In the year 2019, doctors in Wuhan, China, came across a new virus belonging to the existing coronavirus family that jumps from animals to humans. Since then, the world has seen its devastating effect on every nation due to which WHO publically declared the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 as a Pandemic.
Researches and doctors, especially lung specialist, consider the virus as a cluster of pneumonia. The investigations conducted on this novel coronavirus to date are valid enough to conclude that the virus causes an atrocious effect on the respiratory system, especially the lungs.
How does COVID-19 move in your body?
According to the recognized pulmonologist and lung specialists, COVID-19 infects the human body by setting its foot into the healthy cells. The virus is transmitted from person to person through the droplets or by touching the infected surfaces.
To understand the movement of the virus and its effect, let’s have a quick recap on how oxygen transmission takes place. We all know that we breathe in air, and oxygen goes down our windpipe and fills the lungs. The small air-sacs present at the end of the lungs are the key to oxygen exchange in our body.
And this is the key to understanding how COVID-19 is infecting the people and killing them. The healthy cells attacked by the virus are known as the epithelial cells aligned along the surface of the lungs through which the oxygen passes and enters the red blood cells.
The virus attacks these cells and starts multiplying itself, which forms a thick debris layer restricting the oxygen from the lungs to enter the blood for transmission. Hence, COVID-19 leads to a potentially fatal and menacing condition known as “Acute respiratory distress syndrome” that marks the worsening of lungs day by day.
Once the virus deep roots into your body it starts showing symptoms in most of the cases like sore throat and high fever. It takes approximately 14 days for the immune system to respond to the symptoms.
Effects of COVID-19 on lungs
Once the virus gets the passage from your nose or mouth to the respiratory system, the spiky surface proteins latch to receptors present on the healthy cells, mainly those in the lungs. Once the virus gets the command after hijacking the healthy cells, it starts killing them.
As already told, the virus starts multiplying itself and blocks the passage of oxygen to the blood. Most studies conducted suggest that people carrying the virus can be either asymptomatic or symptomatic, but the longer they keep the virus, the more danger they put themselves in.
The virus causes the inflammation of the lungs that leads to problems in breathing, and with days passing, the condition worsens. This worsening respiratory disorder puts the person on ventilators. Along with all the flu symptoms, the patients can suffer from pneumonia as well.
The patients housing the virus starts detecting the mild symptoms like cough and fever within 8–10 days, and the infection becomes severe, causing shortness of breath and dizziness.
Ultimately the patient gets infected with ARDS (Acute Respiratory Disorder Syndrome).
Lung specialists found the thick debris layer in the patient’s lungs, which were considered as the chronic cases suffering from the novel coronavirus.
The virus is a ticking bomb that has and is infecting people all around the globe. Since no cure is yet invented that can fight the virus, we all need to follow the lockdowns and social distancing to break the chain of the virus’ transmission.
Prevention is better than cure
Not every person carrying the virus is suffering from dangerous complications, and not everyone needs special medical care. But if one has a problem in breathing, then that’s an alarming signal requiring the emergency hand-on care.
Amid the fight against the COVID-19 virus in which we all are together, we must ensure to strictly follow all the preventive measures as no cure is out yet to protect us. We being the responsible citizens of our nation, must support the precautionary measures and help those who need medical assistance.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water.
- Regular sanitize your hands and keep a clean environment.
- Avoid unnecessary movement around the city and follow the lockdowns strictly.
- Wear a mask and avoid touching your face, mouth, and nose.
- Follow social distancing.
- Eat a proper diet to boost your immune system.
- Patients requiring regular medical checkups can use telemedicine technology if it is not an emergency.
We all are together in a fight that one day will be won if we do our bit. Together we will, and we can fight the virus by taking these small steps and by staying at home.
Wrapping Up
COVID-19 has left the nations in jitters, and yet no vaccine has been invented to kill the virus. So, it becomes indispensable to go with the preventive measures that are the least we can do.
Being the best pulmonologist hospital renowned for its years of excellence for providing high-quality medical facilities, Ojas Hospital is all set to fight the virus without doing an inch compromising to your health.
We are offering the patients with online consultation facilities keeping your safety in mind. Reducing the chances of catching the infection, telemedicine helps you to get regular health checkups.
Our expert doctors are just a call away to serve you. In case of an emergency, we are available 24×7. Let’s together end this darkness of despair and make the world happier and healthier again.
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