CMAAO IMA HCFI COVID Myth Busters 4
Dr KK Aggarwal
President CMAAO, HCFI and Past National President IMA
Doctors can not provide teleconsultation?
Even the Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that at this tome teleconsultation is the best solution for people with covid like flu illness.
Indian are immune to Covid 19 virus?
WHO has emphasized the importance of social distancing, testing suspect coronavirus cases and keeping sick patients isolated. WHO has warned against assuming any area or person is immune to the coronavirus and urged the public to prepare for the worst case scenario.
It’s also an unprecedented opportunity to come together as one against a common enemy — an enemy against humanity.
Maximum people have died in China?
No, 3404 people have died in Italy as against 3248 in China.
Death rate in Wuhan was 3.4%
A new study has now shown that Death rates in Wuhan were lower than previously thought — around 1.4 percent, instead of the previously reported 2 percent to 3.4 percent.
Its my doctors job to guide me if I have covid like illness?
No, first its your duty to self-isolate if you have symptoms: sore throat, fatigue, chills, stuffy nose, poor appetite, muscle aches, vomiting and diarrhea, and most of all, fever and cough. Stay home and self-quarantine for 14 days. Let your state representatives know that widespread, easily accessible testing is needed. Listen to the new guidance or restrictions as they come from the government, and follow them.
South Korea model was a faiklure?
No, In South Korea, where the outbreak was contained, and deaths were minimized in relation to other countries, they tested early and often. They quarantined all those affected and were able to curb the spread. Less than 100 people have died in South Korea. Contrast that with Italy, which similar to the U.S. tested far fewer people in the early stages of the outbreak and was much slower to impose quarantines and lockdowns. Just this week, Italy had 368 deaths from the virus in one 24-hour period, and 475 in another. Rapid, frequent testing, which we've been lacking, has been shown to save lives.
Social distancing has a riole only once I am confirmed with the illness?
Social distancing and self quarantining are the two pillars of prevention. Why is this so important? Because any of us could have it. Until we can test everyone, widely, we cannot know. As it stands right now, you may not be able to get tested, as our resources are very limited. Therefore, the only way to curb the spread is to assume you may have it with covid illness like symptoms, and do your utmost best to limit your exposure to anyone else. Or, to wait in isolation until you can get tested and cleared.
It can also be quoted as China Virus or China Pneeumonia?
NO. WHO announced that "COVID-19" is the official name of the disease caused by the new coronavirus from China. The new strain of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 was named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
"CO" stands for "corona", "VI" for "virus" and "D" for "disease", while "19" was for the year, as the outbreak was first identified on December 31.
The name was so chosen to avoid references to a specific geographical location, animal species or group of people in line with international recommendations for naming aimed at preventing stigmatisation.
The agency had earlier given the virus the temporary name of "2019-nCoV acute respiratory disease" and China's National Health Commission this week said it was temporarily calling it "novel coronavirus pneumonia" or NCP.
Under a set of guidelines issued in 2015, WHO advises against using place names such as Ebola and Zika - where those diseases were first identified and which are now inevitably linked to them in the public mind.
More general names such as "Middle East Respiratory Syndrome" or "Spanish flu" are also now avoided as they can stigmatise entire regions or ethnic groups.
There is no joint research on the subject so far by different countries?
No, WHO and its partners are organizing a study in many countries in which some of these untested treatments are compared with each other.
Named SOLIDARITY trial, " is designed to generate the robust data we need, to show which treatments are the most effective." SOLIDARITY trial provides simplified procedures to enable even hospitals that have been overloaded to participate.
Countries confirmed that they will join the SOLIDARITY trial, including Argentina, Bahrain, Canada, France, Iran, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and Thailand.
The study has five arms. The first arm is the usual care that is provided to the patients in the country. The second arm is remdesivir; the third arm is lopinavir/ritonavir; the fourth arm is lopinavir/ritonavir with interferon beta and the fifth arm includes chloroquine.
Aim
· do any of these drugs reduce the mortality
· do any of these drugs reduce the time the patient is in hospital, and
· whether or not the patients receiving any of the drugs needed ventilation or an intensive care unit.
I need to be worried for people over 65 only?
No it's not just adults 65 and older. Americans of all ages have faced serious health complications amid the new coronavirus outbreak, as per CDC.
New data show that among the roughly 12% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. known to need hospitalizations, about 1 in 5 were among people ages 20 to 44. The CDC report released on 5th March tracked the health outcomes from February 12 to March 16 for the 2,449 COVID-19 patients in the U.S. whose ages were known.
According to the CDC, among 508 patients known to have been hospitalised, 9% were aged ≥85 years, 36% were between 65–84 years, 17% were aged 55–64 years, 18% were 45–54 years, and 20% were aged 20–44 years. Less than 1% of hospitalisations were among people aged ≤19 years.
Further, among 121 patients known to have been admitted to an ICU, 7% of cases were reported among adults ≥85 years, 46% among those aged 65–84 years, 36% among patients aged 45–64 years, and 12% were between 20–44 years. No ICU admissions were reported among persons aged ≤19 years.
At the time of the analysis, there were also 44 cases with known outcome, with 34% of deaths being reported among patients aged ≥85 years, 46% were among patients aged 65–84 years, and 20% were among those in the 20–64 age group. The CDC said case-fatality percentages rose with increasing age, from no deaths reported among people 19 years and younger, to the highest percentages ranging from 10%–27% among those aged ≥85 years. For people in the 65–84 age group, the mortality rate was 3% to 11%,
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