[Nalin1]

Originally Posted by The Rationalist

Our hospital has treated 3000+ patients , where we have presently 450 Covid patients and 50 ICU patients. I’m currently hospitalized with Covid-19. In my last duty before getting admitted, I was looking after 10 patients, 9 on ventilator and 5 on prone position.
1) Lockdown is a foolish option.
2) Dexamethasone is no wonder drug, all hospitals were using Methyl prednisolone from beginning, the effect should be a class effect.
3) Remdesivir works or not is anyone’s guess, not proved by RCT.
4) My colleagues in Kerala are giving Plasma and claiming big success, no real proof for that also.

I hope you start your next post with the sentence "I have recovered fully". I always enjoyed reading your posts along with @Vivek95's.

Though the names of all these medicines go through my head, I am assuming that a lot of trial and error is going on and someone somewhere comes up with a magic medicine/vaccine.

Right now most people think, "we open the doors and Lord Yama is outside".

Any medicine or even anything that is promoted as the vaccine is needed now to get rid of the fear. Even a 'rebadged' bisleri bottle will do!.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by The Rationalist

Our hospital has treated 3000+ patients , where we have presently 450 Covid patients and 50 ICU patients. I’m currently hospitalized with Covid-19.

Very sorry to hear this. Hope that your symptoms will be mild and that you will soon be well again. Very best wishes.

1) Lockdown is a foolish option.

--- How many patients do you think you would have had without it?

--- How many patients do you think you would have had if it had been lockdown without some of the blunders of authority and the irresponsibility of some individuals?

Not that I have answers, but I do suspect that things might have been much worse.

7) Supportive care is the most important, sadly the part where Indian ICU’s fare miserably due to poor infection control measures.

This is sad to hear. At that level of care, I would have hoped for better, even in the government hospitals. But then, I've not yet set foot in one, and hope that corvid-19 is not the reason that I do.

(I've visited in wards where poorer people get treated at places like The Voluntary Health Services and Isabel's here. Not places I'd want to be a patient, but hey, the people got the treatment)

[The Rationalist]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

How many patients do you think you would have had without it? At that level of care, I would have hoped for better, even in the government hospitals.

(I've visited in wards where poorer people get treated at places like The Voluntary Health Services and Isabel's here.

The answer to everyone’s question whether lockdown will work will be seen in 4 days time in Pune! We just came out of a lockdown 4 days back.

The only place with a commendable infection control practice I have observed is at CMC, Vellore. I won’t blame the government hospitals in India as they are short of staff and funds. Private corporate hospitals have no excuse in that regard.

As many have commented most get mild infection, reason could be viral load or inherent characteristics, I don’t know for sure. I’m not convinced that it spreads only by droplets, may be I’m wrong.

[mvadg]

Originally Posted by The Rationalist

... I'm currently hospitalized with Covid-19...

Get well soon doc!

Thank you for putting yourself on the front line to combat COVID-19. I'm sure you'll recover soon! Hope to read about your first hand experience with the virus !

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by The Rationalist

Our hospital has treated 3000+ patients , where we have presently 450 Covid patients and 50 ICU patients. I’m currently hospitalized with Covid-19. In my last duty before getting admitted, I was looking after 10 patients, 9 on ventilator and 5 on prone position.

Get well soon mate, hope you are getting all the support for your speedy recovery.

[Raghav96]

Originally Posted by The Rationalist

As many have commented most get mild infection, reason could be viral load or inherent characteristics

Get well soon doctor!

What exactly is high or low viral load? The virus multiplies once inside our body, right? Or our immune system stops or slows down this multiplication?

I know my writing skills leaves a lot to be desired but I hope I am able to convey my question to you.

Thanks.

[The Rationalist]

Originally Posted by Raghav96

What exactly is high or low viral load?

For example a careless person wearing mask improperly will get exposed to more virus particles compared to a person very cautious with mask if both are in the same spot. And same with a surgical mask vs N95, the one wearing N95 will get lesser load. And N95 vs Respirators, the latter will fare better. It depends on how much risk you are willing to take.

[vivek95]

Originally Posted by The Rationalist

Our hospital has treated 3000+ patients , where we have presently 450 Covid patients and 50 ICU patients. I’m currently hospitalized with Covid-19. In my last duty before getting admitted, I was looking after 10 patients, 9 on ventilator and 5 on prone position.
.

Hello Doc. Sorry to hear about you, but I am sure you will get rid of this, so wishing you a speedy recovery Hope you are not on supplemental oxygen though. My condition is almost the same as yours with each and every damn shift in Covid+ve ICU stretching 13 hours straight almost every shift. I am the only Doctor in my shift looking after 8 patients, of which 4 or 5 are prone NRBM (Non Rebreather Mask) O2, one or two NIV (Non invasive ventilation), one or two venti. Worse is just two nurses. We have two more bigger ICUs with slightly healthy ratio but mine is horrible. We are still pulling along.

