Coronavirus pandemic - danger overstated

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-Doctor, a coronavirus pandemic has been declared; each time the situation becomes more and more dangerous. Even the most developed countries in the world are still powerless before the coronavirus. What could cause such a rapid and widespread spread of the virus?

-Yes, of course, this is a pandemic. Even closer to the end of February, I myself called what was happening a pandemic. At that time, WHO requested that the word pandemic be used with caution? Although then the disease has spread to more than forty countries. A pandemic is a widespread epidemic. That is, at that time it could already be called a pandemic. The virus is very contagious, it has many ways of infection - air, drip, contact, through air and dust, through feces. The virus is also resistant. On the iron surface, it can remain up to 12 hours, on the fabric for 6-12 hours, depending on the conditions. If at that moment people touch this surface with their hands, then the virus can go to them. The stability and contagiousness of the virus creates the conditions for its wide spread. However, it must be borne in mind that the virus is very large. For example, one mask is enough to prevent infection by the virus in the air, by drip. Despite the fact that this is a pandemic, it will not last long.

-Many countries consider this virus biological. There is even an opinion that the virus was created in order to undermine the economy of China. However, then it became impossible to stop it and it spread throughout the world. How can this be true?

-Actually, the virus is biological because it is alive. True, this is not a cell, not a cellular form of life. However, talking about the virus as a way to undermine the economy is a serious accusation. Such questions should be approached with caution. I am not serious about such statements. There have been many pandemics in human history. This is one of them. This pandemic cannot be considered severe, as deaths from this virus are not so high. For example, in China, with 80 thousand infected, the number of deaths was 3,100. This is not a very large figure. However, it must be borne in mind that in the 18-20s of the last century, about 100 million people died from Spanish flu (Spanish flu - H1N1 virus). This figure was 5% of the then population of the Earth. For this reason, I do not consider the current pandemic as dangerous, although the virus is still widespread. Much work should be done for its localization.

- Why is it so difficult to find a vaccine against this type of flu?

-First, I will say that coronavirus happens annually and it causes a seasonal cold. It was first discovered in 1965 in the respiratory tract of a sick person with a cold. Since then, this virus occurs annually. During the existence of this virus, there were three dangerous strains. SARS, MERS and this latest COVID19. During the first two epidemics, according to official figures, approximately 700 thousand people died. Currently, on planet Earth, there are over 120 thousand cases and just over 5 thousand deaths. This means - each of 20 25 people. This is not such a big figure, considering that among the sick there are elderly people with other serious illnesses. However, this should not dampen anyone; serious work is needed to prevent the virus. As for the vaccine, each next respiratory virus appears next year under a different strain. Next year, coronavirus will reappear, but under a different strain. It is quite possible that it will pass quite normally, without serious consequences. From this point of view, the manufacture of a vaccine is not an easy issue. Currently, vaccines are made based on advances in molecular biology in very complex ways. Next year, it may happen that all the effort spent on finding the vaccine were futile. Therefore, do not fall into the illusion of a vaccine. If to take into consideration that the term of this pandemic is before June of this year, you should not take the vaccine issue seriously.

-In Azerbaijan, many people doubt the official information about the number of people infected with coronavirus. The fact that we border on Iran, the second most mortal country in the world, where Azerbaijani citizens usually turn to because of their health, the disease spread widely, while in Azerbaijan, where health care is weaker than in Iran, the prevalence of the disease is insignificant. This enhances suspicion. They even say that along with the fact that the authorities hide the true statistics of those infected, doctors intentionally or inadvertently cannot make a correct diagnosis of the disease. Because recently quite often you can find information about fatal outcomes from pulmonary failure and pneumonia. Despite the presence of deaths from respiratory failure in the regions, official information does not say that these people died from coronavirus. Is it possible that doctors cannot correctly diagnose this disease? May they deliberately call it differently to lower statistics? Or to treat people indifferent? Are authorities hiding information to avert fear?

-In fact, there is always a difference between official statistics and actual figures, since there is no way to register all patients even in the most developed countries of the world. However, it is important to form and present a picture to society, based on appeals from infected people. Unfortunately, we are not able to monitor the real situation. However, I believe that people here are somewhat indifferent to this issue. If serious quarantine measures are not taken, the losses can be large. From this point of view, some tough measures must be taken. In regions and elsewhere, deaths occur annually from respiratory failure and respiratory distress. For example, for several years we have come across such facts. There were those who died in various clinics, or at home. Many people die from the flu every year and sometimes even more deaths are reported than from the coronavirus. This epidemic began as a panic, and it continues in the form of a panic.

-In social networks, you can find articles on the creation of quarantine zones in Gobustan, Bilasuvar, Jalilabad, where there are no conditions. What should the government do to prevent the spread of the disease in Azerbaijan, to prevent deaths?

-The creation of hospitals in such a border area as Jalilabad is logical, since our main danger zone is the border with Iran, the country with the largest number of cases. Therefore, it is better to isolate people who went through the quarantine zone directly, and were inspected in the hospital there, rather than delivering them to the capital. The placement of coronavirus infected in Gobustan, somewhat remote from Baku, and not in city hospitals, is logical. They are being taken there because it is the periphery. They say that conditions are created there for patients, but quarantine measures should be even more tightened. Our goal is to put an end to this disaster with the least possible losses. In the future, one must be prepared for such issues. This is not just about this virus. Every year, a virus can appear and create such a deplorable situation. Therefore, our health care, appropriate structures must be prepared for such extreme situations.