According to Overseas Network, January 1, according to reports from NBC and other US media, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that the new variant of Omicron XBB.1.5 is spreading rapidly in the United States. Currently, 40% of new crown confirmed cases are infected with this new variant, which is higher than 20% the previous week. In the northeast region of , about 75% of confirmed cases are infected with XBB.1.5.
Barbara, director of the Respiratory Viruses Division at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said there is no indication that XBB.1.5 will cause more severe disease than other Omicron variants. While COVID-19 hospitalization rates are rising across the country overall, hospitalization rates are not rising in the Northeast.
Data posted on Twitter by Cao Yunlong, an associate researcher at Peking University's Biomedical Frontier Innovation Center (BIOPIC), also showed that XBB.1.5 is not only as effective at evading antibody protection as the XBB.1 variant, but the former has a high degree of immune evasion and is better at binding to human cells through key receptors.
Zhang Boli gave 5 indications for severe disease and emphasized that there is no so-called special medicine.
At present, some cities in northern my country have passed the peak of infection and are dealing with the upcoming peak of severe disease. Many people who have suffered from the disease are worried that they or their family members will develop severe illness, while those who have not yet been infected are full of worries about the unknown peak of severe illness, and various questions come one after another.
"Is a high fever that doesn't go away a serious condition?" "A cough that doesn't stop means the condition is worsening?" "Will it become severe after recovery?"... For most people who are recovering at home, how to judge whether they are gradually recovering or have a serious trend? How to prevent severe disease? In response to these issues that have been of common concern to everyone recently, Zhang Boli, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, master of traditional Chinese medicine, and honorary president of Tianjin University of Chinese Medicine, explains!
5 Indications of severe disease must be grasped. If
occurs, one must be highly vigilant
to prevent severe disease and improve the treatment effect of severe patients. Early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment are very important. Zhang Boli said: "Many patients mistakenly believe that they are getting better, and by the time they are sent to the emergency room for acute symptoms, the treatment opportunity has been delayed." Therefore, it is very important to detect indications of severe illness as early as possible.
During the home recovery period after being infected with Omicron strain , how to judge whether the condition is gradually recovering or whether there is a trend of becoming severe? Zhang Boli gave 5 criteria for severe illness:
1. Fever persists. Under normal circumstances, if the fever exceeds 38.5°C and the fever persists for more than 3 days after taking antipyretics, special attention should be paid.
2. Difficulty breathing, wheezing after activity, and rapid breathing rate. Under normal circumstances, the respiratory rate of healthy people is roughly 10 to 20 times per minute. If the breathing rate exceeds 30 times per minute, you need to pay special attention.
3. Continued severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and other digestive system diseases.
4. Poor mental state, showing symptoms such as apathy, confusion, irritability, or slow reaction. We are particularly alert to the fact that some elderly people are already hypoxic but do not have difficulty breathing. This is silent hypoxia. If you have a oximeter at home, you should monitor the finger oxygen saturation. If it continues to be lower than 93%, you should send to a doctor in time. If there is no oximeter, special attention should be paid to those who experience shortness of breath, palpitation and poor mental status after observing activities.
5. The original underlying disease worsens. For example, the original blood pressure of and was well controlled, but after becoming "yang", the blood pressure could no longer be controlled, or problems such as stubborn angina pectoris and significantly increased blood sugar occurred.
Zhang Boli emphasized that the above phenomena may be signs of serious illness. If one of them appears, special attention should be paid. If multiple symptoms appear at the same time, you must seek medical attention in time.
The epidemic is progressing faster than expected.
The combination of Chinese and Western medicines is very important.
Recently, many cities have experienced peaks of infection and severe cases, and there are more severe patients. As a result, emergency rooms in major hospitals are full and ICU wards are under strain. "This wave of epidemic is progressing faster and larger than expected." Zhang Boli said that although the proportion of severe cases is not high, during the peak period of infection, the number of infected people was large, and the absolute number of severe cases was not low. At present, after corresponding measures such as increasing the number of fever clinics, expanding the capacity of ICU intensive care units, and allocating critical care personnel, the situation has initially improved.
Recently, The Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council forwarded the experience of strengthening pre-hospital medical emergency services in Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province and other places; China Traditional Chinese Medicine Journal reprinted the Shanghai expert consensus on traditional Chinese medicine treatment of elderly new coronavirus infection , which will help other regions improve the treatment capabilities of severe patients.
"The purpose of critical care is to do everything possible to save the life of every patient." Zhang Boli emphasized that based on previous experience, it is important to do the following three things well.
1. Early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment can effectively prevent severe disease from turning into critical illness, and can also buy time for treatment and rescue. Move the gateway forward, treat symptoms first, intercept the disease, predict the development of the disease in advance, and take targeted intervention measures early to block the progression of the disease.
2. Pay attention to pneumonia caused by new coronavirus infection, but we must also pay more attention to the treatment of underlying diseases. Zhang Boli said: "We have seen that many patients have reached the final stage of incurable disease, which is often caused by underlying diseases rather than viral infections. Therefore, infection with virus is only a cause, and we must pay attention to the treatment of underlying diseases."
3. It is very important to adopt comprehensive treatment, integrating traditional Chinese and Western medicine, and using both traditional Chinese and Western medicine. Western medicine is very important in respiratory support and circulatory support, and “is life-saving,” Zhang Boli said. “However, the combination of Chinese and Western medicine can solve difficult clinical problems such as persistent high fever, confusion, sticky phlegm, difficulty in defecation, non-absorption of pulmonary exudation, and obvious deficiency of righteousness. It has a very good curative effect. "Many critically ill patients are old and have poor physical and nutritional status. By strengthening the body and eliminating evil, while protecting the patient's righteousness, one person has one policy, symptomatic treatment, and a variety of methods of "clearing, clearing, and supporting" have been used to save the lives of many critically ill patients.
To deal with serious illness,
it is better to stock up on "good health" than to stock up on "special medicine"
Recently, "special medicine" has become a frequently searched topic. Many netizens shared their experiences of being “hard to find a single drug” through various channels. Is it really necessary to buy so-called "special medicine" to prevent severe disease? In this regard, Zhang Boli pointed out: "Whether it is Western medicine or Chinese medicine, there are no special medicines, let alone magic medicines." Generally, patients can use ordinary cold medicines, and there is no need to pursue any particular medicine, including the "three medicines and three prescriptions". Commonly used cold medicines produced locally are also fully usable.
Zhang Boli introduced that after infection with the new coronavirus, strictly speaking, the role of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine is only auxiliary treatment, helping to alleviate some symptoms, control the development of the disease, and reduce the risk of becoming severe. Even if "small molecule specific drugs" are used, their mechanism only inhibits virus replication and cannot eradicate the virus. Moreover, the therapeutic window period of this type of drug is relatively narrow, it is only effective within 5 days after infection, and it is not suitable to be used in combination with many commonly used drugs such as statins.
Zhang Boli emphasized that after being infected with the new coronavirus, you must be rational, rational and patient when taking medication. It takes a certain amount of time for the medication to take effect. Remember there is no miracle cure, no magic cure. It is also forbidden to take medicines indiscriminately when you are sick, or to combine medicines without purpose, as they may cause drug harm. The "main force" in the fight against the new coronavirus is one's own immunity. Therefore, stocking up on medicine is not as good as stocking up on “good health”. Adjusting your physical condition, paying attention to rest, drinking more water, eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, ensuring nutritional intake, maintaining a good mood, and improving the body's immunity are the most important factors in successfully passing the infection process.
Comprehensive | The Paper News , Daily Economic News , Central Broadcasting Network
Source: Morning News
