Coronavirus VS Heat

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Initiation
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Coronavirus VS Heat Mar 19, 2020 20:06:30 GMT

Post by Initiation on Mar 19, 2020 20:06:30 GMT

'Coronavirus will most likely die out in summers'

Director BPS Govt Medical College, in an exclusive conversation with India TV, has said that the coronavirus will most likely die out as summers approach. She also spoke of the precautions one can take to keep themselves safe from the coronavirus.

      The coronavirus outbreak in India will likely be controlled once the mercury starts rising as we approach summers, said Director, Bhagat Phool Singh Medical College, Dr Renu Garg, in an exclusive conversation with India TV. "Coronavirus is not heat resistant. It will die as the temperature increases. On a metal surface, the virus can survive for a 12-14 hour period. If you heat up the surface, the virus disappears. We are hoping that as summers approach, the virus will diminish," Dr Garg told India TV.

     She added, "The kind of heat we see in India, the virus will most likely not survive."

     Dr Garg, however, said that there is no consensus on this matter among the doctors and various theories are doing rounds.

      Speaking further on various theories that are doing rounds about the consumption of products can help cure coronavirus, she said, "No garlic, no oil, no alcohol will affect the virus. Even Ayurveda will not cure you of coronavirus. There is no proof that this happens. If in future something is scientifically proven then that is a different issue. Garlic is found in China. If it were treating people, so many of them would not have died."

     When asked about the reaction that is being seen across the country where people are stocking up hand sanitizers and facial masks, Dr Garg said that people's concerns are justified but they must take the right precautions and refrain from panicking.

"The concern is definitely justified. It is normal human tendency to react like this when you think your life is at stake. I don't think that the people are overplaying it but they are not doing it right," Dr Garg said.

Use the mask properly, or not at all

"The masks are not being used properly. People are just tieing them around their neck rather than putting them on the way they are meant to be put on. By misusing the mask people are making themselves more vulnerable," she said.

Explaining the proper way to use a mask, she said, "You have to wash your hands properly before putting on the mask. When you put the normal surgical mask on, you have to clip it properly onto the nose. After you put on the mask properly, you then don't have to touch it again because if you touch it you are again coming into contact with any bacteria or virus that the mask might have protected you from. When you take a phone call while the mask is on, that is also harmful."

"People think that coronavirus will see a person with a mask and it will run away. It does not work like that, there is a procedure to make these things work," she added.

Difference between an ordinary mask and an N-95 mask

     As the threat of coronavirus has increased, people have been confused as to whether or not to wear a mask. And if at all they should, which ones to wear. To this regard, Dr Gard explained the major difference between the ordinary mask and an N-95 mask, which has been bought by people in large numbers.

     "There are two types of masks, the ordinary mask and the N-95 mask. The ordinary mask is not to prevent corona from entering. The ordinary mask does not protect you from coronavirus. What it does is if a person is coughing or sneezing (coronavirus or no coronavirus), it protects the other people from getting the virus," she said.

     "N-95 mask can prevent the coronavirus from entering the mask as well as going out. The N-95 mask can only be used once. If you remove it once, you cannot use it again. If you remove the mask and then you are again touching it, you are coming into the contact with any virus that the mask may have protected you from," she said also touching upon the point that people have not been made aware of how to use the masks properly.

Asking people to refrain from creating a situation of panic, she added, "N-95 masks should be used by only those who are confirmed cases of coronavirus, and those who are providing health care to these people. All those people who are roaming around wearing N-95 masks are creating unnecessary panic in society."

Once infected, a person must be quarantined

    Speaking of the right medical procedure to encounter the problem, Dr Garg said that "proactive" steps must be taken to contain the virus if a person is found infected. "We have to ensure that in case any person tests positive of coronavirus we are at least not letting it spread."

    "Coronavirus has the worst impact on those who are immuno-compromised, those who are elderly, those who are diabetic or have some other respiratory disease. For everyone else, the virus just goes to fever and some chest infection in some cases. Till now we have no deaths reported in India. If there is a young person who gets infected with coronavirus, there is a fair enough chance that the person will tide over the situation. All we have to do is basic symptomatic treatment," she said.

What is symptomatic treatment?

     Symptomatic treatment is a treatment where we just treat the person as per the symptoms. "So if the person has fever, we will treat him for fever. If he has a cough we will treat him for a cough. If he has breathing problem then we have to put him on that kind of support depending upon the situation," said Dr Garg.

Coronavirus has no stages

When asked about the intensity of the symptoms and are stages associated with the virus, Dr Garg said, "There are no stages as such. But initially, there might be no visible symptom in the patient. If a person has mild fever or cough, you might not suspect coronavirus at first. But now, after looking at how the virus has spread globally, we know that such symptoms could be of coronavirus."

"If somebody comes to us and we suspect coronavirus, we will immediately put that person into isolation first. Then his samples will be taken for testing. The test for coronavirus usually takes 7-8 hours. From Sonipat, we send the samples to AIIMS, Delhi to get them checked. We have created proper isolation wards at our hospital which has all the facilities to keep a coronavirus infected patient if the time ever comes," she added.

She further added, "It is important to quarantine all the people who have come in contact with the person who got infected from coronavirus because some or all of those people might be infected but might not be showing any symptoms in the initial days. In the meantime, they are still capable of infecting other people. Therefore it is important to identify them and quarantine immediately."

Source

(Please note that as it is a doctor speaking, of course there will be negativity against natural remedies)

Last Edit: Mar 19, 2020 20:07:57 GMT by Initiation

Initiation
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Posts: 49

Coronavirus VS Heat Mar 19, 2020 20:19:41 GMT

Post by Initiation on Mar 19, 2020 20:19:41 GMT

Will warmer weather slow the spread of coronavirus?

