What COVID-19 shares with other viruses

clearly, Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19Pandemics are new in terms of their absolute impact on healthcare, patients and society at large. This was an unprecedented occurrence of size, scale, and speed, and within a few months resulted in a completely unique measure of response and discourse.

However, it sounds a bell for some epidemiologists, but not for the entire virus, but some of its characteristics, the most difficult questions, and its final impact on patients are similar to other outbreaks.

Last week joined Dr. David Ho, MD, a pioneer in HIV/AIDS research HCP Live® The American Lung Association (ALA) on Lungcast will also discuss the latest burdens of COVID-19 and what future optimal responses will be, from vaccines to public health practices. Ho, the world’s leading virology expert, also mentioned a trio of past viruses with similarities and distinct differences within COVID-19.

Severe acute respiratory (SARS)

Of course, COVID-19 manifests as SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients and, like the 2003 outbreak of SARS, burdens individuals primarily through symptomatic effects on the upper respiratory system.

However, both viruses were more diverse and unpredictable in pathophysiology. Ho noted that he consistently observes renal failure, cardiac events, liver disease, central nervous system symptoms in SARS-CoV-2 infected adults, as well as multiple inflammatory syndromes in children. On a small scale, this was true for some SARS patients.

“There are so many things we don’t know, and why it’s so vulnerable to complications in only a few minorities,” Ho explained. “I have seen a little with SARS, but it’s far inferior to current SARS. The clinical manifestations weren’t so clearly described.”

In addition to the confusion of interpreting the factors of multi-organ load in patients with severe COVID-19, there is the fact that previous coronaviruses have only been observed to affect the respiratory tract.

influenza

Perhaps the most common expression of the most common COVID-19 symptoms: fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, etc. In fact, some of the earliest public health messages about COVID-19 were that symptoms similar to those in severe cases of influenza may be possible. COVID19 infection.

The message is misinterpreted by many publics who believe that the overall effects of COVID-19 are the same as for influenza, but mortality comparisons are very inconsistent and Although burdening various systems, Ho needs to simply understand the relationship between the two in future vaccinations.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Only 45.3% of US adults And 62.6% of children in the 2018-19 season were eligible for influenza vaccination. This, combined with the increasing anti-vaccination rhetoric in the country, complicates the issue of introducing rapidly developed COVID-19 vaccine candidates into the population in the coming months.

“A lot of false information is spreading,” said Ho. “We need to do our best to counter that effort.”

HIV/AIDS

As one of the earliest clinical witnesses of AIDS and a pioneering researcher of HIV drug therapy, Ho has probably seen the most famous epidemics ever in much of his virological research. ..

But some are obvious. COVID-19 is an acute illness compared to the chronic nature of HIV, both of which are shrouded outbreaks of public denial, carelessness, and clinical confusion regarding how they are treated.

Ho said that when HIV was discovered, it was a “mysterious illness” and had been for several years. The causative agent of COVID-19 was quickly identified and sequenced, but the HIV outbreak has evaluated most ineffective antiviral therapies in severe patients.

“I think there were at least three to four drugs suggested as potential treatments or treatments for HIV. None of them worked.” “In this example, we experienced the same thing.” Is testing a large number of drugs that have been developed for other purposes.”

Some, including hydroxychloroquine, recurred in a national debate over the limited problem of not being worth the treatment for COVID-19, while other antiviral agents, including lemdecibir, were found in COVID-19 hospitalized patients. Despite being playing an important role in a very carefully selected population of, it is urgently needed for emergency use.

It reflects Ho’s early experience with HIV.

“It may help some patients leave the hospital a little faster, but we’re still looking for more effective drugs,” Ho said about lemdesibir. “All of that is reflected in SARS-CoV-2 from HIV.”

Unfortunately, the biggest bridge Ho sees between early HIV and COVID-19 lies in the fate of the first deadly patient. In his words:

“Another feature is that HIV patients died alone early on. Due to stigma, discrimination, and unfair fear, they were shunned by friends and family. And, of course, early on. There was no cure, they died a lot in the hospital, mostly alone, and in my experience in the last few months, severe cases of SARS-CoV-2 have died alone. It wasn’t because I didn’t have it, but because I needed quarantine, and it’s really registered to me, and I’m thinking about the early days of HIV.

At the same time, he sees the innovations and breakthroughs brought about in HIV care as the basis for COVID-19’s research and development, a major step forward in ongoing diagnosis and treatment.

And fortunately, the characteristics of the COVID-19, an effort to combat it, differ from others in both speed and size.