Very few patients who tested positive for COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu have required ventilator support till now. A few others, who did require oxygen, were put on high-flow oxygen therapy and recovered well, said senior doctors involved in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
As on date, the State has a total of 2,162 COVID-19 cases. Of this, 1,210 persons have been discharged from hospitals, leaving 902 patients in hospitals, undergoing treatment. The State has so far recorded 27 deaths due to COVID-19.
A senior doctor said that of all those who tested positive in the State so far, 2-3% may have required ventilator support. About 5-10% required intensive care.
“Right now, none of the patients in hospitals in the State are on ventilator support. One of the main reasons is that we are picking up cases early. Some were put on high-flow oxygen therapy and it has helped them. They came out well and were discharged,” he said.
Another reason is the close monitoring of asymptomatic patients in the high-risk category. “The State has been advising that asymptomatic patients, falling under the high-risk category, such as the elderly and those having co-morbid conditions, should be closely monitored. While this has helped us stay on the safer side, it has definitely helped us detect hypoxia early. The vitals of such patients are monitored and we check oxygen levels using pulse oximeters,” he said.
Another senior government doctor said that there were several studies and theories on ventilator support, high-flow oxygen therapy, and keeping patients in a prone position to improve oxygenation. “We are in a situation where it is early to tell which one gives better success rates. Nevertheless, as of now, the number of critical patients is less in the State,” the doctor said.
In any infectious disease, there are three determining factors — agent (virus or bacteria), environment, and host, a doctor, said, adding: “All three factors should be favourable for the infection to be established. It depends on the virulence of the virus, environmental conditions and the immune system of an individual.”
“In COVID-19, the infectivity is high, that is, person to person transmission is high. But the disease is developing less in people,” he said.
In some patients, a cytokine storm is produced by the body’s own immune system to destroy the virus. This ends up damaging the cells too, resulting in fatality, he explained. “Persons who have become critical have co-existing illnesses such as coronary artery disease, chronic asthma, chronic kidney disease, uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension. Their immune system is suppressed,” he added.
