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GARUD SAARATHI
ST ALOYSIUS COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS), MANGALURU
4 WAVES OF COVID-19
Cdt Aarol Royston Lobo
KA/20/SD/F/160901
Corona virus or covid-19 as we know it is a infectious disease that is caused by a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from common cold to more severe diseases. Some of the symptoms of covid infection are severe respiratory disorder, vomiting, fatigue, nausea many other diseases that reduce the immunity of a human body if no medical attention is given.
The covid pandemic as lead to the demise of thousands of people around the globe. In present day the virus as mutated and as spread it’s second wave which is even more lethal and it is also predicted by several scientists that the third wave of covid pandemic is to come up in a few months. The third wave of covid is said to be more viral than the first two strains.
The covid virus has four stages of transmission:
1. Imported cases:
These are those who have travelled to the virus-hit foreign countries and have come back to their home town. This was the phase when the covid virus had just started to spread to the different countries starting from an contaminated country.
2. Local transmission:
These are those cases who had come into contact with patients who had a travel history. This was the stage of transmission when covid had started to spread in the first wave. Here whenever any medical staff or any family member came in contact with the patient it spread about to them and then to all who came into contact with them.
3. Community transmission:
It is when a patient no exposed to any infected person or one who has travelled to any of the affected countries tests positive. large areas get affected when community transmission takes place. This stage is the second stage of transmission and this also means that the virus is at every point of the streets in the nation.
4. Epidemic:
This is the last and the worst stage where the disease takes the shape of an epidemic with no clear endpoint like it did in china.
There are ways to prevent the spread of the novel covid-19 pandemic that involve wearing a mask using sanitizers, washing hands with soap at regular intervals maintaining social distancing etc.
COVID VACCINATION
Cdt Shreya Jain
KA/20/SW/F/160935
As we know, India is the second largest country in the world with cases of 2q million. The death toll stands at 2,38,265 as of 7th May 2021. The situation is getting worse day by day. The only hope we can have right now is getting vaccinated. Vaccines provide us acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease. Till date India has administered 160 million doses of vaccine. It was also providing vaccines to other countries but has stopped now due to shortage in our own country. There are 3 COVID-19 vaccine in India- Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik V.
Covishield :
Covishield (the OxfordAstraZeneca Vaccine) is being manufactured locally by the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer. It says it is producing more than 60 million doses a month. This vaccine is made from a weak version of a common cold virus (Adenovirus) from Chimpanzees. When injected, it prompts the immune system to start making antibodies and primes it to attack any Covid infection. The jab is administered in 2 doses given between 4and 12 weeks apart. It can be stored in 2C-8C and is easily delivered to health care centres. Service should that when people were given a half dose and then a full dose effectiveness hit 90%.
Covaxin :
Covaxin is an inactivated vaccine which is made up of killed Corona viruses making it safe to be injected. The 2 doses are given four weeks apart it can be stored at 2C-8C.The face 3 trial shows the vaccine has an efficacy rate of 81% the vaccine producer Bharat biotech says it has a stockpile of 20 Million doses of Covaxins.
Sputnik V :
Sputnik V is the recent vaccine which is approved it gives around 92% protection against COVID-19. India aims to vaccinate 250 Million “people priority” people by the end of July this vaccine consists of cold type virus engineered to be harmless as a carrier to deliver a small fragment of Covid to the body. Unlike the other two vaccines this vaccine is taken for the first and second dose given 21 days apart.
Recently it was made compulsory for all the citizens above 45 to get vaccinated as their immune systems of weaker compared to the younger generation about 150 million shots have been given in India that is equivalent to 11.5% of India’s 1.3 billion population now more than 13,000,000 people aged 18 to 45 have been registered for the job India has so far given 100 1,000,000 doses of to approved vaccinesCovishield and Covaxin.
COVID: IMPORTANCE OF VACCINATION
Cdt Helna Thomas
KA/19/SW/F/160915
Many scientists have come up with new vaccines. On 31 December 2020 WHO issued emergency use listing (EUL) for the Pfizer. On 15 February 2021 WHO issued EULs for two versions of AstraZenca/ Oxford Covid-19 vaccine . On 12 March 2021 WHO issued EUL for Ad26.COV2.S developed by Janssen. Mass vaccination has been started in many parts of the world while many people get vaccinated, many are still reluctant to take vaccine thinking of it's side effects. Vaccination is simple and effective protection the aim of vaccination is to obtain immunity without having risks of getting the disease. During vaccination a weakened microbe or fragments are added into the body. The immune system is then activated without us being getting sick.
Vaccines that are used in India are Covaxin, Oxford AstraZeneca and Sputnik V. Covaxin is India’s first vaccine for Covid-19 . This vaccine was developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with Indian Council of Medical Virology and National Institute of Virology. It is an inactivated vaccine. This vaccine is found effective against UK variant strain and this vaccine had also got acceptance globally. Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine has an efficacy of 63.09% against symptomatic Covid-19 infection. This vaccine is found effective at protecting people from extremely serious risks of Covid-19. Sputnik V vaccine is an adenoviral based vaccine.
