Increasing number of COVID recoveries in UAE: A ray of hope

All might not be good but growing number of recoveries tell a different story. Is this all a statistical lie or a medical miracle?

Nowadays, there is a sudden spike in number of COVID-19 cases in UAE but health professionals believe that patients now have a better chance of survival. For those who had been infected in the first phase of the pandemic, survival options and medical alternatives both were limited, which surely isn’t the case now. This by no means is a declaration directed at incentivizing people to drop off their guard and leave behind all restrictions.

We’d like to early on reiterate the importance of maintaining hand hygiene. Centers for disease control and prevention (CDC) recommends to wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds and then dry them properly. If you are unable to do so, use a hand sanitizer. This is one the best piece of advice that one can follow at this time.

Just not enough

Maintaining hygiene and taking all precautions still remains our best defense because to this day, no definitive treatment has been discovered. Yes, vaccine trials are progressing at galvanizing speeds but there is no fact, on paper, to prove that precautions are now not required. With the outbreak of corona virus COVID-19, a financial and health sector crisis emerged making it impossible to look on the bright side.

Record recoveries

The record high recoveries in the United Arab Emirates during recent days are a sign of hope and ray of positivity after months of torment. Doctors who have been battling this disease on the front lines now believe that better understanding is developed as we move further into the pandemic enabling COVID patients for improved health care services.

Better management of this disease is directly proportional to new alternatives and experimental regimes. It was initially believed that increasing the production of ventilators might be the best resource for saving a critically ill COVID patient but new findings suggest otherwise.

Better understanding

It was widely believed that death by COVID was due to lung infections, imposed by germs and bacteria, also known as pneumonia. However, studies now suggest that formation of multiple clotting sites within the blood vessels is the main cause as it leads to decreased oxygenation. So doctors came to realize that only providing supplemental oxygen won’t do the job but rapid dissolving of clots was required too. This was when healthcare providers decided to monitor oxygen saturation levels of all patients with the help of simple pulse oximeter altered for home use.

Continuous monitoring

Patients were sent home with the advice that they are to immediately report to hospital if their oxygen saturation falls below 93. Though this drop is not extremely dangerous but at this level, doctors have a chance to better manage the patient without compromising the quality of life and hence recommended so. There is a major difference in mortality rates in almost all countries between first and second phase of pandemic.

Earlier, only the complications were being treated but doctors have moved beyond treating symptoms and are now tackling the virus with antiviral drugs that have shown promising results. Not only this but cytokine storm, which is immune system’s over drive response to the virus, also responsible for critical condition of the patient is now being treated with the help of some steroids.

Increased number of cases

These positive developments tell us that we have come so far with better results but this in no way undermines the importance of taking precautions. Recently increased recoveries are a good indicator in their own place but sudden spike in cases i.e. as much as 1200 cases in a single day, for a country like UAE is not a good news. Testing network has been expanded throughout the country for better identification of cases that might go unnoticed otherwise.

Asymptomatic spread is a real thing and affects you and those around you without you even noticing initially. The potential of this disease has in no way decreased, if anything it is increasing in Europe and that too in great numbers.

For those of you who think that it is very difficult to get your hands on a specific sanitizer, you should realize that you don’t need to be looking here and there for the best hand sanitizer but choose a sanitizer that has at least 70% isopropyl alcohol in it -  As per the recommendation of World Health Organization (WHO) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

All in all, this news is a breeze of fresh air after suffering from months of suffocating pressure.