Thursday, April 16, 2020

SER 10 (B) OF X SERIALS (Infectious Diseases) :- Coronavirus pandemic: Here is your complete guide to Covid-19

SOURCE:
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/coronavirus-pandemic-covid-19-precautions-symptoms-global-impact-complete-guide-1657761-2020-03-20




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SER 12  (D)  OF X SERIALS (Infectious Diseases) VIRUS WAR

SER 12  (C)  OF X SERIALS (Infectious Diseases) VIRUS WAR
SER 12  (A)  OF X SERIALS (Infectious Diseases)  VIRUS WAR


SER  11  OF   X SERIALS (Infectious Diseases)

 SER  10(B)  OF   X SERIALS (Infectious Diseases)
https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2020/04/ser-10-b-of-x-serials-infectious.html



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https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2020/03/ser-04-c-of-x-serials-infectious_27.html


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https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2020/03/2019-2020-cornavirus-pandemic_26.html

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https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2020/03/2019-2020-cornavirus-pandemic.html

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https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2020/03/novel-coronavirus-covid-19.html

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https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2020/03/history-in-crisis-lessons-for-covid-19.html

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https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2020/03/infectious-diseases-infectious-diseases.html  


Coronavirus pandemic: Here is your complete guide to Covid-19 



                 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5oqfadgy-I

Watch: Prannoy Roy With IMF's Gita Gopinath, Other Experts On Coronavirus Impact

Despite a complete nationwide lockdown in the country to check the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the number of cases is slowly climbing up. This week the overall death figure crossed the 400-mark. The centre has approved clinical trials of the plasma treatment. However, the entire world is waiting for a breakthrough in the development of the coronavirus vaccine. There is also an economic aspect of the disease. Millions of poor people are suffering from hunger because of the lockdown. There are also concerns that the lockdown might bring a severe recession. NDTV's Dr Prannoy Roy and his panel of experts discuss what needs to be done to tackle the virus.


Here is IndiaToday.in's comprehensive guide to the coronavirus pandemic, compiled to arm you with the information you need to protect yourself, your family and your community

An electron microscope image shows the new coronavirus, yellow, emerging from the surface of cells. (Photo: US National Institutes of Health. Design by ITGD Design Team/Vikas Vashisht)


 A new kind of coronavirus discovered late last year in central China has now spread with ruthless speed to every continent on earth except Antarctica. It has killed thousands, disrupted daily life in ways that would have seemed unthinkable at the start of the new year, and now poses a dire threat to the health of the world economy. The World Health Organisation says the coronavirus pandemic is the "defining global health crisis of our time", capable of revealing the best and worst in humanity. On March 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointed out the scale of the challenge: "Even World War I and II didn't affect as many countries as the coronavirus has done."
This comprehensive guide to the coronavirus pandemic has all the important information you need to protect yourself, your family and your community. Use the links below to navigate. (Click here to see our special coronavirus coverage page)
The basics
Deeper dives
Let's get started.
Coronaviruses are actually a big family of viruses, named for the crown-like effect created by spikes on their surface -- these are actually proteins that help them invade human cells. Some coronaviruses, in fact, cause the common cold.
What we're dealing with right now is a new, or novel coronavirus. It has a name: Sars-Cov-2. (Pronounce the first two parts like words: "saars" and "kawv".)
Don't confuse Sars-Cov-2 with the coronavirus that caused the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 -- they're related, but not the same.
Click on the photographs below to get a closer look.
A 3-D print of a spike protein of the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus, in front of 3-D print of the whole virus particle. (PHOTO ABOVE: US National Institutes of Health (NIH). PHOTOS BELOW: US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the US NIH.)

IMAGE SAMPLES

So, what is Covid-19, then?
That's the name of the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus. Short for coronavirus disease 2019, it was first detected when a cluster of mysterious pneumonia cases emerged in China's Wuhan city late last year. (Pronounce Covid-19 like a word, too: "ko-vid-nineteen".)
Now, how does the new coronavirus spread? What symptoms does it produce? What can you do to reduce infection risk?
Find out in the next section.


A robot developed by a start-up firm, Asimov Robotics, distributing face masks and sanitiser, and providing information about coronavirus precautions, in Kochi, on March 17, 2020. (Photo: Reuters)
The new coronavirus mostly spreads through respiratory droplets leaving an infected person's mouth or nose when he (or she) coughs or breathes out -- and when these are either inhaled or ingested by a healthy individual, or transferred by hand from a contaminated surface to his eyes, nose, or mouth.
There's evidence that the coronavirus can hold out for a long time on surfaces: A recent US study showed it can survive for up to four hours on copper, a day on cardboard and two or three days on plastic and stainless steel. It also survives in aerosols -- droplets suspended in the air -- for as long as three hours.
Infected people, on average, seem to pass the virus on two or three others. There's no vaccine or specific anti-viral treatment yet, only supportive care. (The first human trial of a vaccine began in the US in mid-March.)
How can you protect yourself? Here's a list of precautionary measures based on information provided by the World Health Organisation, the Indian government, and the US Centres for Disease Control.