About 20 days back, I spiked moderate grade fever twice with mild runny nose but there was also an episode of me getting drenched in rain just a day before, from the car parking to a certain spot. I just duly quarantined myself for four days and monitored my Spo2 levels. Popped up PCT (Paracetamol) and Vit C. Since I was totally alright from the second day, I was up on my feet to serve Covid ICU again on the 4th day without getting the test done. I belong to one of those contrarians but still wish to have a balanced view regarding this pandemic. I did not want to overburden my colleagues by going quarantine for 14 days for this mild illness and give into the unnecessary fear psychosis which I am completely against. Being in the frontline, my department can't afford to lose me for 14 days unless really needed. I am anyhow surrounded by Covid positive patients all the time, so no risk to them as well in case it was Covid. God's grace, I am absolutely fine and continuing to do crazy super exhaustive shifts. Agree with you that the nurses should be paid well and recruited in large numbers. Without them we are absolutely hopeless.

Tocilizumab we have seen mixed bag response but the ones who respond do so beautifully in about 6 hours after administration. Agree with you on the Dexa and MPS (Methyl Prednisolone) part. Favipravir seems to be doing its job for mild cases with little oxygen requirement but my knowledge on that is limited and unclear. Remdesivir worked good in quite a lot but hard to say if it was actually the natural course of illness. However Remdesivir has a better level of evidence than Favi and Toci I believe. I have no personal experience with plasmapheresis. I could have shared more of my personal experiences but I am in the middle of my night shift and just out for dinner.

My hospital has seen about 1000 Covid cases by now of which some 30-32 have succumbed. This is the same mortality rate as everywhere else in India. Some had covid as an incidental finding. The pain of losing loved ones to covid or non-covid is exactly the same which none can differentiate. We did see first hand non-covid patients dying ruthlessly due to lack of timely medical attention.

Lesser I talk regarding the lockdowns, the better it is. I am always in favour of long term solutions, not the short term pleasures.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by The Rationalist

Our hospital has treated 3000+ patients , where we have presently 450 Covid patients and 50 ICU patients. I’m currently hospitalized with Covid-19. In my last duty before getting admitted, I was looking after 10 patients, 9 on ventilator and 5 on prone position.

Dear Doc, best of luck with your recovery. Thank you for all you did to help people.

[PGA]

Much appreciate all the docs sharing their insights and knowledge on the forum. Thanks Vivek95, PaddleShifter, The Rationalist, Aadya and Gameofcars. Eagerly awaiting to hear the good news of recovery of The Rationalist.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-1...-symptoms/#app

The news pertains to potential of severity based on symptoms which have been grouped into six categories. Docs here may be in a position to validate the news.

After taking into account the mass of information floating in the general environment, I have made a checklist to keep myself abreast of the disease just incase it comes my way or my near and dear ones.

- Be observant of your surroundings, incase one has visited a potential hotspot or unsafe area, take following actions for next seven days,
- Carry out oximeter check twice daily, watch out for degradation.
- Any weakness or mild fever, throat irritation lasting overnight.
- No overeating, exercise, exertion if any of the symptoms surface.
- Eat greater amounts of fruit and curd. Increase hydration as much as possible.
- Quarantine from family at first sign of symptoms.

Take PCM at first sign of symptoms. If they persist overnight, without waiting go in for testing, as no hospital will touch you without a report in your hand.

[Nalin1]

Thanks for those useful tips.

By the way, what is PCM?

[rohitoasis]

Originally Posted by Nalin1

By the way, what is PCM?

That would be Paracetamol.

[wheelguy]

As people may have changed their opinions now after experiencing lockdown, unlock phases, and then granular lockdowns. How about again conducting an opinion poll on if complete lockdown is again necessary?

PS: Haven't been through this thread for long and so no idea of discussions here and whether if it has been already asked.

[Fordlover88]

Originally Posted by The Rationalist

Our hospital has treated 3000+ patients , where we have presently 450 Covid patients and 50 ICU patients. I’m currently hospitalized with Covid-19. In my last duty before getting admitted, I was looking after 10 patients, 9 on ventilator and 5 on prone position.

Wishing you a speedy recovery doc.Hope you get well soon.

[DCEite]

Originally Posted by wheelguy

As people may have changed their opinions now after experiencing lockdown, unlock phases, and then granular lockdowns. How about again conducting an opinion poll on if complete lockdown is again necessary?

PS: Haven't been through this thread for long and so no idea of discussions here and whether if it has been already asked.

Do you think Lockdowns really help ?

Its a Virus and we are in community spread. Lockdowns will only delay the inevitable, but will not prevent it.

Each district, each city, each state will go through the infection spread sooner or later. If you notice the virus infection trends, the previous hotspots like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai are showing a steady decline whereas new hotspots are emerging. Soon, these new hotspots too will show decline after the Virus has run its course and a certain percentage of population infected and become immune, and finally the Virus will spread in Villages and countryside, after which it will die out (and possibly emerge few months later in form of Phase 2 or second wave, and by that time hopefully Vaccine would come).