lsijls

LS- International Journal of Life Sciences

2319-118X2319-1198

IndianJournals.com

lsijls-9-3-008

10.5958/2319-1198

10.5958/2319-1198.2020.00018.4

RESEARCH ARTICLE

COVID Pandemic - Facts People Should Know

Verma

H.N.

Vice Chancellor¹

¹Jaipur National University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India Email id: vermalko@yahoo.co.uk, vc@jnujaipur.ac.in

257-122020

932522531708202002092020

2020

IndianJournals.com

The deadly Spanish flu, caused by H1N1 virus between 1918-1920 originated in birds and mutated to infect humans. Now after a century another global pandemic known as SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus, also jumped from wildlife bats to people.

In Spanish flu a large number of people died. Since 1920 there have been many advancements in science and medicine over the past 100 years. It is therefore expected that mortality rate may not be that high in today’s pandemic. At that time there were no coordinated pandemic response plans as we have today. In today’s pandemic it has been possible to track this epidemic timely and identify those most at risk, and effective policies were implemented to flatten the curve of infections and deaths.

But still a number of Corona cases are rising day by day and have crossed 13 Lakhs. However, the mortality rate has been much lower, till date the number of deaths reported are about 31 thousand (25/07/2020). More than 8.5 Lakh cases have been cured/discharged. Densely populated areas suffered the highest losses.

Rapidly enacted measures such as lockdowns, shelter- in-place rules, social distancing and wearing of masks prevent spread of contagion to a great extent. Moreover, as compared to 1918 flu, the people across the world are better nourished today and are in a better position to fight off infection.

Today’s medical technologies are more advanced than they were a century ago. Today’s innovations allow us to rapidly detect outreaches and better treat severely ill patients.

It is unlikely that COVID-19 will take as many lives as the 1918 H1N1 pandemic. There is also hope of a possible vaccine in near future. The vaccine trials are going on all over the world, including India preliminary evaluations have shown no adverse reactions in humans, which has paved the way for larger trials. Moderna has begun a phase III clinical trial evaluating its messenger RNA (mRNA)-1273 COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The trial is expected to enroll approximately 30,000 healthy volunteers. The vaccine candidate will be tested at approximately 89 clinical research sites in the U.S.

The most common way of getting COVID seems to be by touch. This is why hygiene, even more than distancing and masks, is vital.

All the factors that were thought to be mitigating for India have failed to protect us: the heat, lack of air conditioning, TB vaccinations and natural immunity. The factors that are negative for India and are having greater impact are inadequate healthcare, population density and poverty. We must face up to the challenge ahead.

Diagnostic tests are also in progress by several labs all over the world which should be quick and low cost. Researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Hannover, Germany, have found dogs are able to sniff out the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 with great accuracy (July 28, 2020).

There is lesser-possibility of people getting re-infected a second time. Corona virus could also enter the respiratory centre of the human brain through the nose. Majority of introductions appear to be associated with travel-related exposures.

Specific types of cells that are targets for coronavirus are present in the lung, the nasal passages, and the intestine that express RNA for the two proteins which help entry of virus in-human cells.

COVID-19 is highly infectious. The enzyme nsp 16 present in the virus allows the virus to modify part of the RNA molecule that make up its genetic code, that tricks the host cell into accepting the virus as a part of itself rather than triggering an immune system response. Because of the modifications, which fool the cell, the resulting viral messenger RNA is now considered as part of the cell’s own code and not foreign (Neoscope 29 July, 2020). Coronavirus may have evolved to take advantage of host cells’ natural defenses, hijacking some proteins for their own use. Positively charged amino acids, lysine or arginine accumulation of the nucleocapsid protein could contribute to the increased pathogenicity of virulent coronaviruses. Virus is not mutating. The severity of the virus has changed and that even elderly patients are now getting recovered, COVID-19 is steadily weakening. More people are reported sick, many of them in a very mild state, which makes the percentage of those in critical condition drop.

This pandemic is a reminder for the need of a slum emergency planning map for every urban settlement. The more privileged sections of society have the luxury of sequestering themselves and maintain social distancing. Large swathes of people who do not have the luxury to do so often suffer. Slum dwellers luckily have better defense than the better off people.

There is no cure yet for COVID-19 treatments - Scientists are searching for antivirals that work against the new coronavirus. Some of the drugs which are promising and stop viruses from replicating are Remdesivir and Favipiravir. Drugs which play a role as a preventive and in treating patients with mild symptoms are Lopinavir - Ritonavir. Dexamethasone, a cheap and widely available steroid was found to reduce death by one-third in patients on oxygen. Convalescent Plasma - the blood of recovered patients to treat people sick with virus has shown promising results. Plasma therapy is being used for very sick covid patients. Convalescent plasma contains a mix of antibodies which can fight the coronavirus. Interferon injections could also be used both as a prevention and treatment for Covid-19. Type 1 interferons can directly inhibit viral replication and also support immune responses that help clear a viral infection. They have been approved for clinical use for many years. Now the strategy should be to ‘repurpose’ them for severe acute virus infections.

Attempts are also being made to develop preventive treatment by developing a pharmaceutical cocktail of antibodies from recovered patients, these antibodies would work like vaccine. Other supportive treatments have also been found to help patients.

Given the challenge, India’s globally recognized medical expertise could develop a suitable patient oriented model in near future.