PRECAUTIONS

Regularly wash your hands with soap and water, or with an handrub (sanitiser) with at least 60% alcohol. Soap in particular is super-effective, as it dissolves the fat membrane of the coronavirus, causing it to "fall apart like a house of cards", according to a tweet-thread recently posted by Pall Thordarson (@PalliThordarson), a professor of chemistry at the University of New South Wales.

STOP TOUCHING YOUR FACE. Yes, it's REALLY hard -- we know -- but this prevents you from transferring the virus to your eyes, mouth or nose if your hands have been contaminated by contact with a surface or a patient.

When you cough or sneeze, cover your face with a bent elbow or tissue -- which you should then dispose of quickly and safely.

Practice social distancing. If you are in India, you are under lockdown -- and so this should already be happening. If you do need to step out (to buy essentials, for example), make sure you stay at least 1 metre away from other people. In fact, many are advising a distance of nearly 2 metres (6 feet).

If you are a senior citizen -- or suffer from pre-existing medical conditions like heart disease or diabetes -- social distancing and other precautions are especially crucial. These groups are at greater risk for serious illness.

Avoid handshakes and hugs while greeting people.

Avoid all non-essential travel. (Again, if you are in India, you currently cannot step out of your home except to avail essential services.)

Don't panic, but don't be complacent either.
[In early April, the Indian government said homemade face covers were recommended for healthy individuals. Click here for more information.]

A woman wearing a face mask at a nearly-deserted bank of the Ganga river in Varanasi, on March 20, 2020. (Photo: PTI)
What are the symptoms of a Covid-19 infection? Here's what the World Health Organisation says.
What are the most common symptoms?
"The most common symptoms of Covid-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected but don’t develop any symptoms and don't feel unwell."
Also check out this article on evidence for the loss of smell in coronavirus-infected people.
Does everyone who's infected become very sick?
"Most people (about 80%) recover from the disease without needing special treatment. Around one out of every six people who gets Covid-19 becomes seriously ill and develops difficulty breathing."
Are there some groups at greater risk for serious illness?
"Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness."
Are you in India? Read this: If you who have fever, cough or difficulty breathing, have travelled to a nation where Covid-19 is currently spreading (or have come into contact with a person who tested positive), please immediately contact the central government's 24x7 helpline -- 011-2397 8046 -- or your state's helpline number, so authorities can decide if you should be tested. Click here for a map of testing facilities.

In Prague, capital of the Czech Republic, this man was taking a picture of a poster of the late Li Wenliang, a Chinese ophthalmologist who died of the novel coronavirus at a hospital in Wuhan earlier this year. Many Chinese consider Li, who was 33, to be a hero: he was accused by authorities of spreading rumours when he alerted his fellow doctors to the outbreak. (Photo: Reuters)
The global death toll from the coronavirus pandemic is in the thousands, and continues to rise. But what is the mortality rate? In other words, what percentage of patients succumb to Covid-19 (the disease caused by the novel coronavirus)?
For now, we can't tell for sure -- current estimates range from below 1% to up to 4%, far lower than the figures for two previous epidemics caused by coronaviruses, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
As we've said earlier, the elderly and people with pre-existing medical conditions are more at risk for serious disease. In February, a Chinese study of 44,672 confirmed cases in Mainland China reported an overall death rate of 2.3%. But the figure was 14.8% for for people older than 80, and only 0.2% for ages 10 through 39.
Most people with Covid-19 get better without special treatment -- approximately 80%, according to the World Health Organisation.
But that's not an excuse to not report symptoms: fever, cough, or breathing difficulties. If you show signs of a Covid-19 infection, have travelled to a country where the disease has been spreading or think you've been in contact with a suspected or confirmed patient, PLEASE seek help. Call the Centre's 24x7 helpline -- 011-2397 8046 -- or a state helpline, so the government can determine if you should be tested.
Since the pandemic reached India, there have been alarming reports of high-risk behaviour, such as suspected Covid-19 patients leaving hospitals without clearance. We don't need to stress how dangerous this is -- please cooperate with medical and government authorities.

