COVID-19: Immune system plays key role in recovery

Coronavirus structure.

Reported cases of coronavirus disease (COViD-19) as of 25th March, 2020 11.00 am, stood at 434, 643 globally.

Of the above figure, 303,186 patients are infected with COViD-19, 289,963 patients are in mild condition while the other 13,223 are in critical condition.

Moreover, 19,604 deaths have been reported since the outbreak of COViD-19 in December last year, with 111,853 people reported to have fully recovered after they contracted the disease.

Currently, there is no medicine or vaccine for COViD-19 but the recovery rate stands at 85%.

Dr. Loice Achieng, a senior lecturer in the Department of Clinical Medicine and Therapeutics at the University of Nairobi and Head of Infectious Disease Unit at Kenyatta National Hospital alludes the recovery from the disease to ones immune system.

“Your own immunity begins to fight the infection so that with time you develop antibodies. You also have cells that attack the virus and with time your body gets rid of the virus,” Dr. Achieng says, adding that recovery rate depends on how best our immune system can fight the disease.

She reiterated that there is no definitive treatment for COViD-19 at the moment and warned people against taking every drug they come across in the name of treating or preventing themselves from the disease.

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 “Every drug has side effects, don’t start popping panadol all the time. Panadol can damage your liver if taken too much. Every drug should be taken if there is an indication for the same,” Dr. Achieng said.

She urged Kenyans to take government COViD-19 measures seriously to avert the spread of the disease that has sent shockwaves across the countries in the world.

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