STRANGE CASE OF COVID (COVID--19 FROM NOWHERE.) (Update on 14th Feb)

By K P Paswan.

We are on the verge of winning the battle against the brutal Coronavirus which appeared from nowhere in the month of Dec2019, but at what cost? During this period entire human race was under the grip of fear psychosis. We witnessed our beloved ones die in a worst possible manner. We also witnessed President  of the most  mightiest nation of our solar system standing helpless before the brutal virus. The worst is over but who knows the psychopath  emerging in another form, but we are ready to give the devil a hostile welcome.Human race is ready to stay one step ahead of this man made virus.

 Corona virus named as Covid 19 is perhaps the greatest threat to human race.There is no example in history of the world,sudden emergence of lethal virus engulfing the entire world within short period. Here we are concerned with Covid 19,the origin of which is shrouded in mystery. China is being blamed for exporting this lethal virus to cover the entire world. Politicians and virologists all over the world expect, theories of origin of the deadly virus to make sense, after all random tragedies simply don’t.The Corona virus offers of death, visited on the  undeserving without discernible pattern. So some of the noted Virologists and politicians all over the world take somethings of a risk,when they point finger to China and named the virus as Wuhan virus.

 NO EFFECTIVE DRUGS were available until, when  vaccines were introduced in US. fall of 2020 In absence of any effective drugs, certain effective guidelines like wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and washing hands proved highly beneficial to society.However Vaccines and oral drugs are in the markets which are proving effective enough to destroy the virus. Mutation of virus is presenting opportunity to scientists to manufacture effective tools  to crush and defeat the virus.

ORIGIN. The theory pertains to Wet Market in Wuhan in China. In this wet market, every type of animal is being sold and slaughtered for human consummation. This is most talked about theory, but not without its opponents. It is so because more deadly Wet Markets are  found in Vietnam, but nobody accuses Vietnam of manufacturing the virus. But the Wuhan Wet market also caters to the needs of a nearby research laboratory, known as Wuhan Research Institute of Virology, which is also funded by US to encourage research in required field. Most probably the virus emerged from this laboratory.

SPECULATION.The Corona is  man made virus. According to this view, a group of virologists and other scientists were deliberately trying to manufacture lethal virus. Something went wrong and the virus leaked out of this laboratory. When situation went out of control, the Govt announced the emergence of virus, but by than the deadly virus engulfed half of the world. This speculation is also known as Conspiracy theory, it is so because that WHO believed, till the end of December 2020, that the virus could not transmit from one human to another. That was the greatest blunder and this resulted in  heavy causalities, which frightened the entire human race. 

WHO persistently denies the allegations, but at least we are certain that WHO failed to fulfill the obligations, for which this body was created. This speculation is  not supported by any specific proofs. Disclosing information by some of the scientists working at the Wuhan Research Lab  risked violating nebulous secrecy  and some of the scientists disappeared mysteriously and a few fled to safe sanctuary in USA. Moreover despite of lower fatalities, China is witnessing surge after surge in Covid cases. Winter Olympics in China is being held without spectators. In near future, we may not be able to know the truth, as the ruling elite in China is not telling anything associated with origin of virus.  China has advanced a theory that the lethal virus emerged either in India or Australia and China simply reported the outbreak of the pandemic, but there is no taker of this theory.

DANGEROUS MUTATION.

Corona virus named as Corona 19 by WHO, forced lock down or restrictions in almost every country of this planet, resulting in economic stagnation. Corona infection allowed the people to die in a  worst possible manner. Acute shortage of coffins resulted in throwing dead bodies  wrapped in plastic bags  Dead human being  were thrown into graves or burning chambers, thus making a mockery of good burial or cremation. There are sufficient data to reveal that infected persons, even after complete recovery, developed depression and post Covid complications, for which further treatment was necessitated. More dangers are seen in emerging new variants, which first seen in South Africa and carried away by air travelers to Great Britain and other countries. This new variant is( Omicron) spreading fast and is highly contagious. Some  of so called  experts in virology, even suspected, the reduced efficacy of Corona vaccines against this new variant. But research show that vaccines are effective against variants reported from different countries. 

 DRUGS,HOPES,AND DESPAIR.

Scientists specialized in virology,  give human disease  to small animals like mice to learn what has gone avry. Sometimes results are so accurate that even it surprises the scientists. Such is the case of vaccines for Corona virus that has helped to identify, promising a new treatment for people A large number of drugs are also repurposed. Antivirals are successfully applied to treat the infection and one of them Chloroquine( not an anti viral but anti malaria) was hailed as game changer. Vaccines attributes, depend upon the types of technological methods  like DNA, mRNA, Viral Vectors etc.  Simultaneously a number of drugs like anti viral and anti parasitic are being repurposed, but the critics are uneasy. These drugs, they fear will turn out to be merely modern medicine’s root de  jour, a scientifically unproven preparations that are at best useless. But Doctors and patients are two different groups and even as concerns are raised, mRNA popularity continues to grow.

Recently Pfizer, the pharma giant which introduced first mRNA vaccine introduced oral pills named as Paxolovid which completely treats infected persons. These oral drugs are going to be game changers. Its efficacy is nearly88%. But it suffers from  limited production and is too expensive and poor cannot afford. Merc another pharma giant introduced Molnuravir which is less than 45% efficient.

