First, I want to share some definitions about the disease we are all dealing with. COVID-19 is short for Coronavirus Disease 2019. It is caused by a virus from the Corona family and the virus has been named SARS-CoV-2. As I had stated in an earlier blog, a corona type virus has shown up twice in this century. SARS in China in 2003 and MERS in Saudi Arabia in 2012 were both corona viruses.
There have been no confirmed cases of death in children under 9. It is not a severe disease at that age. It affects older people more partly due to the decreased ability of the lung tissue to regenerate after injury. COPD, emphysema, other lung injury or disease, hypertension, diabetes. The virus causes a collapse of the alveoli, the small sacks deep in the lung where CO2 is removed from the blood and oxygen is put into the blood. When they collapse, this transfer is diminished. People develop hypoxia which is low levels of blood oxygen. So, when people reach the Hospital, even on oxygen their blood oxygen level remains low.
The standard incubation period, the period of time the virus is in the body before symptoms develop, is from 4-6 days for Corona Virus. On day 7-9 people will begin to spike a fever and start a cough. Around day 12-16 from date of infection, the symptoms will peak. If someone is going to die, this is the time it will most likely occur. From Day 17 to day 23, those that will survive begin to get better. They continue to shed the virus in their cough and sputum though from day 23 to day 30 after date of infection. So overall, from the time of infection, people can spread it to others is up to 30 days.
Symptomatically 60% of the people with the infection get a cough. 44% of people who get it have a fever. All other symptoms occur in only 20-30% of patients. This disease can not be diagnosed by symptoms. So, to think because you do not have a fever, you do not have it, is wrong.
You have heard people speaking of flattening the curve. What they are talking about is slowing down the number of people who get infected at the same time. The reason is we do not have the medical capacity to treat all the severe manifestations of the disease, if everyone gets it at once. If everyone gets the disease at the same time, there will be more vulnerable people with severe presentations than we have beds and ventilators to keep them alive, in which case many will die. And if we all get it at the same time, up to 80% of the vulnerable population, those who will only survive with intensive medical intervention, will die due to lack of medical resources. If everyone gets it at the same time, in about 3 weeks, those who will survive will be better and those who will not will have died.
The downside however to flattening the curve instead of a 3-week ordeal is it will last for several months and by some estimates, several years. The same number of people will ultimately get this virus, but with social distancing and quarantining, it will take longer, but the hospitals will be better able to keep up and far fewer people will die.
I am aware though, that social distancing and quarantining will be economically devastating to many people. Hopefully the government will change their recent behavior, come together and pass legislation to help people affected by the steps being taken to handle COVID-19. Everyone needs to make up their own mind on how to handle this.
But because many are not taking this pandemic seriously or choose to protect their family by continuing to work, it becomes critical for those in high risk categories to self-quarantine. Those with COPD, emphysema, prior lung cancer, other lung diseases, immune deficient patients, HIV, those taking biologics for autoimmune disease, high steroid use, diabetes, heart disease, those taking regular anti-inflammatory medication, and everyone over the age of 65, with risk increasing significantly every 5 years after. If I had my way, everyone in the vulnerable group would be taking my recommended supplements of Vit. D, A, C, zinc, NAC, selenium and quercetin. They should also be drinking green tea every day. Dosages for these supplements are available on earlier blogs. We have these medications in stock and are able to ship them to you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the office.
Functional Chiropractic
506 Union Street
Milton, DE 19968
302 684-1995 COVID VIRUS – Part 4
First, I want to share some definitions about the disease we are all dealing with. COVID-19 is short for Coronavirus Disease 2019. It is caused by a virus from the Corona family and the virus has been named SARS-CoV-2. As I had stated in an earlier blog, a corona type virus has shown up twice in this century. SARS in China in 2003 and MERS in Saudi Arabia in 2012 were both corona viruses.
There have been no confirmed cases of death in children under 9. It is not a severe disease at that age. It affects older people more partly due to the decreased ability of the lung tissue to regenerate after injury. COPD, emphysema, other lung injury or disease, hypertension, diabetes. The virus causes a collapse of the alveoli, the small sacks deep in the lung where CO2 is removed from the blood and oxygen is put into the blood. When they collapse, this transfer is diminished. People develop hypoxia which is low levels of blood oxygen. So, when people reach the Hospital, even on oxygen their blood oxygen level remains low.
The standard incubation period, the period of time the virus is in the body before symptoms develop, is from 4-6 days for Corona Virus. On day 7-9 people will begin to spike a fever and start a cough. Around day 12-16 from date of infection, the symptoms will peak. If someone is going to die, this is the time it will most likely occur. From Day 17 to day 23, those that will survive begin to get better. They continue to shed the virus in their cough and sputum though from day 23 to day 30 after date of infection. So overall, from the time of infection, people can spread it to others is up to 30 days.
Symptomatically 60% of the people with the infection get a cough. 44% of people who get it have a fever. All other symptoms occur in only 20-30% of patients. This disease can not be diagnosed by symptoms. So, to think because you do not have a fever, you do not have it, is wrong.
You have heard people speaking of flattening the curve. What they are talking about is slowing down the number of people who get infected at the same time. The reason is we do not have the medical capacity to treat all the severe manifestations of the disease, if everyone gets it at once. If everyone gets the disease at the same time, there will be more vulnerable people with severe presentations than we have beds and ventilators to keep them alive, in which case many will die. And if we all get it at the same time, up to 80% of the vulnerable population, those who will only survive with intensive medical intervention, will die due to lack of medical resources. If everyone gets it at the same time, in about 3 weeks, those who will survive will be better and those who will not will have died.
The downside however to flattening the curve instead of a 3-week ordeal is it will last for several months and by some estimates, several years. The same number of people will ultimately get this virus, but with social distancing and quarantining, it will take longer, but the hospitals will be better able to keep up and far fewer people will die.
I am aware though, that social distancing and quarantining will be economically devastating to many people. Hopefully the government will change their recent behavior, come together and pass legislation to help people affected by the steps being taken to handle COVID-19. Everyone needs to make up their own mind on how to handle this.
But because many are not taking this pandemic seriously or choose to protect their family by continuing to work, it becomes critical for those in high risk categories to self-quarantine. Those with COPD, emphysema, prior lung cancer, other lung diseases, immune deficient patients, HIV, those taking biologics for autoimmune disease, high steroid use, diabetes, heart disease, those taking regular anti-inflammatory medication, and everyone over the age of 65, with risk increasing significantly every 5 years after. If I had my way, everyone in the vulnerable group would be taking my recommended supplements of Vit. D, A, C, zinc, NAC, selenium and quercetin. They should also be drinking green tea every day. Dosages for these supplements are available on earlier blogs. We have these medications in stock and are able to ship them to you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the office.
Functional Chiropractic
506 Union Street
Milton, DE 19968
302 684-1995