Important Information Related To Covid 19 | A To Z Of Covid-19 Pandemic

Hello Aspirants,

We have been witnessing the devastating spread of Covid 19 disease in the country. Almost everyone in the country is going through this phase. This is the reason we are here covering the A to Z of Covid 19 where each Alphabet indicates the corresponding Word related to this Pandemic. Let’s read the complete.

Important Note: This article is informatory in nature and does not suggest anything specific. You must consult your doctor before applying any procedure or taking any medicine.

A: Antibodies

“Antibodies are large Y-shaped proteins. They are recruited by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects like bacteria and viruses. Antibodies are special protein molecules that the immune system produces in response to antigens. Antigens are substances that can stimulate the body’s production of antibodies. The body makes antibodies to fend off germs and other harmful substances. Abbreviated as Ab, antibodies are also referred to as immunoglobulins, abbreviated as Ig. Specifically, immunoglobulins are the special proteins that function as antibodies. They are found in plasma (the liquid part of blood and lymph), other body fluids, and in the membrane of certain cells.”

B: Booster (Immunity)

“The only way to fight crona at this point of time is to improve your immunity. In current situation, it is very important for you and your family to incorporate habits/diet which helps body fight SARS Cov-2 Virus (which causes Covid-19 disease). You can include the following in order to boost your immunity.
1. Antioxidant foods
Food items like berries, onion, garlic, and carrot are rich in antioxidants, and including them in your diet can help you boost your immunity.
2. Citrus fruits
Citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits and clementines are a rich source of Vitamin C and their regular consumption can make your immune system stronger.
3. Broccoli
Broccoli is a nutritious vegetable as it is loaded with fibre along with Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and vitamin E. It also is rich in antioxidant compounds. The combination of these nutrients makes it a great food for boosting our immunity.
4. Ghee
Ghee is packed with vitamin A, K, E and Omegas. It is a rich source of healthy fat and a fatty acid butyrate. This helps in maintaining the digestive health.
5. Fermented Food
Fermented food consumption is considered very good for the intestine’s health. Incorporating yoghurt, kefir, homemade pickles and other fermented food items in your regular diet can help you keep your stomach healthy.”

C: COVID 19

“Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus.

Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment. Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness.

The best way to prevent and slow down transmission is to be well informed about the COVID-19 virus, the disease it causes and how it spreads. Protect yourself and others from infection by washing your hands or using an alcohol based rub frequently and not touching your face.”

D: DISINFECTANT

Disinfection describes a process that eliminates many or all pathogenic microorganisms, except bacterial spores, on inanimate objects (Tables 1 and 2). In health-care settings, objects usually are disinfected by liquid chemicals or wet pasteurization.Regular household cleaning and disinfection products will effectively eliminate the virus from household surfaces. For cleaning and disinfecting households with suspected or confirmed COVID19, surface virucidal disinfectants, such as 0.05% sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) and products based on ethanol (at least 70%), should be used

E: Essentials

Essentials are considered the most important things or services which is needed to survive. Dueing the lockdowns in various states, the Government made sure that essentials are kept out of the banned list of activities. The list of essentials include Fruits & Vegetables Rice, wheat flour, other cereals and pulses Sugar and salt, spices and masalas Bakery and dairy (milk, milk products) Tea and coffee Eggs, meat and fish Food grains, oil, masala and food ingredients Packaged food and beverages Health supplements, nutraceuticals, food for special dietary use and food for special medical purpose Infant/baby food Animal feed/pet food Food delivery.

F: Face Shield

Eyes, nose and mouth are the most susceptible organs since the droplets generated by cough or sneeze of a person reach the other person through it. The protection of the eyes/nose/mouth by using face shields or goggles is an essential part of standard and contact precautions.

G: Government Website & Helpline

“Since the inception of Covid 19 disease in India, the Government of India took appropriate steps in order to curb the effects. In current situation, you can find many Whatsapp Forwards claiming the availability of Medicines, Oxygen or Hospital ICU Beds. We request everyone to validate any such leads as it might cause danger to someone’s life. You can check the Government Website for everything you require in order to fight Corona.

https://www.mygov.in/covid-19”

H: HRCT

HRCT stands for High-Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) which is another way of determining the presence of the viral infection in the body, which is being done right now. The chest scans are being increasingly ordered for patients at risk- those who are showing classic signs of the infection but get a negative COVID RT-PCR report (either due to faulty testing or premature incubation period). While the usual PCR tests- RAT (Rapid Antigen Tests) and RT-PCR (Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Tests) find out the viral presence by collecting samples from the nose and/or the throat, an HRCT test is a diagnostic tool that involves imaging of the lungs.

