Are we better Prepared to fight Coronavirus now?

As time passes in a pandemic there's a greater chance of survival for those
getting infected 6 months later like September 2020 than those who got
infected 6 months earlier say February 2020. The reason for this is that
Doctors and scientists know more about Covid-19 now than 6 months ago and
hence are able to treat patients better. I will list 5 important things
that we know now that we didn't know in February 2020 for your
understanding.

1. COVID-19 was initially thought to cause deaths due to pneumonia- a lung
infection- and so Ventilators were thought to be the best way to treat
sick patients who couldn't breathe. Now we are realising that the virus  
causes blood clots in the blood vessels of the lungs and other parts of
the body and this causes the reduced oxygenation . Now we know that just
providing oxygen by ventilators will not help but we have to prevent and
dissolve the micro clots in the lungs. This is why we are using drugs like
*Asprin and Heparin ( blood thinners that prevents clotting) as protocol in
treatment regimens in June 2020. 

2. Previously patients used to drop dead on the road or even before
reaching a hospital due to reduced oxygen in their blood- OXYGEN
SATURATION. This was because of HAPPY HYPOXIA- where even though the
oxygen saturation was gradually reducing the COVID-19 patients did not have
symptoms until it became critically less, like sometimes even 70%.
**Normally we become breathless if oxygen saturation reduces below 90%.
**This breathlessness is not triggered in Covid patients and so we we're
getting the sick patients very late to the hospitals in February 2020. Now
since knowing about happy hypoxia we are monitoring oxygen saturation of
all covid patients with a simple home use pulse oxymeter and getting them
to hospital if their oxygen saturation drops to 93% or less. This gives
more time for doctors to correct the oxygen deficiency in the blood and a
better survival chance in June 2020.

3. We did not have drugs to fight the corona virus in February 2020. We
were only treating the complications caused by it... hypoxia. Hence most
patients became severely infected.
```Now we have 2 important medicines
FAVIPIRAVIR & REMDESIVIR```

Which are ANTIVIRALS that can kill the corona virus . By using these two
medicines we can prevent patients from becoming severely infected and
therefore cure them BEFORE THEY GO TO HYPOXIA. This knowledge we have in
September 2020... not in February 2020.

4. Many Covid-19 patients die not just because of the virus but also due
the patients own immune system responding In an exaggerated manner called
*CYTOKINE STORM*. This stormy strong immune response not only kills the
virus but also kills the patients. In February 2020 we didn't know how
to prevent it from happening. Now in September 2020, we know that easily
available medicines called Steroids that doctors around the world have
been using for almost 80 years can be used to prevent the cytokine storm
in some patients.

5. Now we also know that *people with hypoxia became better just by making
them lie down on their belly- known as prone position* Apart from this a
few days ago Israeli scientists have discovered that a chemical known as
Alpha Defensin produced by the patients White blood cells can cause the
micro clots in blood vessels of the lungs and this could possibly be
prevented by a drug called Colchicine used over many decades in the
treatment of Gout.

So now we know for sure that patients have a better chance at surviving the
COVID-19 infection now in September 2020 than in February 2020 for sure.
India has not peaked in March or April because of the lockdown. This
strategy has postponed the Covid-19 pandemic in INDIA by 3 crucial months
that has enabled us to save thousands of lives.

Going forward there's nothing to panic about Covid-19, if we remember that
a person who gets infected, later has a better chance at survival than one
who got infected early.

Let's all follow simple precautions like 

(1) 6 feet distancing from others

(2) Wear proper masks

(3) Work from home whenever possible

(4) Order home delivery of food groceries and vegetables

(5) Stay at home during lockdown

(6)Hand wash & hygiene

(7) The most important thing is if you lie down on your stomach, then
there is more Oxygen flow to your Lungs. So your breathing will be lot
easier

With this we can beat the virus. If someone tells you everyone is
going to get infected, tell them that you are willing to wait to be the
last person...who knows by then we might even have a VACCINE.

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