Vaccination is very important to protect ourselves from Covid-19 infection. It also helps to protect the community. Vaccine strengthens our immunity and helps to fight against specific viruses. When you get vaccinated you are protecting yourselves and others. We shouldn't be scared to get vaccinated because it has been tested and verified. Without proper testing and studying none of the vaccine would be issued, so we should all do our responsibility i.e to take vaccine and breaking the chain. We should not further allow corona virus to interfere with our lives and turn it upside down.
So as responsible citizens we must get vaccinated and protect everyone from getting attacked of this harmful virus.
A Necessary Checklist to know if you are being tested positive for Covid-19
Cdt Ansa Mariya
KA/20/SW/F/160906
COVID-19 is a disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 that can trigger what doctors call a respiratory tract infection. It can affect your upper respiratory tract or lower respiratory tract. It spreads the same way other coronaviruses do, mainly through person-to-person contact. Infections range from mild to deadly. SARS-CoV-2 is one of seven types of coronavirus, including the ones that cause severe diseases like Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and sudden acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The other coronaviruses cause most of the colds that affect us during the year but aren’t a serious threat for otherwise healthy people.
Are there more than one strain of SARS-CoV-2?
An early Chinese study of 103 COVID-19 cases found two strains, which they named L and S. The S type is older, but the L type was more common in early stages of the outbreak. They think one may cause more cases of the disease than the other, but they’re still working on what it all means. It is also normal for a virus to change, or mutate, as it infects people and this virus has done so. There are several variants which have been named for the regions they were first discovered but they have now spread to other areas and countries.
What to do if you think you are positive?
If you live in or have travelled to an area where COVID-19 is spreading:
If you don’t feel well, stay home: Even if you have mild symptoms like a headache and runny nose, stay in until you’re better. This lets doctors focus on people who are more seriously ill and protects health care workers and people you might meet along the way. You might hear this called self-quarantine. Try to stay in a separate room away from other people in your home. Use a separate bathroom if you can.
Call the doctor if you have trouble breathing: You need to get medical help as soon as possible. Calling ahead (rather than showing up) will let the doctor direct you to the proper place, which may not be your doctor’s office. If you don’t have a regular doctor, call your local board of health. They can tell you where to go for testing and treatment.
Follow your doctor’s advice and keep up with the news on COVID-19: Between your doctor and health care authorities, you’ll get the care you need and information on how to prevent the virus from spreading
Covid-19 and tips
Cdt. Sannidhi
KA/20/SW/F/160931
Covid-19 is a virus that belongs to the family of Nidoviruses. These viruses affect the respiratory tract giving illness ranging from common cold to previously found MERS and SARS. The currently affecting strain has not been previously identified in humans. The infection starts as a mild cold and has the potential to be fatal if not properly and timely treated.
When an infected person sneezes or coughs, the virus spreads through the droplets, when another person inhales them or touches the surface containing the droplets followed by touching their face (nose, eyes and/or mouth). When the infection is left untreated, difficulty in breathing, chest congestion, drop in the level of oxygen saturation and/ or pneumonia can develop, which can be fatal.
The spread of corona virus is declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020. The organization and the government have also given out some guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus and protect ourselves.
1. Social distancing: Keep at least a distance of 6 feet from everyone at all times, this prevents your chances of being in contact with the infectious droplets.
2. Masks: Wear surgical or cloth masks when leaving the house. Double masking can also be done which is found to be effective. The N95 masks have proven to be very effective, but are not necessary for the general public and are advised only to frontline workers. Ensure you wear the mask properly covering your nose, mouth and the chin completely.
3. Sanitation: Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 second each time. When outside and soap and water aren’t available use a hand sanitizer that has at least 60% of alcohol content.
4. Face: A study found that on an average people touch their faces at least 16- 23 times in an hour, and half the touch included the eyes, nose and the mouth. Do not touch your face as the virus mainly enters the body through the eyes, nose and/or the mouth.
5. Stay at home: Nothing is as important as your life, stay at home and do not leave unnecessarily. Also isolate yourself if you develop covid-likesymptoms and get yourself tested as soon as possible.
i. In case the report turns out to be negative and you have symptoms, stay in isolation and keep closely monitoring your symptoms and the oxygen saturation levels while staying in contact with your doctor. He/she/they may prescribe a chest CT scan if necessary.
ii. In case the report is positive, follow the medication advised by the doctor and stay isolated. In both the cases do not decide the medications by yourself and discuss with the doctor before taking any medications.
6. Vaccination: Get yourself vaccinated as soon as possible at the nearest primary healthcare centre or a hospital. If previously tested positive, wait for 14 days after the next negative report and get vaccinated. Take both doses of the vaccine. Mild fever, cold is normal after vaccination. Do not fear vaccination.
7. Plasma donation: If you are eligible to donate plasma, please do so. There is a huge need for plasma and very few eligible donors available. Plasma donation is the same as the blood donation and does not have to be feared.
In these tough times we need to fight the pandemic as responsible citizens, let us all have a positive attitude, spread positivity and follow the guidelines given to protect ourselves, our families and our community.
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