I: Immunity | Isolation

“Immunity simply means the ability to fight anything that can cause damage to our body. Even the vaccines for Corona are aimed to boost the immunity so that the infection can be avoided.

Isolation and quarantine are public health practices used to protect the public by preventing exposure to people who have or may have a contagious disease. Isolation separates sick people with a contagious disease from people who are not sick. Quarantine separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick. These people may have been exposed to a disease and do not know it, or they may have the disease but do not show symptoms.”

J: Job Loss

On 23rd March 2020, the Nationwide Lockdown was announced by the Prime Minister. This was considered the 2nd Biggest Surprise after the Demonetisation. However this time, it was very different especially for those who became Jobless during the revival of the industries after lockdown. India witnessed the biggest ever migration and a lot of families were left starving. The Covid-19 might not be leaving soon however we also have to work on the after effects of this outbreak.

K: Kits (PPE)

PPE, known as Personal Protective Equipment, The components of PPE include goggles, face-shield, gloves, mask, coverall/gowns (with or without aprons), shoe cover and head cover.

L: Lockdown

The widespread of the Covid 19 disease led various State Governments to impose strict restrictions across the state. In fact some of the State had to announce Lockdown which simply means that only the essential services will be allowed during this period. This decison was taken to break the chain and community spread.

M: Medical Mask

Coronavirus mainly targets the upper and lower respiratory tracts of a person. Hence, protecting the airway from the virus generated by droplets/aerosols prevents human infection. Masks are crucial for everyone to protect oneself and the other person as well.

N: Non-Essentials

Everything which is not essential is considered Non Essential. In these tough times, even the Government is allowing the essentials to operate across the country.

O: Oxymeter

“Oximeter is device used to measure the oxygen level (oxygen saturation) of the blood using Pulse oximetry. A clip like device is placed on Fingers or Ear Lobes to take the readings. The device uses light to measure how much oxygen is in the blood. This information helps the healthcare provider decide if a person needs extra oxygen.

Normal Oxygen Level: 95% or Above
Below Normal: 90%-94%”

P: Pandemic

“We all know that COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, is a pandemic. But what’s the difference between a pandemic, an epidemic, and an outbreak?

An outbreak is when an illness happens in unexpected high numbers. It may stay in one area or extend more widely. An outbreak can last days or years. Sometimes, experts consider a single case of a contagious disease to be an outbreak. This may be true if it’s an unknown disease, if it’s new to a community, or if it’s been absent from a population for a long time. An epidemic is when an infectious disease spreads quickly to more people than experts would expect. It usually affects a larger area than an outbreak. A pandemic is a disease outbreak that spreads across countries or continents. It affects more people and takes more lives than an epidemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic when it became clear that the illness was severe and that it was spreading quickly over a wide area.

Hence a pandemic is defined as “an epidemic occurring worldwide, or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries and usually affecting a large number of people”.”

Q: Quarantine

“You would never want to catch a disease that gets transmitted when you get into the vicinity of a person. The best way to stop such transmission is to “”Quarantine the infected Person”” before anyone else catches the infection.

In case of quarantine, the infected person needs to isolate himself so that no one else catches the infection. He or she needs to follow the guidelines in order to stop the spread. For Covid 19, below are the guidelines shared by the Government:

Wash hand as often thoroughly with soap and water or with alcohol-based hand
sanitizer
• Avoid sharing household items e.g. dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils,
towels, bedding, or other items with other people at home.
• Wear a surgical mask at all the time. The mask should be changed every 6-8 hours
and disposed off. Disposable masks are never to be reused.”

R: RTPCR, Remdesivir

“RT-PCR stands for Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction. It has been the most sought after tests to check for COVID-19 infections since the beginning of the pandemic in India. Many specialists consider it to be the most effective test to detect COVID-19 virus in human cells.

