COVID-19 Treatment Updates; Notable progress, medicines that can prevent patients from becoming severely infected; the facts
Progress in treatment of Covid-19 From Feb 2020 to June 2020
As time passes in a pandemic there's a greater chance of survival for those getting infected 3 months later like June 2020 than those who got infected 3 months earlier say February 2020. I will list *5 important things* that we know now that we didn't know in February 2020 for your understanding.
Each point may be true perfunctorily but the FACT CHECK I followed up with, shows all 5 points are much more complicated and nuanced than is outlined by Dr. Yu Kang.
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. *
1. FACT CHECK
EXCERPT: āThe early use of aspirin in covid-19 patients, which has the effects of inhibiting virus replication, anti-platelet aggregation, anti-inflammatory and anti-lung injury, is expected to reduce the incidence of severe and critical patients, shorten the length of hospital duration and reduce the incidence of cardiovascular complications. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04365309
Managing Coagulopathy in Patients with COVID-19 ( HEPARIN)
EXCERPT: āSelection of Anticoagulant or Antiplatelet Drugs for Patients with COVID-19:13
Any time anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy is being used, consideration must be given to potential drug-drug interactions with other concomitant drugs (AIII). The University of Liverpool has collated a list of drug interactions.ā https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/adjunctive-therapy/antithrombotic-therapy/]
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.
2. FACT check:
EXCERPT: āNot everyone who tests positive for COVID-19 will develop low oxygen levels. There are people who may have a very uncomfortable bout with fever, muscle aches and GI upset at home, but never demonstrate low oxygen levels.
Ultimately, people should not think of a pulse oximeter as a screening test for COVID-19. Having a normal oxygen level does not mean that you are free of infection. If you are concerned regarding exposure, formal testing is still required.
Q: So, can a pulse oximeter be a helpful tool for monitoring COVID-19 at home?
Dr. Connolly: If a person has a mild case of COVID-19 and is self-treating at home, an oximeter can be a helpful tool for checking oxygen levels so that low oxygen levels can be caught early. In general, the people who are theoretically more at risk for oxygen issues are those with pre-existing lung disease, heart disease and/or obesity, as well as active smokers.
In addition, since "happy hypoxia" can be present in people who might otherwise be regarded as asymptomatic, a pulse oximeter can help ensure that this clinically silent early warning sign is not missed.ā
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 important medicines **``` Which are ANTIVIRALS that can substantially weaken the corona virus-the drugs inhibit viral entry. By using these two medicines we can prevent patients from becoming severely infected and therefore help them BEFORE THEY GO TO HYPOXIA. This knowledge we had in JUNE 2020... not in February 2020.