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LATEST SCIENCES AND RESEARCH
READ | Even if you are not diabetic, high blood sugar could be fatal with Covid-19
The lethal impact of Covid-19 on diabetic patients has been well established during the coronavirus pandemic, but more research shows that high blood sugar levels can be fatal, even if you don’t have diabetes.
Earlier research in July first revealed this sinister complication in coronavirus patients, and the latest study from Spain is the largest to date, using data from more than 11,000 patients.
Published in Annals of Medicine, the study took a closer look at the blood sugar levels of Covid-19 patients at the time of their hospital admission, regardless of their diabetic status.
The researchers established that high blood sugar, also known as hyperglycemia, at non-critical admission is an early warning sign that a Covid-19 patient might need mechanical ventilation and have an increased risk of death.
In people without diabetes, hyperglycemia can be triggered by infections, trauma, medications, and other chronic conditions.
“Although several studies and meta-analyzes have shown that patients with diabetes have a significantly increased risk of severe Covid-19 and higher mortality rates,” the researchers write, “the impact of hyperglycemia itself, rather than the presence of [diabetes], has not been sufficiently described in hospitalized non-critical patients with Covid-19 “.
OPINION | South African Researchers Are Searching For Medicinal Plants For Possible Covid-19 Treatments
South Africa has a long tradition of using plants for medicinal purposes. Some of these, such as Aloe ferox, Sutherlandia frutescens, and Kiggelaria africana, have been studied as sources of useful compounds. But most still need to be scientifically validated as treatments for particular diseases.
Medicinal plants are gradually gaining importance as scientists search for possible treatment agents for Covid-19. There is currently no specific antiviral drug to treat this new respiratory disease. Most treatment strategies focus on symptom management and supportive therapy, such as supplemental oxygen and mechanical ventilation.
My colleagues and I at Durban University of Technology and the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa are among researchers looking for potential plant-based Covid-19 treatments. We recently completed the first phase of our project, which ultimately seeks to develop a new therapeutic treatment for SARS-CoV-2.
Our goal in the first phase was to identify bioactive compounds in native South African plants that could be effective against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. We searched for potential Covid-19 therapeutic agents from a list of 29 bioactive compounds.
The species chosen were based on their use for the common cold, flu, other respiratory conditions, antimalarial, antiviral and antioxidant activity.
Our initial findings show that some compounds had the potential to inhibit SARS-CoV-2. We are now in the second phase of our study, which will test the compounds rigorously in the laboratory. This is a starting point in the search for a new therapeutic treatment for SARS-CoV-2.
LATEST CORONAVIRUS CASES
SA case update:
The latest number of confirmed cases is 775502.
According to the latest update, there have been 21,201 deaths in the country.
So far, more than 5.35 million tests have been performed and 29,437 new tests have been reported.
Global Cases Update:
For the latest global data, follow this interactive map from Johns Hopkins University & Medicine.
As of late Wednesday night, positive cases worldwide were 60,186,902, while deaths exceeded 1.4 million.
The United States had the highest number of cases in the world – 12,727,447, as well as the highest number of deaths – about 262,000.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN SA
Last News:
READ | Covid-19 resurgence in Western Cape after 52.1% increase in new cases in a week – Winde
Prime Minister Alan Winde confirmed an established resurgence of Covid-19 in the Western Cape on Wednesday, after the province saw new cases spike by 52.1% over the past week alone.
“There is also established community transmission of the virus again in this province, which means that it is spreading within communities at a faster rate. This growth is primarily driven by two districts in the Western Cape: Garden Route and Cape Metro,” he said.
“Last week, we issued a hotspot alert for Garden Route, following an alarming increase in cases in the area. This increase has continued to gain momentum and there are now more active cases in the George and Knysna sub-districts than anywhere else in the area. the pandemic to date. “
Winde cautioned that the city of Cape Town was following a similar trajectory, although it appeared to be 10-14 days late.