Remdesivir is one of the drugs used to treat the infection of Covid-19 however every doctor has stated that Remdesivir is not a life saving drug. Remdesivir is an intravenous nucleotide prodrug of an adenosine analog which binds itself to the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and inhibits viral replication through premature termination of RNA transcription.”

S: Symptoms, Sanitization

“COVID-19 affects different people in different ways. Most infected people will develop mild to moderate illness and recover without hospitalization.
Most common symptoms:
– fever
– dry cough
– tiredness
Less common symptoms:
– aches and pains
– sore throat
– diarrhoea
– conjunctivitis
– headache
– loss of taste or smell
– a rash on skin, or discolouration of fingers or toes
Serious symptoms:
– difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
– chest pain or pressure
– loss of speech or movement
Seek immediate medical attention if you have serious symptoms. Always call before visiting your doctor or health facility.
People with mild symptoms who are otherwise healthy should manage their symptoms at home.
On average it takes 5–6 days from when someone is infected with the virus for symptoms to show, however it can take up to 14 days.

Sanitization is a preventive and strategic method to contain the spread of SARS-CoV2. Since there is no foolproof method to tackle the present COVID-19 pandemic, sanitization has a central role to play. The present article briefly reviews various methods of sanitization for individuals, surfaces and ambience. The article reviews different approaches toward sanitization and examines the historicity of the methods employed.”

T: Tiredness

The sense of tiredness is common in all patients of Covid 19. This is due to High fever and lack of oxygen in blood due to which the body might start feeling the weakness and tiredness. Being unwell and recovering from an illness may make you feel tired. Fatigue is feeling tired all the time and is not relieved by sleep and rest. When recovering from COVID-19 (coronavirus), you may feel you need to sleep more or feel exhausted after only taking a short walk. Even simple things, like washing and dressing, can be exhausting. While you were ill, your muscles may not have had to do any work for a while. They need time to build their strength again.

U: Underlying Condition

“Adults of any age with the following conditions can be more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19. Severe illness means that a person with COVID-19 may need:
– Hospitalization
– Intensive care
– A ventilator to help them breathe

The underlying condition may include the following:
Cancer
Chronic kidney disease
Liver Disease
Heart Condition
Chronic lung diseases
Diabetes
Overweight and obesity”

V: Vaccination
“With the liberalized third phase of the vaccination drive all set to begin from May 1, there are many questions looming in the minds of the people related to COVID-19, starting from advantages and disadvantages of Vaccination. Here we are with some important information shared by various Doctors across the country.
– Taking both doses of vaccine is pertinent, no matter which vaccine you are being administered whether it is Covaxin, Covishield or even Sputnik-V.
– Talking about the side effects of vaccines, people generally experience fever as the main symptom or some amount of weakness besides experiencing pain around the injected area. Simple paracetamol will work in these kinds of cases.”

W: Wuhan

Wuhan, the sprawling capital of Central China’s Hubei province, is a commercial center divided by the Yangtze and Han rivers. Many health experts believe that the new strain of coronavirus likely originated in bats or pangolins. The first transmission to humans was in Wuhan, China. Since then, the virus has mostly spread through person-to-person contact.

X: X Ray

“A chest CT or x-ray cannot accurately distinguish between COVID-19 and other respiratory infections, like seasonal flu. Unlike swab tests, which lead to specific diagnoses of COVID-19, imaging findings are not specific enough to confirm COVID-19. They can only point to signs of an infection. Those signs could be due to other causes, including seasonal flu which is very common at certain times of year.
A significant percentage of patients with COVID-19 have normal chest CTs or x-rays. For those patients, a normal imaging result could falsely convince them that they are healthy. If they believe they are healthy, they are at greater risk of spreading the virus to others.”

Y: Yoga

Yoga practice is calming and destressing during the period of lockdown. Yoga and breathing exercises are a good way to stay fit and destress during the pandemic and at all other times as well. Breathing exercises, if done correctly help in increasing lung capacity, aiding in better oxygenation and exhalation of carbon dioxide.

Z: Zincovit

Vitamins and minerals present in Zincovit tablet are essential for the proper functioning of the heart, nervous system and also boost immunity. Grape seed extract is a natural antioxidant that neutralizes the damage caused by harmful chemicals called free radicals and improves the response of the human body to infections.