Category: SARS-CoV-2

Can you catch Coronavirus infection from Soft drink cans, Sandwich wrapper and Amazon Parcels?

Yes. Possible but chances are very small according to reports.

If someone sneezed or coughed near a parcel or food package and you touch it within a few hours, it is possible to get Coronavirus infection from parcels and packages.

But, in practice, most parcels and food packaging seem safe and no conclusive real world evidence has been published so far to indicate that packages spread infection widely.

In experimental conditions, Coronavirus has been shown to survive for upto 72 hours. The virus is “more stable on plastic and stainless steel than on copper and cardboard”.

In laboratory conditions “On copper, no viable SARS-CoV-2 virus was measured after 4 hours . On cardboard, no viable SARS-CoV-2 virus was measured after 24 hours”.

In the artificial conditions of the lab “The longest viability of viruses was on stainless steel and plastic; the estimated median half-life of SARS-CoV-2 virus was approximately 5.6 hours on stainless steel and 6.8 hours on plastic”.

Solution: If you are worried , and if possible, you can try leaving parcels for 24hrs before touching them with bare hands. Alternatively, try wearing disposable gloves to remove packaging.

References

1.NEJM. Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1. April 16, 2020. N Engl J Med 2020; 382:1564-1567. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc2004973

2. BBC. Coronavirus: What are the risks of catching it from food packaging?

3. CDC. How It Spreads.

Can Coronavirus linger in air, and cause COVID-19 by spreading through air ?

Normally many flu-like viruses spread by direct or close contact.

Because Virus containing droplets are heavier than air, scientifically it is thought that when someone coughs or sneezes, virus particles quickly fall to ground or surrounding objects.(“like a brick or stone falling to ground“).

But a group of scientists and WHO have raised the possibility that coronavirus can stay in air for longer periods, float around and cause more infections. (“float like a balloon“). This is called air-borne transmission.

What does it mean?

If confirmed– this means “closed spaces” are high risk even if you maintain 2 metre distance from an infected person. AVOID CLOSED SPACES.

As many people in UK do not wear masks in public places, there is a high chance of second wave of infections in the coming weeks as lock down is eased. WEAR A MASK.

It also means avoiding non-essential visitors to hospitals so that visitors cannot catch the infection or pass the infection to vulnerable patients. AVOID NON-ESSENTIAL VISITORS AT HOSPITALS.

If air borne transmission is confirmed, it is also bad news for the coming winter.

If Coronavirus is still in community and not eliminated by winter, air-borne transmission is likely to result in further wave of infections.

This is because Winter means more closed spaces and more chance of infection !!!!!!

STAY SAFE

References

1. Daily Mail Newspaper. Group of 239 scientists demand that WHO admit coronavirus is AIRBORNE -meaning the public should wear masks indoors and AC units should be fitted with filters .By Ariel Zilber For Dailymail.com and Reuters and Associated Press. 17:44, 05 Jul 2020 , updated 08:14, 06 Jul 2020

2. Guardian Newspaper. WHO underplaying risk of airborne spread of Covid-19, say scientists. Open letter says there is emerging evidence of potential for aerosol transmission. Hannah Devlin. Science correspondent. @hannahdev

3. Guardian Newspaper. Coronavirus outbreak Global report: WHO says ‘evidence emerging’ of airborne coronavirus spread. Martin Farrer and agencies.

4. BBC News. Coronavirus: WHO rethinking how Covid-19 spreads in air.

5. It is Time to Address Airborne Transmission of COVID-19. Lidia Morawska, Donald K Milton. Clinical Infectious Diseases, ciaa939, https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa939. Published: 06 July 2020

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is purely for information only and do check the the sources where cited. Please consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you.

The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of publication and is likely to change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not necessarily endorsed by any organisation the author is associated with and views are not substitute for professional advice.

Chloroquine not useful for treating or preventing Coronavirus infections

Randomised Study is the considered as the gold standard for trials.

Placebos are dummy pills . Placebos are inactive drugs that look like the real drug but are essentially sugar coated dummy pills.

Trials which involve a placebo vs active drug comparison are considered one of the best trials for some clinical situations.

A “randomised trial” involving “Chloroquine ” and “placebo ” has been published in NEJM .

A randomised trial suggests Chloroquine is not better than a placebo in treatment of COVID.

Another randomised trial suggests, Hydroxycloroquine is not useful for prevention of COVID-19.

In summary, Hydroxycloroquine is not useful either as COVID-19 treatment or as a COVID-19 preventative drug as advocates in certain countries.

Please Note : Chloroquine and HydroxyChloroquine are different drugs but have broadly similar effects.

