Med First ENT Centre

    A large majority of patients who are infected by the Coronavirus are either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. Most of them are managed at home. This has multiple benefits- you prevent passing on the infection to multiple other persons, you are in the comfort of your house and can enjoy home food, and most important you do not overwhelm hospitals that need beds to treat seriously ill patients. Credible and respected organizations like WHO, CDC, AIIMS have set up and continue to update protocols for home care of a patient diagnosed with Covid-19. Medication                 1. Tab Paracetamol SOS for fever or body ache                 2. Simple over-the-counter antacid, empty stomach - for acidity                 3.  Simple antitussive cough syrup/cough suppressant for a simple cough Steam inhalation at night - for productive cough Points to Note...

1. The heat will kill the Virus Though we thought initially that the Coronavirus was a winter virus and that like the Flu its transmission would slow or die down in the summers it is not so. The virus continues to transmit and infect persons.  "Viruses do not replicate outside the living cell but the infectious virus may persist on contaminated environmental surfaces and the duration of persistence of viable virus is affected markedly by temperature and humidity. In the present study, we have demonstrated that SARS CoV can survive at least two weeks after drying at temperature and humidity conditions found in an air-conditioned environment. The virus is stable for 3 weeks at room temperature in a liquid environment but it is easily killed by heat at 56°C for 15 minutes. This indicates that SARS CoV is a stable virus that may potentially be transmitted by indirect contact or fomites. " (K H Chan et all - hindawi.com). 2. Flu Vaccine will give you immunity aga...

Did you wonder why frequent hand washing with soap is being touted as the single most important precaution we can use in our fight against the Coronavirus?  The RNA sequenced SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped virus. It is a tiny bit of protein surrounded by a layer of fat.  Soap is a Surfactant - it reduces surface tension.   The bubbles in the soap reduce the surface tension on the lipid layer of the Virus thus releasing the protein and the virus dies.  This process needs foam (so bubble up the soap in your hands) and time - 20 seconds. And that is truly the cheapest, easiest, and one of the best ways of staying safe! And do it frequently, especially if you have entered the house from a visit outside. 2. Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers Alcohol, in a minimum concentration of 60 %, preferably 70 % and above is effective in eliminating the virus. Alcohol denatures the protective outer proteins of the virus and dissolves the cell membrane thus killing it. Th...

Testing- What Are the Tests for Coronavirus? "Test, Test, Test," said the DG of WHO at the beginning of the Pandemic outbreak. There was and continues to be a very important reason for that -  The virus is highly contagious so one person can infect many others Many patients are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic In this situation, the only way to contain the spread of the disease is to diagnose patients early - before they infect others. The only way to do that is by aggressive testing, diagnosing, contact tracing and then isolating the contacts.  So what are the Tests available for diagnosis? These are of two types Checking for Antigen - for the presence of the virus - indicative of fresh infection. Checking for Antibody- for human response to the infection- indicates recent infection. 1. Testing for Antigen RT PCR - the gold standard for testing for the virus. This test is done not by taking blood but by swabs that are inserted into your nose (dee...