00:00Yesterday, the UAE had its first case of a coronavirus Saphira being cured.
00:04We're here today at Asta Hospital in Algeses to find out how the virus can be cured,
00:09what treatments can be taken and what preventative measures we can take to look after ourselves.
00:14A lot of people are thinking that the coronavirus is something that's very
00:19severe and lethal in all cases but that's not true, is it?
00:23Yeah, that's not true. Actually, coronavirus is like any other, you know, respiratory virus.
00:29Coronavirus group actually causes normal cold, flu in human beings.
00:35But this novel coronavirus which has come is a different one from the animals.
00:41We're suspecting it's from the animals. The source is not completely traced yet
00:45and probably it's a mutant coronavirus. That's why it is more virulent in human beings, okay.
00:51So not all people get very sick.
00:55Most of, like whatever were the statistics we have of the epidemic going in China,
01:00we can see that like a small proportion of the patients are getting sick.
01:06That means if you're healthy, most, it may just pass off as a normal, you know,
01:11cough cold or mild fever. But because of the number of deaths we are seeing and the,
01:16you know, level of infectivity of the virus, we need to be really careful.
01:22Now regarding the case which got cured recently, which has been in news, it is,
01:28see there is no treatment as such for the virus. It is only supportive treatment.
01:32So body's immune system itself cures the virus completely out of the body.
01:38So it must have been a milder version of it, okay. And if it's severe, definitely the patient
01:43requires hospitalization and treatment for other associated complications.
01:49Like suppose the patient develops pneumonia, there is a dip in oxygen level.
01:53You need to supplement oxygen. Maybe there is another secondary bacterial infection happening.
01:58So you need to treat with antibiotic. But for the virus as such, there is no
02:04antidote presently and the WHO and people are working on it.
02:08So probably in the future, maybe we can have something.
02:12I've seen a statistic that says like one in four, only one in four of these cases are severe.
02:17It's quite deceptive because the number, this is all based on the numbers that are coming out.
02:22So presently like around 34,000 plus people are infected.
02:27Out of that, you can see that 800 plus have died.
02:31So if you take a, you know, proportion of it, probably the fatality is like around 2%.
02:38It's all calculation, like more needs to come out to have a real figure.
02:43But it's very difficult to see how many are severe, moderate or mild.
02:49Because the rest of the people are quarantined at home or hospitals
02:53and we don't have that kind of, you know, statistic going all over the place.
02:58So only we can say that the fatality rate is probably this much
03:01and the infectivity is also high at the rate it's spreading.
03:05It may be very difficult to give a figure.
03:08How do you treat then someone with coronavirus, whether it is mild or severe?
03:14How do you treat the sufferer?
03:16See, normally the process here in UAE is that
03:20if a patient comes to a healthcare setup and you suspect a corona,
03:24that is if there has been a recent travel to China
03:28or contact with somebody who is known to be infected with corona,
03:31definitely this patient needs to be screened.
03:34Maybe his cough or cold is not corona.
03:36It may be some other virus.
03:38But what generally if patient is not sick, the patient is quarantined at home itself.
03:43The blood sample is collected, sorry, the swab sample is collected from home
03:48and sent to the national laboratory, which is under the government.
03:51And it's well networked.
03:53So if it comes positive, naturally the government takes action
03:57to isolate the patient and see that it is contained there itself.
04:01In mild cases, it's better it's quarantined at home
04:04because the number of people exposed is less.
04:09Because if in a hospital setting, we can't admit all mild cases,
04:14then it will be flooded with people who are anxious or maybe not corona as such.
04:19So mild cases are usually quarantined at home.
04:22Moderate cases or severe cases which require hospitalization by the normal criteria
04:28if suspected corona are kept in isolation in hospital
04:33and proper precautions are taken so that in case it comes out as corona,
04:38probably we are already been on the safe side.
04:41And you said like in the normal way to treat cold or flu,
04:45that's how you would treat coronavirus.
04:47So you would lots of vitamins.
04:49Yeah, basic things.
04:50These are the basic health tips, okay.
04:53If you are at home, then you should avoid, you know,
04:56going out and, you know, exposing other people
04:59as well as exposing yourself to risk of other secondary bacterial infection.
05:03You should wear a mask.
05:05The patient should wear a mask so that, you know,
05:07his respiratory secretions are not, you know, thrown out at other people.
05:11And people who are taking care of the patient should be extra careful.
05:15So the main thing is mask alone does not protect.
05:17It's basically hand hygiene as well.
05:20Because as of it, what we know is that the virus spreads by droplets,
05:24the respiratory secretions.
05:26So maintaining some minimum distance of maybe one meter would be safe.
05:31And of course, frequent hand washing, not touching your face, eyes,
05:37because once, see the droplets may be there on the objects and you touch them.
05:42And the virus survives for a few days.
05:44And with that hand, if you're touching your eyes, nose, face like that,
05:48you may get infected even if you're wearing a mask.
05:51So hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, and of course, mask in certain situations.
05:56Not all, like the layperson who's walking, going for work need not wear a mask always.
