The head of the chest department at Qasr al-Ainy Hospital in Cairo University, Ayman al-Sayed Salem, said that Egypt now contains four different strains of the coronavirus.
Fever, once considered the most basic symptom of the virus, has now been usurped by extreme fatigue and weakness, in addition to respiratory symptoms.
The size of the virus is what determines the severity and difficulty of symptoms, Salem said, explaining that the coronavirus now has about seven strains with the last of which most closely resembling influenza.
Salem told the “Sehtak Bedenyah” website that based on patient accounts and recommendations from the World Health Organization, symptoms of the the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic include mood swings, with severe fatigue and weakness as well as respiratory symptoms.
Infection most often is not accompanied by insomnia, he added, and in fact COVID-19 is more likely to cause extreme exhaustion and thereby increasing a sufferer’s sleepiness.
And the disease might not even be accompanied by a rise in temperature anymore as was common in the first wave, as confirmed cases of the virus were detected with no fever, Salem warned.
Building up the body’s immune system is crucial, with Salem recommending sleeping well and drinking plenty of water.
He explained that the focus on treating the virus has been through utilizing blood plasma, antibodies, as well as anti-inflammatory drugs.
Salem warned about failing to abide to medical instructions to prevent the virus, as it would only worsen the crisis by increasing infection not only from the coronavirus but through other respiratory viruses active in winter.
At a time when concerns are at an all-time high thanks to new mutations of the coronavirus and its rapid global spread, vaccines are only just taking their first steps into fighting back, including a Chinese vaccine Egypt’s Ministry of Health has bought.
Salem explained that the Chinese vaccine has proven to be 86 percent effective in preventing the coronavirus, as it relied on a traditional technique known for over 90 years.
He denied rumors that the vaccine causes swelling in skin, adding that swelling of the skin where the vaccine was received accompanied by a fever is a normal reaction with vaccinations in general, lasting only a day.
Salem said that so far, no major side-effects have been detected from the coronavirus vaccines over the course of three months of scientific research.
The Ministry of Health’s Scientific Committee to Combat COVID-19 recently updated the treatment protocol for the fourth time after better understanding the behavior of the virus.
New drugs have been included in the treatment protocol based on the results of global and local studies.
It included a change in the treatment method and required the classification of the infected cases to guarantee a speedy recovery in a period from seven to ten days, he added.
The treatment protocol for people with coronavirus in Egypt consists of an anti-virus, anti-malaria, and antibiotic as well as drugs to raise immunity.
The treatment protocol differs from one patient to another according to the severity of the infection, Salem said, pointing out that the treatment of cold symptoms is always with antibiotics, decongestant tablets and analgesics, whereas COVID-19 treatment requires abiding by the protocol established by the Ministry of Health’s Scientific Committee to Combat COVID- 19.