References

1. Guardian newspaper: Coronavirus outbreak. Hydroxychloroquine no better than placebo, Covid-19 study finds.

2. NEJM. https://www.nejm.org/

3. BMJ India Correspondent. Covid-19: Doctors criticise Indian research agency for recommending hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis. BMJ2020;369:m2170. doi:10.1136/bmj.m2170 pmid:32471832.

4. BMJ news: Covid-19: Hydroxychloroquine does not benefit hospitalised patients, UK trial finds. BMJ 2020; 369 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m2263 (Published 08 June 2020)

5. BMJ news. Covid-19: Hydroxychloroquine was ineffective as postexposure prophylaxis, study finds. BMJ 2020; 369 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m2242 (Published 05 June 2020)

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Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is purely for information only and do check the the sources where cited. Please consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you.

The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of publication and is likely to change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not necessarily endorsed by any organisation the author is associated with and views are not substitute for professional advice.

Cancer and COVID-19

Coronavirus infection seems to be more deadly in patients whose immune systems are not functioning very well.

So cancer patients who have reduced immunity due to chemotherapy are understandably at higher risk of death.

Among cancer patients, those patients whose cancer is progressing ( i.e cancer not under control ) seem to at even more from COVID-19.

A study presented at the ASCO ( American Society of Clinical Oncology) reports that ” after a COVID-19 diagnosis, patients with progressing cancer were found to be 5.2 times more likely to die within 30 days”.

So stay safe and consider shielding if your cancer is not under control .

Furthermore, there is lot of interest in use of Chloroquine, an anti-malaria drug for treatment of COVID-19. The study reports that “Treatment with the drug combination hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin was also strongly associated with greater risk of death”. So best to avoid unproven treatments outside a trial setting.

References

1. ASCO News. Early Data Show Cancer Progression Associated With Increased Risk of Death in Patients With COVID-19. May 28, 2020.

2. ASCO News. Chemo Within 3 Months of COVID-19 Diagnosis Associated With an Increased Risk of Death in Patients With Thoracic Cancer. May 2020.

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is purely for information only and do check the the sources where cited. Please consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you.

The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of publication and is likely to change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not necessarily endorsed by any organisation the author is associated with and views are not substitute for professional advice.

Is Chloroquine useful in treatment of Corona Virus?

Chloroquine and the related drug Hydroxy-Chloroquine are drugs commonly used to prevent and treat Malaria infections; and treat some Joint conditions.

During the initial stages of COVID-19 pandemic, there were some reports of Chloroquine being useful in treating Corona Virus.

A Chinese trial published in British Medical Journal BMJ now reports that ” Administration of hydroxychloroquine did not result in …. any meaningful antiviral benefits… compared to standard of care alone in patients admitted to hospital with mainly persistent mild to moderate covid-19”

Chloroquine was not only useless but it had significant side effects in a minority. So Chloroquine or Hydroxy-Chloroquine should not be used routinely outside a clinical trial setting.

References

1. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). Wiki. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroxychloroquine

2. BMJ. Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in covid-19. BMJ 2020; 369 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1432 (Published 08 April 2020)

3. Hydroxychloroquine in patients with mainly mild to moderate coronavirus disease 2019: open label, randomised controlled trial. BMJ 2020; 369 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1849 (Published 14 May 2020)

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is purely for information only and do check the the sources where cited. Please consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you.

The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of publication and is likely to change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not necessarily endorsed by any organisation the author is associated with and views are not substitute for professional advice.

Face Masks: Should Public wear face masks because of Corona Virus pandemic ?

Should Public wear face masks because of Corona Virus pandemic ?

Yes.

In some of the Asian Countries there has been universal acceptance of face masks even before Corona Virus pandemic. Hence, it is not surprising that there is wide spread use of face masks during this pandemic .

In USA, after initial hesitation, CDC now recommends use of cloth face masks by public.

In Germany, many states have made face masks compulsory.

In UK, there has been no official recommendation about widespread use of face masks.

With so many unknowns, it is prudent to follow the advice published in British Medical Journal : WEAR A MASK !!

References

1. USA CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html

2 Germany: BBC news. Coronavirus: Germany’s states make face masks compulsory. 22 April 2020. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-52382196

3. TIME Magazine. https://time.com/5815251/should-you-wear-a-mask-coronavirus/

4. BMJ paper. Analysis. Face masks for the public during the covid-19 crisis. BMJ 2020; 369 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1435 (Published 09 April 2020). Cite this as: BMJ 2020;369:m1435

5. BMJ editorial. Editorial. Covid-19: should the public wear face masks?. Editorials. Covid-19: should the public wear face masks? BMJ 2020; 369 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1442 (Published 09 April 2020). Cite this as: BMJ 2020;369:m1442

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Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is purely for information only and do check the the sources where cited. Please consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you.

The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of publication and is likely to change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not necessarily endorsed by any organisation the author is associated with and views expressed are not substitute for professional advice.