Covid-19: Seek early medical interventions
THE second wave of the Covid-19 attack has seen more misery and tribulation for many people in the world. Globally, at least 98 million people have been infected with the coronavirus while at least two million people have lost their lives. European countries like the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany, among others, are in trouble, while South American nations like Brazil and Mexico continue to lose signi - cant numbers of people every day. The virus doesn’t seem to show any signs of remission yet. We pray for God’s intervention in order to curtail the spread of the stubborn virus. Zimbabwe, just like Zambia and Mozambique, has seen a steady rise in cases and by Thursday 879 people had succumbed to Covid-19 in the country.
Everyone agrees with me that the second wave is more nocuous than the rst wave. The wave is characterised by quicker complications, higher number of hospital admissions, higher demand for oxygen, skyrocketing cases and higher mortality. There is no cure for Covid-19 and in many instances, death arises from the secondary e ects of the virus. Questions are being asked if there are any things that can be done in order to reduce mortality. The medical professionals, who are the foot soldiers in the Covid-19 ght, have noted with concern that many people who have succumbed to the virus in the last few days in Zimbabwe have more or less the same presentations. The following should be noted seriously if we are to reduce our mortality:
• The second wave of Covid-19 calls for further action beyond self-isolation. While it was easier to self-isolate during the rst wave, there is further need to have intermittent medical checks especially during the rst two weeks of illness. It is, thus, imperative that patients be checked by medical professionals for sugar levels, blood pressure, pulse, hydration status and saturation levels. If there are problems, then corrective action be taken early in order to avoid complications. Low-resource countries like Zimbabwe should advocate for a cheaper treatment model, “treat-early-to-avoid-complications”.
Many Western countries have employed the “attend-the-complicated” cases model which seems to be futile. The chances of survival with desaturations of less than 50% on oxygen therapy alone are very slim. Silent hypoxia has been one serious problem which is detected on routine oximetry. For those who can a ord to get pulse oximeters, make sure your saturations are more than 90% on free air. Consult your clinicians if you witness bizarre saturation levels. Advise even friends and relatives to seek professional medical care to avert life calamities.
Early treatment with the available treatment guidelines seems to bring about very good prognosis. Attending to Covid-19 within seven days of presentation has seen a lot of patients recovering without complications.
Those that I have seen with respiratory distress syndrome and were in need of either oxygen therapy or ventilation, reported to have been exhibiting symptoms for more than 10 days while they were at home.
Although home-based therapies are cheaper and easier, so many complications have been traced to such therapies if medical intervention is not taken. Some patients have sustained inhalational burns from prolonged steaming. There is another cheap talk of snu or bute, which is said to clear blocked airways. Such social media talk is not only detrimental to health, but also suicidal to our health.
The nation expects responsible talk during this di cult time of the Covid-19 attack. The medical professionals, both public and private, are trying their best to contain and mitigate against the virus.
• Disinformation should be curbed: Many people have been forced to believe that once you have Covid-19 infection, then no one will want to attend to you. Many hospitals have been painted black yet there is service which is being given. I have noted the negative perception about our public hospitals and it is not a secret that both Parirenyatwa and Harare central hospitals are taking in Covid-19 patients.
Although sometimes the sta may be naturally overwhelmed as the hospitals are national referral centres, many people are being served and discharged home. Zimbabwe is one country that has a dedicated workforce. We ought to salute these Covid-19 heroes.
• More health education should be availed to people as there are some communities that are still ignorant of the obvious symptoms of Covid-19 infections. I have witnessed funerals in some rural areas where it is taboo to put on masks, where hand shakes are still the norm. We do not want this stubborn virus to strike our rural populace at this alarming rate. With many areas now reporting ooding, accessibility to health institutions becomes a challenge. Prevention is better than cure. Spread the correct message.
Your health begins and ends with you. Let us all ex our hands for our country. This seems to work better than the “treat-the-complicated-cases” model. Together, we can ght Covid-19. We will never surrender as medical professionals.