Experts say sunlight and heat limit growth and longevity of virus, but observing proper hygiene is more effective.

     As the coronavirus outbreak continues to cause jitters with cases surging close to 120,000 and deaths nearing 4,300 worldwide as of Wednesday, reports have emerged quoting medical experts saying the warmer spring and summer weather may bring some relief by slowing down the spread of the infection.

      Dr Stefan Baral, an epidemiology expert at Johns Hopkins University, was quoted by the Boston Herald as saying he expects "a natural decrease" of the disease as the United States moves into warmer weather.

     AccuWeather, the US-based forecaster, quoted Dr John Nicholls, a pathology professor at the University of Hong Kong, saying there are three things coronavirus does not like: sunlight, temperature and humidity.

      "Sunlight will cut the virus's ability to grow in half, so the half-life will be 2.5 minutes, and in the dark it's about 13 to 20 [minutes]. Sunlight is really good at killing viruses," Nicholls said.

     Deutsche Welle also cited Thomas Pietschmann, a virologist from Germany's Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, who said the coronavirus is "not very heat-resistant, which means that the virus quickly breaks down when temperatures rise".

     According to AccuWeather, spring will arrive in the US on March 19, while Climate-Data.org is predicting that temperatures in the Italian capital of Rome will climb to 16C-17C (60.8-62.6F), when the spring equinox arrives in Europe on March 20. Nowruz, the Persian new year that typically marks the start of springtime, is expected on March 20 in Iran.

Meanwhile, in countries in or close to the southern hemisphere, daytime temperatures between 30C (80F) in Jakarta, Indonesia, to 35C (95F) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, are expected during the same period.

Dispelling myths

While health experts agree warmer weather is a factor in containing the outbreak, they stress the outcome of each country's response may depend on how robust its healthcare infrastructure is, how quickly those tools are deployed, and how proactive citizens are.

They also said there are other crucial variables to consider in fighting the infection, warning that simply relying on weather patterns without observing safety precautions and other health protocols invites risk.

Even as the weather warms up in the northern hemisphere, the coronavirus may still survive for days at temperatures up to 25C (77 F), according to a study in Germany published by the Journal of Hospital Infection.

The study showed a human coronavirus could persist for five days in 21C (69.8 F) temperature on a Teflon, ceramic or steel surface. In comparison, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV) could last on a plastic surface for more than five days between 22C and 25C (71.6-77F).

Dr Edsel Maurice Salvana, director at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of the Philippines, told Al Jazeera that a direct correlation between warmer countries and the slower spread of the virus "is a myth".

"It might deactivate the virus faster if it is in on surfaces, but it won't affect people who get sick from inhaling droplets from someone's cough or sneeze," said Salvana, who is also an adjunct professor for Global Health at the University of Pittsburgh in the US.

Personal hygiene, proper protection

    Dr Michael Chi Wai Chan, an infectious disease expert at the University of Hong Kong, noted while the viral activity "is a little bit lower in relatively warmer temperatures" such as Indonesia, the Philippines, or even India, "it won't really affect" the transmission of the virus per se, which is spreading in the air.

     According to the latest reports on Wednesday, there were 26 cases confirmed in Indonesia with one death; 49 in the Philippines, also with one death; and 44 cases in India with no deaths and no local transmission so far.

     No matter what the temperature is, Chan said, what is more important is that individuals observe personal hygiene and proper protection, "which is really affecting the outcome" of the infection.

     Despite its proximity to mainland China, Hong Kong has reported only 115 infections and one coronavirus death

     Chan, who has studied the SARS outbreak of 2004, also noted that compared with Italy, which has more than 9,000 cases and close to 500 deaths, the city of Hong Kong has managed to contain the spread of the virus relatively effectively despite its close proximity to mainland China.

     Aside from warmer temperatures in Hong Kong, Chan said many of its citizens also wear protective masks this time of the year, when it is "peak season" for allergies.

     "I know some European countries and America, they don't really have very high allergies in the general population, so they don't wear masks, which can really stop transmission of this stuff," he told Al Jazeera.

Chan said the situation in Italy now is "quite bad", adding he is also worried about the growing number of cases in the US.

Heat and humidity

     Meanwhile, Dr Abdul Ghafur, an infectious disease specialist based in the Indian city of Chennai, said compared to its population of 1.3 billion, the dozens of confirmed cases in India "is not a big number".

     He said the heat and humidity in the country "could be one of the reasons" why coronavirus is not spreading faster in his country, as the weather limits the virus from travelling "longer or faster".

     "It is not just the temperature that is killing in the warm climate, it is the humidity as well. The humidity reduces the transferability of the virus," he told Al Jazeera.

     In the case of India, the government is carrying out screenings of international airline passengers, and is doing testing "as much as we can", Ghafur said.

     In cold-weather regions such as those in Europe and parts of the US, the general dryness of the air allows the virus to travel farther and when it settles, it also persists longer and spreads faster because of the lower temperature, he said.

     In Iran, where the average temperature is about 0 to 10C (32-50F) during this time of year, the government has so far reported more than 9,000 coronavirus cases and 354 deaths as of Wednesday.

     But even as the weather gets warmer in those countries, Ghafur said he does not expect the coronavirus "to go away completely".

     "It may become endemic at least in a few countries," he warned, adding countries with better healthcare systems may be able to contain the outbreak faster.

"If the healthcare system is weak, the containment will be slow. So it depends on the robustness and the ability of the healthcare systems in the world."

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