules and guidelines of the lockdown laid by the government. Although India has a relatively more younger population than other countries, it can also be a reason for the low mortality rate since this disease mostly hits the elderly population.

According to Union Health Ministry, confined data was shared which stated that 63% of deaths have been reported among people who were above 60 years and 30% of people who were between 40-60 years old and 7% for people below 40 years.

There are almost 21,700 confirmed cases of coronavirus in India, out of which 4325 cases have been recovered and 686 deaths have taken place. If we look at further cases around the world, there are almost 2,649,680 confirmed cases of coronavirus, out of which India is still a lower number due to early precautions for safety. Although the government is taking all essential steps to fight this pandemic of COVID-19, the most important factor for fighting this is to empower citizens with the right information.

At present, there are 18 countries, including India who has more than 20000 infections from this pandemic. India is comparatively lower among all these countries. The Prime Minister has also announced a lockdown all over India until May 3, 2020 to avoid the disease from increasing further. Indian scientists are also working very hard to find a vaccine for this disease so that this pandemic can come to an end as soon as possible.

• What is coronavirus?

Coronavirus is a new infectious disease which causes respiratory problems in most patients, which can lead to death in its severe stage. This disease is caused by a newly discovered coronavirus which first originated in China. Any kind of vaccine for the treatment of coronavirus has not been discovered yet. But with better treatment practices, the infected person can be cured of the virus.

• Is there any vaccine for the treatment of this virus?

There is no such vaccine discovered for the treatment of such viruses. When a new disease emerges, it takes quite a long time to discover its vaccine for further treatment.

• What is the status for the preparation of vaccines?

Research heads and scientists are working very hard on the development of a vaccine for such a hazardous disease, which is spreading vigorously throughout the world. There are almost 20 vaccines under development.

There are some other processes going on as well for the preparation of this vaccine

1. The first human trial of a vaccine is being announced by a lab situated in the US city of Seattle by the end of this April.
2. Australian scientists have shifted their research work by testing with two potential vaccines injected on ferrets, and soon after successful results, it will lead to the stage of human testing by the end of this April.

The tests are taking place under careful conditions, as in human bodies the doctors and scientists have discovered four types of coronavirus. We do not have a vaccine for any of them yet. Until then, we have to take upon ourselves to do the various methods for preventing the spread of the virus any further by staying at home safely, washing hands frequently, and keeping ourselves and our surrounding sanitized. Above all, if anyone notices any symptoms of this virus, they must keep themselves in self-isolation so that it can be prevented from being transmitted to others.

This question might have different perspectives according to the scenarios we consider. There are two situations before us to compare-before the lockdown and during the lockdown. Let’s consider the first scenario before the lockdown. Even before the pandemic was recognized around the world, coronavirus originated from a place called Wuhan, China during December 2019. This was thought of as any other virus that might be controlled by antibiotics. However, the effects of coronavirus were massive and was proven to be the most powerful virus that has now spread itself to the entire world. After three months of research on it, the effects of coronavirus on the body is identified to be a virus causing respiratory disease. This deadly disease has now spread to all parts of the world and has taken a lot of lives. In order to prevent it from further spread among the disinfected people, a lockdown was announced across all the nations. It started in the month of March and some locations have completely ceased activity to contain the virus from attacking us.

Let’s talk about the statistics now. At the initial stage of the virus pandemic, the number of deaths was high. There were around 200 cases per day in every nation. United States of America initially did not consider the lockdown seriously, due to it now therefore holding the highest number of coronavirus cases currently. India, on the other hand, took lockdown more seriously at a moderate amount and is able to contain the virus from spreading. Not just India, but many other countries, due to a lockdown, have been able to cope with the effects of coronavirus.

This brings us to the conclusion that a lockdown has helped us prevent coronavirus to a large degree.

COVID-19 is making a severe impact on India. The cases are steeply increasing day by day. Until now, more than six thousand cases have been confirmed. The pandemic has taken the lives of over two hundred people. To control the spread of the coronavirus, the Indian government is taking effective measures like a declaration of lockdown to combat community spread and making the people aware about this deadly disease.