It appears that ultimate treatment of infected person is Monoclonal antibodies.

mRNA. Unlike Corona vaccines based on weakened, inactivated, viral vectors etc, development of which is time consuming, mRNA is a different  technology which was held as destroyer of many diseases, including dreaded Cancer in 1970s, but lack of fund prevented further research. In 1980 there was a dramatic change in the application of mRNA. Katlin Kariko, a Hungarian migrant to US suffered many ups and down and later on suffered from cancer. She is a biologist and attracted her attention to mRNA.She realized that swapping out Uri dine one of mRNA letters  avoided causing inflammation without compromising code.Her research was seen by Derrick Rosie co founder of Mode-RNA. And we have Corona vaccines manufactured by Pfizer in collaboration with another firm of Germany. mRNA may be utilized to create antigen for Cancer and now there wont be any problem of funding.We may anticipate not only eradication of Covid19 but also effective drugs for Cancer.

RACIAL CONUNDRUM.Covid 19 does not distinguish between rich and poor, with or without co morbidity, but it has a special affinity for certain groups of people. In USA, this lethal virus has infected and killed more Blacks, Hispanics, Indians and people of South Asian region than the whites. In USA the Corona 19, has infected the Blacks hard.Why it does not fall? The answer lies with people who are Corona positive, but don't know. Doctors hope that by making Corona test routine, they would reduce infection. FDA, before giving approval to vaccines developed by MODERNA made searching queries, and the scientists had to satisfy the FDA regarding efficacy of vaccines to these groups of people. The same is the case in Europe where a large number of legal or illegal migrants in UK,France and Germany are falling victims to Covid. It is also seen that those political heads of nations who mocked Covid 19 virus have suffered terribly and continued to suffer like Brazil, Great Britain and even USA.

SOMETHING FROM NOTHING.In the case of Covid we have something(Vaccines) from the virus. This is a pleasant surprise. But we have learned the lesson from Influenza breakout in 1918 in US, which claimed more deaths than Covid 19.In absence of modern drugs ,wearing masks and excellent care in hospital contained the influenza. The pandemic had adverse effect on the than president of USA, Woodrow Wilson who was infected, recovered but he was a changed president at the time of formation of League of nations, it is presumed that the infection had adverse effect upon him.

HERD IMMUNITY. This is a myth, and nowhere seen in the world. In India several experts are attributing lower rate of infection  in India to herd immunity which does not  appear to be true. Every child in India is born with cough and cold,early symptoms of Corona and these symptoms are treated successfully by herbal drugs. Immunity is developed slowly against all types of virus but Corona is a different type of virus and its variants cannot be predicted.

 New  variants in UK, South Africa, Brazil and India are spreading with lightening speed, reducing, even the efficacy of vaccines. Fortunately mRNA based vaccines are giving extraordinary chase to virus.  In India the situation became grim due to acute shortage of Oxygen, which was not anticipated even by top virologists and doctors. Surge  of pandemic in certain states of India was causing concern and might  be attributed to false claim of herd immunity, being spread by virologists, whose credentials are being questioned. Now vaccine is likely to be updated  and new vaccines with increased efficacy are likely to flood the markets in near future, so it is possible to contain the spread of virus by mass vaccination on war footing. 

OMICRON. This is the latest variant of Coronavirus and first detected in South Africa. This has replaced the Alpha, Beta and most deadly Delta plus variant. As per data collected from countries engulfed by this variant, Omicron is highly transmissible but less lethal than Delta plus. Few deaths have been reported but Omicron has become dominant strain  in US, UK, France and other European countries. Unvaccinated people are likely to face death in and outside of hospital. There is no scientific consciousness but it is clear that Coronavirus is not over.

It is generally presumed that we may need yearly booster or precautionary dose of vaccines to defeat the pandemic.

Brequinar a new drug based on Nucleoside biosynthesis inhibitors, perhaps is going to be the last nail in to the coffin of deadly virus. The drug is under trial with 100% success rate. The promoter of this  anti viral drug is convinced  the ability of the human race to fight for survival. This drug may be less costly and cures the infected person of any variant at any stage.

ORAL VACCINES.Trial of oral vaccines have been reported from US. Phase one and phase second trial demonstrate wonderful and favourable result. Oral vaccines are meant for preventing the infection and not for treating the infected persons,

It is unfortunate that US which gave us vaccines and oral pills are struggling to contain the virus while India with only two vaccines is doing far better. China appears to be main beneficiary as its export has increased by 25%. Vaccines mandate is being opposed by a large section of people in US. President Biden is more interested in economic sanctions against Russia for imaginary invasion on Ukraine than  containing Coronavirus. 

Both president Biden of US and president Putin of Russia are helpless before deadly virus manufactured by humankind. In US, Republicans and Democrats are fighting like hell with each other. This  is not the time to play dirty politics  final result of which cannot be predicted.

Conclusion.

 In 2021 we have advance technology with two years of experience, we  how to fight the coronavirus and we have fought successfully.We have effective vaccines, advent of these vaccines based on sophisticated and  new technology have averted an apocalyptic end of the human race.New lethal variant of Covid is responding to vaccines with reduced efficacy, but are effective enough in containing human transmission of the virus.

EPILOGUE.

Emergence and declining of the wrath of Coronavirus are warning to  civilization that  human race alone is responsible for dreaded sufferings and must prepare itself to face more  such events in future.