Briton treated with anti-hiv drug recovers
TRIVANDRUM: The British tourist deboarded from a Dubai-bound flight at the Cochin airport in the southern state of Kerala recently after being tested positive for Covid-19 has recovered.
The physician who led the team that treated him told Gulf Today that they used the anti-hiv drug lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/R) and found the medication effective.
“I’m extremely happy that I could treat and cure him,” Dr Fathahudheen, the head of pulmonary and critical care department at the Government Medical College, Kochi, said.
“Two samples taken at specific intervals as mandated were negative, and this is the first case of coronavirus cure in Kerala (with this combination of medicines),” added the doctor who also is the nodal officer for Covid-19.
The hospital admitted him on March 15, and his first sample tested negative on March 18.
The second sample sent on March 20 also tested negative. The last lab report for final confirmation came on Wednesday.
With 138 people being tested positive for coronavirus, Kerala tops the list of affected Indian states.
Though it has quarantined 120,003 people, swab samples of only 5,342 symptomatic cases were sent for examinations, and 3,768 of them tested negative.
Results of others are yet to come while 136 people with symptoms were hospitalised on the day, taking the total number of hospitalisations to 601.
Briefing reporters after a review meeting,
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan requested private hospitals with 69,434 beds and 5,607 ICUS to join the battle against the virus.
Doctors say all those who are susceptible to infections, not just symptomatic, should be tested as the virus could remain dormant and transmit to others leading to a community spread.
“Kerala has already reached a stage that demands extreme measures. We need more testing facilities,” Dr P Gopikumar, secretary of the Indian Medical Association’s (IMA) Kerala chapter, told Gulf Today.
“There is no other way than test, test and test. We should open more isolation centres to keep potential careers of the virus. We should also keep more personal protective equipment, hospital beds and ventilators ready.”
Meanwhile, Dubai-based Kerala entrepreneur Sohan Roy has offered to provide with one ventilator each to ten affected districts.