This post is all about the data-based findings of well known medical journals explained in lucid words. The objective behind writing this is to enlighten the common man regarding the insights of the virus.
Pioneering study in Cell Bioscience, published in March 16,2020 - This is a high quality study which made a major difference in medical policy setting. The study has set the stage for control & management of COVID19.
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| The Cell and Bioscience Journal- Biomedcentral |
The highlights are:
- An attack rate of 83% within the family is alarmingly high, indicating the high transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 (also called COVID19).
- The clinical manifestations of COVID-19 with more systematic symptoms are seen in older patients.
- Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from asymptomatic carriers to others.
- The presentation of diarrhea shows the possibility for gastrointestinal involvement in SARS-CoV-2 infection and fecal–oral transmission.
- It is transmissible in tertiary and quaternary spreading in humans.
- The epidemic doubling time of COVID19 is about 6.4 days.
- Patients with mild and unspecific symptoms are also difficult to identify and quarantine because the absence of fever in COVID19 is more frequent (12%) than SARS and MERS. So, surveillance method by fever detection cannot be the only determining factor for a person to be COVID +ve.
Now the big question arises.
How it should be treated and what treatment options should be made available?
COVID19 is a self-limiting disease in 80% of patients. Severe pneumonia occurred in only 15% of population.
As of now, potential drugs which are proven to cure COVID19 are not available but an Ebola drug named Remdesivir may be promising. Severity of disease, viral replication, and lung damage were reduced in case of MERS which paves a way for the testing of the drug in COVID19.
Other antiviral agents which calls for further clinical investigation include ribavirin, lopinavir, ritonavir, interferons, chloroquine and Arbidol. However, the side effects of these drugs cannot be ignored. Type 1 interferons are beneficial at an early stage of infection but administratoj at a later stage carries a risk of worsening the cytokine storm (an overproduction of immune cells in the lungs) and increase inflamation.
In case of steroids, the window in which steroids might be beneficial to COVID19 patients is very narrow. Steroids can only be used when Covid19 has already been eliminated by immune response. Otherwise, Covid19 replication will be boosted leading to an increased risk of nosocomial transmission and secondary infection (for example, fungal infection in some Wuhan patients).
As of now, potential drugs which are proven to cure COVID19 are not available but an Ebola drug named Remdesivir may be promising. Severity of disease, viral replication, and lung damage were reduced in case of MERS which paves a way for the testing of the drug in COVID19.
Other antiviral agents which calls for further clinical investigation include ribavirin, lopinavir, ritonavir, interferons, chloroquine and Arbidol. However, the side effects of these drugs cannot be ignored. Type 1 interferons are beneficial at an early stage of infection but administratoj at a later stage carries a risk of worsening the cytokine storm (an overproduction of immune cells in the lungs) and increase inflamation.
In case of steroids, the window in which steroids might be beneficial to COVID19 patients is very narrow. Steroids can only be used when Covid19 has already been eliminated by immune response. Otherwise, Covid19 replication will be boosted leading to an increased risk of nosocomial transmission and secondary infection (for example, fungal infection in some Wuhan patients).
Are inactivated vaccines a viable option?
Inactivated vaccines are vaccines consisting of virus particles, bacteria or other pathogens that have been grown in culture and then lose disease producing capacity.
The chance that COVID19 will become endemic in some areas (a disease which is maintained at a baseline level in an area without external inputs) or even pandemic has increased in view of its high transmissibility, asymptomatic, high number of patients with mild symptoms. This calls for the development of vaccines.
Inactivated vaccines are vaccines consisting of virus particles, bacteria or other pathogens that have been grown in culture and then lose disease producing capacity.
The chance that COVID19 will become endemic in some areas (a disease which is maintained at a baseline level in an area without external inputs) or even pandemic has increased in view of its high transmissibility, asymptomatic, high number of patients with mild symptoms. This calls for the development of vaccines.
Inactivated vaccines are one major type of conventional vaccines that can be easily produced and quickly developed but there are concerns of antibody-dependent enhancement of viral infection and safety issues.
More updates will be posted until next development.
Till then, #Stayathome, #Staysafe and help the world #Flattenthecovidcurve
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