06:02This case was obviously a mild case of the lady that was discharged yesterday.
06:07How do you then treat someone who's severe?
06:10How do you treat that very deep pneumonia?
06:14Those kind of patients definitely require hospitalization in an isolated unit
06:19where there are special personnel taking one-to-one care of the patient with proper protection.
06:24That means it's complete protection of eyes.
06:27And of course, the patient is also, you know, under mask and other things.
06:31And of course, depending on the grade of pneumonia, like any other pneumonia, it will be treated.
06:37That means if the patient requires oxygen, it will be given.
06:40If there is secondary bacterial infection, antibiotics will be given.
06:44In the worst case, maybe patient goes into respiratory failure or there is,
06:48you know, then even, you know, ventilator support may be required.
06:52But these are, we are talking about extreme cases.
06:55The numbers are less actually.
06:57And actually those people who are succumbing to coronavirus,
07:02are they already of low immunity and predispositions to certain ailments?
07:10Yes, yes.
07:10People who are, you know, generally becoming worse are people with underlying comorbid illness.
07:16That means they may be having a long-standing diabetes
07:19or they may be under treatment for some other illness which lowers their immunity
07:23or they may be on some steroid tablets for maybe some other illness.
07:28These people are generally, and of course, age, not all people, elderly need to get sick.
07:34But age is definitely, you know, not a plus point, okay.
07:39So the basic thing is, of course, the severity is there.
07:44Everybody has to maintain a hand and, you know, respiratory hygiene.
07:49And of course, people who are mildly sick with fever or cough, cold or even otherwise sick,
07:55they need to, you know, maintain their health with adequate fluids,
08:01avoid mingling around, stay at home, take rest, you know, hydrate yourself well.
08:07And of course, some supportive medications doctor would be giving, take that.
08:12And unless you are completely cured, don't venture out for work or even outside.
08:17So these are the basic things.
08:19You're making it sound like we shouldn't panic, it sounds like.
08:22Yes, yes, definitely, definitely.
08:25Because the earlier SARS virus was even more virulent than this one, this present corona.
08:30So probably it is not like, except for China, all the other countries have contained it.
08:37There are only few isolated cases which just happened to land there.
08:41And even in UAE, there is no need to panic,
08:44because actually the cases are completely quarantined and they are safe.
08:49So panicking does not help also,
08:52because then people will unnecessarily rush to hospitals.
08:54It will create a pressure on the health care.
08:57So you go about your work normally.
08:59And if possible, avoid too many crowded places where people are sick.
09:04And if you see somebody is sick, maintain the distance.
09:07And if somebody is sick at your home, you also, you know, take appropriate action.
09:12So actually, there is no need to panic,
09:14because definitely there are a lot of bodies working on it and we'll have a way out.
09:22The mask thing, does everyone need, you're saying that only actual coronavirus people
09:26that have been diagnosed have to wear it.
09:29So people are walking around the street, they don't need to wear it.
09:32Lay person need not wear a mask because it doesn't protect.
09:36In fact, if you're not using the mask properly, it will be the other way around.
09:40When you're wearing a surgical mask,
09:42there are gaps through which, you know, bacteria can still, virus can still go.
09:47And people tend to adjust their masks frequently.
09:50And the front side of mask actually filters,
09:54and it may be loaded with pathogens and then you're transferring it onto your hand.
09:58So mask with hand hygiene is what is required.
10:01But lay people who are going for normal work, they need not wear mask.
10:06But for healthcare professional, it's different.
10:08People who are at more risk, higher risk,
10:12for them, you know, maybe the mask, they use it more frequently,
10:17depending on the situation or the persons they are in coming contact with.
10:20So this lady that was discharged yesterday, she would have been quarantined.
10:24She would have been given lots of vitamins, antibiotics.
10:27Vitamins may not have much role, but they are supported.
10:31We can take it, no harm.
10:33She must have been given, if maybe she must have been given antibiotic,
10:37if there is secondary infection, we don't know the details of it.
10:41But since she has come out of it, naturally she has recovered and she has cleared the virus.
10:46And that's mostly because of her own immune system.
10:48Yes, yes, because there is no specific antidote for the virus.
10:52So body clears the virus.
10:54So you support the body with the necessary things to help it come out of it.
10:59There's a theory that HIV tablets can help.
11:02How does that happen?
11:02Nothing has been, you know, like no, nothing has demonstrated till now.
11:08This is so many like rumors keep coming out, but these are not actually verified.
11:13And of course, there's no vaccine yet.
11:15Do you think that we're close to one or not?
11:18Well, it's quite difficult to say because people are working on it and nothing has been till now.
11:24What we've learned today is that not all coronavirus cases are fatal.
11:27In fact, the vast majority of us can pass this off with the strength of our own immune system.
11:32What is important, though, is that if you get diagnosed with coronavirus,
11:35you actually are quarantined to keep you away from people
11:38who could be more susceptible to contracting a severe strain of the virus
11:43and thus be more susceptible to fatalities, say the young or the elderly.
11:48Ashley Hammond, Golf News.
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