Khalid Simply Says

As COVID-19 illness spreads, the authorities are pressing all buttons to stop the spread, treat those who are infected, save lives and develop strategies to prevent future spread of the virus. All of these steps are essential in fighting the pandemic. On the treatment front, we at least have one anti-viral drug that has been given the green light by the FDA. Over the next coming weeks and months, the drug remdesivir will be supplied to many hospitals treating severe cases of COVID-19. Another treatment is being tested is the convalescent plasma. Since thousands of people have recovered from the coronavirus infection, they can be the source of this plasma. What is convalescent plasma? Our blood has cells that float in a liquid medium called plasma. It has everything in it like water, proteins, sugar, nutrients, enzymes, and hormones to name a few. These materials are transported from one place in the body to the destination organs by the powerful pump, the heart. Ou...

Students, employees, and workers are getting cabin fever during the prolonged lock down and are eager to return to normalcy or the new normal. The authorities are torn between safeguarding the public health vs. allowing resumption of routine social and business activities. So when will it be safe to return to work or school? There is no one answer because each situation and circumstance will be different. One general answer is: When we will have herd immunity. To achieve that goal, we will need to test a lot of people, millions of people. That is easy said, but difficult to do. A key component of herd immunity is to know how many have developed antibodies to the virus and therefore have some level of protection against being re-infected. If we think of the virus as a “body” or a foreign entity that attacks us, then the “antibody” is the substance that is produced to repel and prevent the infection from taking hold. The “antibodies” produced by our immune system ar...

What are Vaccines and How Will they Work against the Coronavirus. Vaccines are most often used to prevent infectious diseases, although they have also been used to treat certain illnesses including cancer.  Most vaccines are given as “shots” while some such as the polio vaccine are given as drops, to be taken by mouth. The classic example is the Polio vaccine that is used to prevent Poliomyelitis, a paralyzing disease of the nervous system. To understand how vaccines work, one needs a basic understanding of the immune system. Almost all living organisms are endowed with an immune system that protects them from foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses. Even tiny bacteria can become infected with viruses.  When a germ enters our body, it is recognized as “foreign” by the immune system and efforts are mounted to get rid of this invader. Drug manufacturers use this property to develop vaccines. There are many ways by which the tell-tale information of ...