ഗവൺമെന്റ് വി.&എച്ച്.എസ്.എസ്. പിരപ്പൻകോട്/അക്ഷരവൃക്ഷം/Unmake Covid-19: The fight throughout

Unmake Covid-19: The fight throughout The outbreak of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has created a global health crisis . The World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic . In light of this global epidemic, we can clearly say that we are at a point of Historical Divide: the world B.C. — Before Corona — and the world A.C. — After Corona. We have not even begun to fully grasp what the A.C. We can read from the timeline given in the official website of World Health Organization (WHO) that “On 31 Dec 2019, China reported a cluster of cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, Hubei Province. A novel corona virus was eventually identified.” On 30 January, India reported its first case of COVID-19 in Kerala, which rose to three cases by 3 February. On the day I am preparing this essay that is on 11 April 2020 the status of Corona Virus attack to mankind can be listed as follows: WORLD Confirmed:1780314 Recovered:4040311 Deaths:108827 India Confirmed:8453 Recovered:1158 Deaths:289 Kerala Confirmed:373 Recovered:143 Deaths:2 From this, we can say that COVID19 has a deep impact on the way we perceive our world and our everyday lives. Lockdowns, curfews, massive airport screenings, quarantines, and social distancing have become the norm across the globe. Understanding the Corona viruses?🦠 Corona viruses are a large family of viruses with some causing less severe common cold to more severe diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The Many corona viruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted from animals to humans. Understanding the Disease🤦‍♂ The symptoms of COVID-19 appear within two to 14 days after exposure and include fever, cough, a runny nose and difficulty in breathing. Understanding the spread of Disease🗣 It primarily spreads through the respiratory droplets of infected people. If a person touches a surface or object that has been infected by the virus and then touches his own mouth, nose, or eyes, he may get infected. Who is affected?👨🏼‍🦳 While people of all ages can be affected by the disease, people aged 80 and above are at the highest risk of dying due to COVID-19, according to case records analyzed by the Disease Control and Prevention Centers in China and South Korea. Victims of the virus with per-existing medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes have a higher fatality rate than others. Also the rate of fatalities was relatively higher for retirees. Understanding the symptoms? The guide lines from the Union Health Ministry for early recognition of COVID-19 patients are those who come in with Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) who also have a history of foreign travel or close contact with another COVID-19 patient. As per the guidelines, “COVID–19 may present with mild, moderate, or severe illness; the latter includes severe pneumonia, ARDS [Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome], sepsis and septic shock.” How can it be detected?🔬 An RT-PCR or reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test is DNA-based and can quickly tell if someone harbours the virus. In India, the government facilities to test for the virus include 52 labs belonging to the Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratories network of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 10 labs under the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and the NIV. Understanding the treatment? There is no current evidence from randomized controlled trial to recommend any specific treatment for suspected or confirmed COVID19 patients. No specific anti-viral are recommended for treatment of those suffering from respiratory ailment due to lack of adequate evidence from medical literature. Can a vaccine be developed for COVID-19?💉 According to Raman. R. Gangakhedkar, head of the Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases-I (ECD-I), Division of ICMR, there are two ways of going for vaccine preparation — either you look at the sequences of the gene which then may lead to development of antibodies, or you actually have the strain and then you try to develop a vaccine which is always an easier option. He said Indian scientists have managed to successfully isolate the COVID-19 virus and about 11 isolates are available which is a prime requisite for doing any kind of research related to viruses and developing the vaccine. Internationally, several institutes and pharmaceutical companies are in various stages of developing the vaccine with some set to go on clinical trials soon. Protecting yourself against COVID-19 As per the guidelines by the World Health Organization, following are the ways to reduce the risk of infection Washing with soap Alcohol-based hand sanitizers Using a mask Social distancing Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth Practice respiratory hygiene I strongly believe that our smarter Scientists will eventually understand the COVID-19 Coronavirus, just as smart people eventually discerned the properties and treatments for the plague, cholera, influenza, polio, HIV, SARS, and Ebola after they first appeared. Each pandemic left its mark. I am certain that the caregivers who stood near each victim also may think: what would happen to this patient and what possibly might happen to me? So we have to support all. Here we go again. All we can do is to follow the guidelines, and hope that we do the right thing for the right patient in the right place at the right moment. Because the storm is coming. And it might change everything once again......... DEVADARSAN P S 9 D ഗവൺമെന്റ് വി.&എച്ച്.എസ്.എസ്. പിരപ്പൻകോട് കണിയാപുരം ഉപജില്ല തിരുവനന്തപുരം അക്ഷരവൃക്ഷം പദ്ധതി, 2020 ലേഖനം  സാങ്കേതിക പരിശോധന - Sai K shanmugam തീയ്യതി: 15/ 04/ 2020 >> രചനാവിഭാഗം - ലേഖനം