It goes without saying that there is no significant difference between the corona and the common cold. Early symptoms of the corona, such as fever-cough, headache-cold, are similar to those of a cold sore.
However, corona fever, loss of taste in the mouth, or loss of smell in the nose, these two symptoms are special symptoms of corona patients, but these symptoms do not mean that all corona patients. In some cases, even in the common cold, the taste and smell of some patients may decrease. Corona patients who lose their sense of taste - their infection is not as severe.
However, the most important symptom of moderate to severe (14/15%) corona disease is decreased oxygen saturation. And in that case, an important notable thing is - even if the saturation is reduced, almost all the patients do not notice it at the initial stage or have no breathing difficulties. This is the reason this condition is called Happy Hypoxemia. In 10/15% of corona patients, the body loses oxygen and the condition worsens quickly - in which case hospitalization or oxygen therapy becomes very urgent. On the other hand, 80/75% of corona patients get better without any complications. In other words, they are cured by general treatment at home.
Now the question may be, as soon as a patient becomes happy hypoxia or how he will understand or 80/75% of patients who do not have hypoxemia, or how they will be sure that they are not hypoxia. That means - what is the way to understand who is in the group of 15% and who is in the group of 75% of the patients? Then everyone has to be hospitalized! Then there will be no space for the patients in the hospital. As a result, the medical system of the whole country will collapse.
In fact, all corona patients need to be hospitalized and kept under special observation. If this epidemic had come down 15 years ago - we would have been in that situation. But no! A small device called a pulse oximeter has solved a lot of this problem. Now, this device is easily available in all parts of Bangladesh and the price is within the reach of almost all people. Very easy to use. All educated and uneducated people can use it easily. It can tell the oxygen level and pulse rate of a person's body almost accurately in 10/15 seconds. In the last 5/10 years, this device has become easily available in our country. Before that, it was quite a rare instrument. Its use could be seen only in large clinics. It is readily available, the device is now being used in people's homes. It protects the lives of hundreds of people by providing the right urgent signal of the need for hospitalization and also by controlling the patient's stress in the hospital through intermittent/round-the-clock oxygen surveillance. And by doing so, the unnecessary wasting and stress of family members are being reduced, as well as preventing a lot of wastage of labor hours. If there had been an outbreak of this covid epidemic before this device became readily available - then there would be no limit to the loss and suffering caused by this disease - I can say without hesitation.
Advice
As far as I know, this device is being widely used by the family up to the Upazila level city. I do not know if it is being used in remote areas at the village level. But I think Oximetry services for corona-symptomatic patients can be introduced through volunteers in rural neighborhoods or inwards. In that case, there will be one pulse oximeter in each ward. Ambulance patients with corona symptoms will go there and check their oxygen levels every two to four hours. It can save the lives of many patients by advising them to be admitted to the hospital on time. Low-risk patients can be treated safely at home and the patient's stress in the hospital will be less. People's mental stress will be much less. People in the family will be able to continue their daily activities normally, and the wastage of working hours will be reduced.
In this case, village-based government health structures can also be used as needed.
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