What is Covid ?

 It might come as a surprise to you, that why someone is trying to explain what is Covid, after more than an year since it was first identified in Wuhan province of China. Now many think that they know what is Covid, majority might also have been through this and might also have recovered from this. This article, however, will tell you the face of Covid which most of you don’t know about.

More than 86 million people across the globe have been infected with this virus and about 61 million people recovered from it. This still leaves about 99% of World’s population still not exposed to this virus. Not being a doctor myself, or a bio scientist, I was also not aware of the devastations this virus was capable of doing. The image, that I perceived from media and hearsay, was like, the virus can cause you fever, flu and cough if you are unlucky, there is a chance that you might loose your sense of taste and smell. All this time you will remain isolated and all of your office colleagues, your college professors will not hold you accountable for these 2 weeks of complete absence.

Taking this image, perhaps even some of the statesmen started opening up lock downs. Markets, then restaurants, theme parks and even all those places which done even fall under a necessity remotely opened up for public. What happened as a result was the world started to see a wave 2, this time more deadly, with a new strain that is 70% more transmittable than the last strain. Europe became the center of this, UK and Italy already reporting deaths in upward of seventy-six thousand people. NHS working beyond their capacity, Doctor’s and health care managers arguing weather they should operate a cancer patient or give attention to Covid patients.

This is what exactly explains the true image of Covid, you can compare it to Terminal cancer patients, and chances are the covid patient will get a preference for treatment. It is more than a common flu, fever and cough. Virus destroys the lungs completely fills them with fluid completely paralyzing their ability to oxygenate blood. Where normal pneumonia patient needs 5 liters of supplemental oxygen per minute to maintain oxygen saturation levels in their body, Covid Pneumonia patients, need more than 40 liters of oxygen pumped into their lungs with force. Once you reach that stage, most of the times, even this 40 liters of Oxygen is not enough, the requirement gets stepped up for a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure), a method of putting conscious patients on ventilator. While all of this is happening the patient in all their conscious is watching their oxygen saturation drop on the monitor, (if they are lucky to get a bed in hospital), the patient sees their skin color turn blue, due to lack of oxygenation. Doctor’s continue to seek ventilator consent from the patient attendants. So, the patient who walked in yesterday to the hospital, because they were tested positive of COVID and saw a drop in oxygen saturation levels (provided they are privileged and aware enough to have a pulse oximeter at home) and other mild symptoms like flu and fever is fighting for their life in less than twenty four hours. The drop is oxygen saturation level does not show a clinical symptom in the start of disease and the patient gets a “happy hypoxia” where even with dropping oxygen levels, everything seems normal clinically. Once the patient gets to this stage, chances of making it out of it are very thin. This is the true image of this disease that needs to go out. The virus doesn’t discriminate people of a specific gender, or age group. It also, doesn’t discriminate between people who have any medical condition or not.

Even if the patient miraculously makes it alive out of ICU support. They would still need supplemental oxygen support for months to come, that too if the lungs heal completely. Doctor’s are not sure if the lungs ever heal completely or not, in which case, the oxygen supports remains as long as the patient lives. Now imagine, if this image is known to everyone, we all would be more cautious while going out for non-essential activities. The symptoms of the new strain are not included here, because frankly no one knows about that yet. The knowledge regarding this disease and its treatment is quite limited, no one knows anything for sure. The outcome of vaccines that are currently being rolled out, their efficacy is still questionable.

Under these circumstances, it is advisable to stay at home as much as you can. No amount of face masks, hand sanitizing and 2 meters distance from individuals can be as effective as staying at home. If you have got elders at home and would not to be in a position where doctors are constantly asking you for a consent to put the patient on ventilator, it is a sincere advise to stay at home.

Do not prioritize anything over your life or life of your loved ones.

 

Stay healthy, stay safe.