A Pandemic – Coronavirus

The current outbreak of the new 2019 Novel Coronavirus has spread its wings to every part of the world. It has infected 1,790,564 people and taken more than 109,654 lives till date. China, faces the brunt with 82,052 cases of infected patients, followed by 533,115 cases in the USA, 163,027 in Spain, 152,271 in Italy and 129,654 in France.

As coronavirus has spread to 210 countries around the world postponing many high profile events such as Met Gala and Cannes Film Festival. Not only this many prominent personalities around the world have been tested positive- to name a few The Prince of Wales tested positive on March 25 and Marco Sportiello a goalkeeper for Italian football team Atlanta tested positive on March 24.

On March 19, 2020 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called coronavirus emergency a matter of concern, saying that the number of nations affected by coronavirus was much more than those affected by the two world wars. One of the most efficacious weapons for this war against the Corona Virus is Social Distancing. To keep a check on the spread of the virus, the Indian government is taking preventive measures such as lockdown extension, deploying of CRPF personals at high-risk places, increasing the number of tests and many more. More and more labs are being opened by the Indian government to increase the number of tests being done.

The initial test introduced included polymerase chain reaction assisted amplification of viral genome from the specimen taken from throat swabs of the suspected individuals. Besides being a time-consuming process that could not generate a report before 24 hours, it was also a costly process with an average cost of rupees five thousand per test. However, a new test has been recently introduced that uses skin prick blood samples and detects the antibodies formed against the virus. This test is fast and affordable-report is available within two hours and the average cost is as low as rupees five hundred.

The GOI has recently allowed the private labs to perform initial tests with SC giving the judgment to perform tests free of cost. This has rapidly increased the number of tests performed in a day.

In this plight, health care workers are the real heroes who are risking their lives for mankind. They are working nonstop to shield their nation from this infection. As per information from livemint on April 3 around 50 cases of doctors, medical staff have been tested positive. Few weeks media reported a shortage of PPE (Personal Protective Equipments). PPE is a suit that is worn by healthcare workers for personal protection from contamination. On April 09, while talking to ET(Economic Times Newspaper) a senior official told India has made sufficient fabric producing facilities and has all the desired material, but the machines (hot air seam sealing machines) needed to stitch the suits are just 150 in number. Additionally he said machines can be outsourced from China and Germany.

Procurement wouldn’t be possible from Germany due to the lockdown. China had asked for 12 weeks of delivery time. Along these lines, there are concerns that if the number of cases rises, the absence of PPEs could be a significant issue for GOI.

While the whole nation is under monetary and social lockdown until April 14, some individuals survive on daily labour. These are the people who need consideration and government support during this season of emergency. Although numerous states have come forward with various measures to support them like in terms of financial assistance, food supply and so on but a lot more needs  to be done we have seen that many daily wagers from the capital city of Delhi have started to set off to their homes by walking- This is an issue that needs serious thoughts and appropriate actions to meet the needs of this vulnerable section of the society

In this blog, you will be told everything you need to know about the COVID-19, right from its symptoms, to how it gets transmitted, and what all precautionary measures you need to take in order to prevent this from infecting you.

Spread of COVID-19

The virus we are dealing with right now is a new or novel coronavirus. Coronavirus is a fomite borne infection. When an infected person sneezes, coughs or breathes, tiny droplets get spread over an area of 6ft and settles down on the surfaces. People get infected by touching these contaminated surfaces.

An average person touches some 3000 surfaces every day and then touches one’s face, mouth or nose some 300 times a day. This statement is enough to describe the importance of social distancing and hand-washing in tackling this outbreak.

The nCovid -19 infected person passes this virus to an average of two or three people. There is no vaccination to date for this virus but somehow USA has created a hype in the market by beginning procuring Hydroxychloroquinemedicine. This medicine is used for the treatment of malaria, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, etc. There are no proven results for this medicine to date. Another concern is the increased incidence of toxicity of this medicine to heart in case it is taken without medical supervision.

Symptoms of COVID-19

The most common symptoms are fever, tiredness, shortness of breath and dry cough. About 80% of people recover from this virus. Older people who have the following medical conditions such as blood pressure, heart problems and diabetes tend to develop serious illnesses.

Precautions

1. Regularly clean your hands with soap and water or with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. This is advised as these will kill the germs present on your hands.
2.  Stop touching your face as this will prevent transmission of the virus to your mouth, eyes and nose in case you came in contact with a contaminated surface or an infected person.
3.  Maintain a distance of at least 6 feet between yourself and other people- especially the ones suffering from cough or cold. In case you are under lockdown, follow your government’s guidelines and don’t step out of your home. The government is doing everything to prevent you from getting sick. Stay home Stay Safe.
4. Governments all around the world have already made it mandatory to wear masks in order to prevent you from getting infected and transmitting infection in case you are already infected. Please make sure that you and the people around you follow good respiratory hygiene. By proper hygiene I mean, wearing masks, covering your mouth with a handkerchief or disposable tissue or a bent elbow while you sneeze and cough.
5. Avoid large gatherings, hugs and handshakes.
6. If you’re feeling unwell stay home. if you’re having symptoms of COVID-19 such as cough, tiredness and shortness of breath please don’t hesitate to call your local health authority. They are the only people who will guide you to the right health care center and help to prevent the spread of coronavirus in your area.
7. Avoid traveling to other places unnecessarily and keep yourself updated with the latest hotspots in your locality.
8. Indian Government recommends homemade masks for healthy people. {for more Information,}

Conclusion

At last, I would invite you all to approach, show your solidarity and support those individuals who are in need during this season of emergency. Follow government guidelines, don’t travel unless it is an emergency. Make a point to follow and make others to follow good respiratory habits as said above. Remember to contact your nearby healthcare authorities and help them to forestall the spread of COVID-19. Stay home Stay safe.

(Source:  India Today, Livemint, WHO,Aljazeera and Worldometers)

Author: Nikhil SharmaI am working for a healthcare company. Which is working towards a goal to make the lives of Hospitals painless with the help of technology. I have written plenty of articles before but that was only during my student years. Right now with lots of enthusiasm, I have started this website svasthyatech.com to aware people of all the advancements that are going on in the field of the healthcare industry.