A deserted Gateway of India in Mumbai, on March 19, 2020.
 (Photo: PTI)

If you're in India, perhaps you're asking yourself why authorities have locked down the country for three weeks. In fact, even before Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the shutdown on March 24, restaurants and malls were being ordered shut, exams were postponed, and employees who could were being asked to work from home. Maybe you wonder if this is all an overreaction.
Not at all.
This kind of collective effort at social distancing -- combined with hand and respiratory hygiene practices that reduce the risk of transmission (JUMP TO SECTION), and public health measures like testing and contact tracing -- are crucial in the fight against coronavirus pandemic.
The need of the hour is "flattening the curve". It's pretty simple. Imagine a graph that plots the rise and fall of coronavirus cases over time. What you don't want is a steep peak in a very short amount of time -- one that could overburden the healthcare system. Think about Italy: a Reuters report from March 17 described how hospitals in the country's north had been "crippled" by the coronavirus, with their ICUs "under colossal strain".
So it's better if the curve is more staggered, but flatter. That can happen when a community adopts aggressive containment strategies, including social distancing.



LA Public Health
✔@lapublichealth

Together, we can “flatten the curve” by practicing social distancing, staying home when sick, and washing hands often. This will reduce the strain on our hospitals and emergency rooms, and literally save the lives of our most vulnerable residents.









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An expert who spoke to India Today TV before the lockdown said the "most likely scenario" that awaited India was a caseload of 300 million infections, including ten million severe ones.

Ten million severe cases will still be manageable if they're spread out over a year, but these "will all happen within a two or three-week window", said Ramanan Laxminarayan, director of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy (CDDEP).








But social distancing can help "spread that peak out", he said. (Watch the full interview here.)
Here's another excellent animation that demonstrates how that can happen.



Dr Siouxsie Wiles
✔@SiouxsieW

I explain what level 2 of NZ's Alert System is in my latest @TheSpinoffTV piece. In her briefing @jacindaardern listed what we all SHOULD do now. I need you to understand that you MUST do them otherwise we'll be at level 4 before we know it. https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/22-03-2020/siouxsie-wiles-toby-morris-what-does-level-two-mean-and-why-does-it-matter/ …









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Before you move on, a note on lockdowns: they are part of the toolkit, but they aren't enough.
Hear it from Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organisation: "Asking people to stay at home and shutting down population movement is buying time and reducing the pressure on health systems."
"But on their own, these measures will not extinguish epidemics."
  • Expand, train, deploy healthcare and public health workforce
  • Implement system to find all suspected cases at community level
  • Increase production, capacity, availability of testing
  • Identify, adapt, equip facilities for isolation and treatment
  • Create plan and process for quarantining contacts
  • Refocus whole of government on coronavirus fight

Preventive measures against the new coronavirus disease, Covid-19, are displayed at a Mumbai bus stop, on March 18, 2020. (Photo: Reuters)
India is currently fighting a growing outbreak of the new coronavirus, so it's natural for the public to be concerned. But panicking isn't the solution. In fact, it can be dangerous: stockpiling essentials and hoarding masks or sanitiser, for example, creates shortages for others.
But you should follow precautions (JUMP TO SECTION) that help prevent the spread of the virus. That includes simple measures like cleaning your hands regularly with soap and water -- or sanitiser -- and not touching your face. Social distancing is the buzzword these days, and for good reason: reducing your proximity to other people -- by standing at least a metre away if you're face-to-face, and re-organising your life to keep yourself at home as much as possible -- helps enormously.
And right now, you don't have a choice: India is under lockdown until April 14.

Workers carrying mattresses to set up a quarantine facility in Howrah, on the 
outskirts of Kolkata, on March 19, 2020. (Photo: Reuters)
At a time like this, it's important that you keep yourself informed. The World Health Organisation's dedicated page on the coronavirus disease, Covid-19, is an excellent resource. Also bookmark India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, whose homepage now lists the latest stats on cases, deaths and recoveries - plus helplines and the latest advisories. Follow them on Twitter at (@WHO) and (@MoHFW_INDIA). Indian nationals who are currently abroad should track the Ministry of External Affairs at (@MEAIndia), as well as the local embassy or high commission. Find the one closest to you here.
Scan the news for updates from national, state and local authorities. IndiaToday.in publishes daily live blogs on the coronavirus pandemic and has a dedicated coronavirus page -- you will find links to both on our home page. You should also check out our in-depth data analysis.
You can also get the latest updates on India Today TV (watch live). The latest video reports and news debates can be accessed here.
So, in short: don't panic, take steps to protect yourself and your community, and keep bringing yourself up to speed.
Stay safe. Take care.