• Steps taken by our government-

The visas of people for traveling on flights have been abandoned and the people who came from foreign locations have been screened and home quarantined for 14 days. Employees have been told to work from home until the situation improves. All the educational institutions, cinema halls, stadium, and sports clubs have been shut down to prevent public gatherings. The public transportation systems like trains and buses are being properly sanitized. The police force is constantly checking if the people are following the lockdown rules or not. Special isolation wards are being arranged in the hospitals to treat the COVID-19 patients immediately. Doctors and healthcare providers are serving around the clock to cure the coronavirus positive cases. The production of ventilators, essential medications, sanitizers, N-95 masks and other life-saving apparatuses have geared up to meet the rising requirements. Funds are being raised to fight the coronavirus as much as possible.

• Impact of COVID-19

Due to the outbreak, imports from countries like China have declined. The price of pharmaceuticals and mineral fuels is soaring high in the market. The daily wage laborers are heavily affected by this epidemic. The positive impacts of COVID-19 include a decrease in pollution. Nature has repaired itself amidst the lockdown. India has a chance to renovate the economy by encouraging ‘make in India’ and renewable energy sources. The need of the hour is to be patient and follow health measures to wipe out this virus from India.

There is a lot of anguish and uncertainty in the times we are living in. The world is stumbling under COVID 19. We do not exactly know what it is other than a virus hitting us hard and we only wish that it gets over soon. The world has come to a stop, countries are locked down, thousands of deaths every day, this is one of the scariest and devastating pandemics in last few decades. Despite of reading and hearing about it almost every moment, we hardly know what Corona Virus is?

There have been many theories of “Corona Virus” being shown as an incident in a tv series or a prediction done 100 years ago. But in real, we are far away from understanding its effect on Human Body and eventually on the whole world. While we are living in ambiguity, there is something we have been hearing along with it, and that’s its connection with “Malaria”. Connection between Malaria and Corona Virus is really intriguing and puts us in thoughts that is COVID-19 is an extreme version of Malaria only, which has become highly destructive as to finish the whole world at once.

What is it that we are missing or unable to find about the linkage of Malaria and COVID-19.

Let us understand!

India has been historically prevalent to malaria and has history of successes and re-emergence. Malaria itself is one of the most dreadful diseases and took many lives away. Historically, the highest incidence of malaria in India occurred in the 1950s, with an estimated 75 million cases and 0.8 million deaths per year (Source: WHO, Country Office for India). In fact, not just India but many Asian Countries along with Africa have been victim of it for years.

Recently, US and other countries demanding & developing hydroxychloroquine drug which was used to treat malaria to fight COVID-19 since very long now, has somewhere turned our doubts of its linkage stronger. Where, as per various health organization including WHO believes that the only solution to overcome with this epidemic is to develop a vaccination, “Hydroxychloroquine” sounds like a ray of light to the betterment of the situation. On the other hand, if we see the symptoms and precautions being advised by Doctors and Government are quite similar, starting with a normal flue it can be proved as fatal; however, there is a relief knowing the fact that Malaria is communicable by mosquitos where there has been no such theory for COVID-19.

While the super powers of the world are in search of vaccinations for COVID-19, the focus of therapeutic intervention of antimalarial drugs have been proposed as treatment by various nations including USA, that could at least reduce transmission of the virus, provide adequate organ support, decrease viral load and thus limit disease seriousness.

Having talked about COVID-19 and its prevention, we also not forget about Malaria and it’s fatal consequences. Various potent antimalarial medicines and treatment are available to fight and successfully defeat Malaria.

The world is fighting Corona with its best of capabilities, but are we missing out on a very evident link between Malaria & COVID-19 and its similarities? Do we already have a vaccination which is being searched by billions of people now? Is Hydroxychloroquine the drug to fight with Corona?

Well, we can surely wish so.