“Therefore, we are also issuing a hotspot alert for the metro. It is important to note that the growth of cases in the City is being registered in all the sub-districts and is not being driven by any area. This is verified by wastewater treatment tests, “he said.
“While the growth in cases across the province has been driven primarily by these two districts, we are also concerned about the Cape Winelands, which is starting to register a worrying number of new cases.”
According to the province’s Covid-19 dashboard, 993 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours.
READ | Covid-19: Eastern Cape, responsible for half of new daily infections – Mkhize
Whether the resurgence of Covid-19 in the Eastern Cape will turn into a second wave of infections depends on how successful that area is, says Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, who is addressing the province.
On Wednesday, Mkhize was reporting at a joint meeting of the Portfolio Committees on Health and Women, Children and People with Disabilities on a report by the Commission for Gender Equality analyzing the forced sterilization of HIV-positive women, when the deputy from DA Siviwe Gwarube asked him to get an update on the situation in the Eastern Cape.
Mkhize responded that at the peak of the pandemic, there were around 13,000 new cases a day, but that had dropped to around 1,000 a day.
“But now those cases have started to increase. And as they increase, we see that the increase is actually coming from the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape.
“More significantly, the Eastern Cape is now responsible for 50-55% of new positive cases on a daily basis.”
According to Mkhize, it is too early to call it a second wave.
“It is a cluster outbreak that is beginning to respond to what we define as a resurgence; whether it is the next full wave or not depends on how successful we are in containing that area.”
Mkhize is also concerned about the Garden Route in the Western Cape.
He goes to the Eastern Cape to analyze human resources and equipment availability, including oxygen, locally.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE REST OF THE WORLD?
Last News:
READ | How to interpret the ‘vaccine efficacy’ rates of coronavirus vaccines
95%. 94.5%. 70%. There are a lot of numbers coming in lately, touting the efficacy of different coronavirus vaccines so far, based on trials with tens of thousands of volunteers around the world.
But what do these percentages really mean?
Vaccine efficacy measures how well a vaccine works to prevent disease in a well-managed clinical trial. The same concept, when applied to how well a vaccine works in the general public, is called the effectiveness of the vaccine.
Either way, this “VE” metric measures how well a vaccine works to prevent disease. Therefore, the closer the% efficacy or effectiveness is to 100, the better an injection will work to keep vaccinated people healthy.
Polio vaccines, for example, at 99% or more, are almost perfect. Annual flu shots, which are typically 40-60% effective, are not as good at stopping flu completely, but they can make a case of the flu or another illness like coronavirus milder if a person who received the flu vaccine later becomes ill.
So far, coronavirus vaccines appear to be working very well in preventing future illnesses, in trials that vaccine manufacturers have been conducting around the world in recent months.
READ | We now have the best evidence yet that immunity against Covid lasts for 6 to 8 months, maybe even years.
Now we have the best answer to a crucial and persistent question about Covid-19: how long does immunity last.
New research suggests that recovered coronavirus patients likely have robust immune memory that persists for at least eight months. This memory is based on more than just antibodies, it also involves white blood cells known as T cells and B cells which have impressive harvesting power.
Combined, these layers of protection allow the immune system to recognize and re-attack the coronavirus should it invade again, thus preventing another infection.
A scanning electron micrograph of a human T lymphocyte (also called a T cell) from the immune system of a healthy donor.
To assess how long immunity to the virus lasts in these various layers of the immune system, the scientists measured how many and what types of recovered immune cells coronavirus patients had months after becoming ill.
Their research, though not yet peer-reviewed, offers hope that those who have already been infected are unlikely to get sick again for quite some time.
HEALTH TIPS (as recommended by the NICD and WHO)
• Keep your physical distance: stay at least one meter from someone who is coughing or sneezing
• Practice frequent hand washing, especially after direct contact with sick people or their surroundings.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, as your hands touch many surfaces and could transmit the virus.
• Practice respiratory hygiene: Cover your mouth with a bent elbow or a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Remember to dispose of the tissue immediately after use.
Image Credit: Getty Images