Police officer Rajesh Babu wearing a helmet depicting the coronavirus and requesting a commuter to stay at home during India's 21-day lockdown, in Chennai, on March 28, 2020. (Photo: Reuters)
A country of 1.3 billion, India imposed a three-week lockdown at midnight on March 24, giving the public not more than a few hours' notice and warning them that failure to tackle the pandemic during the shutdown period could take the country back "21 years".
The Modi government's ambitious move came close on the heels of a voluntary Sunday "janata curfew". It quickly drew criticism for leaving scores of out-of-work migrant works in the lurch -- this led to a reverse migration out of cities that experts said could exacerbate the outbreak -- and for an accompanying economic package that one senior opposition leader, P Chidambaram, said fell short of meeting the cash needs of the poor. There were other worrying reports, too: of police harassing and beating people on the streets, broken medicine supply chains and niggles in online grocery deliveries, for example.
Staying at home is a social distancing strategy and helps break the disease transmission chain. But the World Health Organisation's view on lockdowns is clear: they are not enough. It said the day after India imposed one that such measures buy time to "attack the virus" -- by expanding testing and finding cases, quarantining contacts, identifying and equipping treatment facilities, and increasing and training the corps of health workers.

Beds being installed for a quarantine facility inside Guwahati's Sarusajai 
Sports Complex on March 29, 2020. (Photo: Reuters)
India's low volume of testing has fuelled concerns that it belies the true number of infections in the country. Data show that as of March 20, India was conducting a little over ten tests per million people, while several countries were testing thousands. That same day, it expanded its testing criteria to include all hospitalised patients with severe acute respiratory illness, and soon allowed private labs to do tests. Experts have flagged concerns that the coronavirus could already be spreading widely enough to make pinpointing sources of exposure difficult -- a phenomenon known as community transmission. The government says India's outbreak isn't quite that severe yet. (See next section for more.)
Also under scrutiny is India's preparedness to deal with the growing pandemic. The public health research group CDDEP is pushing for an expansion of ICU beds and ventilators as well as the creation of temporary treatment facilities. According to an internal government document accessed by Reuters, India has contacted over 700 firms for ventilators, ICU monitors, protective gear, masks and test kits. Limited estimates of the demand for masks and protective equipment run into several millions, and far exceed available supplies. As the caseload grows, there are signs of a movement in the right direction -- such as a feasibility study by the railways to turn coaches into isolation wards -- but the question remains: is India doing enough to beat the clock?

Graffiti on a Chennai road, created to spread awareness about social 
distancing, seen on April 9, 2020. (Photo: Reuters)
How freely is the coronavirus spreading in India? Is it only infecting people in close contact with patients who caught it while travelling abroad? Or is it already fanning out into the community and stealthily sickening people who can't tell where or from whom they got it?
If you've been wondering what the ongoing debate on transmission stages is about -- well, this is the essence of it.
There are four transmission stages. In Stage 1, infections are limited to arrivals from countries where the virus has been spreading -- say, China or Italy. In Stage 2, known as local transmission, people contract the virus from patients "importing" it, so it's still possible to pinpoint the sources of infection. This changes in Stage 3, known as community transmission: the pathogen now spreads so freely in the population that patients can no longer trace their infections to a place they visited or another person who has the virus. And in Stage 4, the caseload and death toll swell to such an extent that there appears to be no end in sight to the outbreak. (Click here for a NewsMo video on the four transmission stages.)
So, at what stage is India's outbreak?
An ICMR study on Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) patients tested for the coronavirus disease showed that 40 out of 102 people found to be carrying the virus "did not report any history of contact or international travel", pointing to community spread.
In early April, the director of AIIMS (Delhi), Dr Randeep Guleria, said most of India was at Stage 2 but also appealed for vigilance, pointing to "localised community spread" in "a few pockets". The government said his views were "not in variance" with its own stand.
It said India was "between Stage 2 and 3".

People clapping and beating utensils to show their appreciation for essential service providers during a "janata curfew", in Delhi, on March 22, 2020. (Photo: PTI)
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the public to observe a voluntary "janata curfew" on March 22, he invited them to clap, ring bells or beat utensils at 5 pm to laud professionals working to provide essential services. Soon, messages on social media were claiming the coordinated applause and percussion would cause the coronavirus to lose its "potency" -- bogus, obviously.
Fake news on the current pandemic is rife. India Today TV fact-checkers have exposed fake cures and false advisories on eating bakery items, shaving facial hair, or using a 10-second breath hold as a way to test for infections. In February, the World Health Organisation said it was fighting not just the virus, but also "trolls and conspiracy theorists who push misinformation and undermine the outbreak response".
One particularly explosive claim that's been refuted by researchers is the idea that the coronavirus is a Chinese bio-weapon -- the basis for a U.S. lawsuit seeking $20 trillion in damages from China, a figure greater than its GDP.
As the pandemic progresses, we need to make sure we're consuming and sharing authentic information on the virus. The World Health Organisation's coronavirus page and the Indian health ministry's website are good sources. Click here for more resources, including links to news content from India Today.

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