Coronavirus Update: Lesser Known Symptoms and Proposed Treatments

The coronavirus is changing the world at a rapid rate.  Thousands have died, nearly well over 500,000 people are infected – and millions more are in voluntary self-isolation or state-enforced lockdown.  That’s the bad news.

On the flip side, air pollution levels are at all-time lows and web-based delivery businesses and platforms offering online gamble real money games are thriving!

There is no congestion on the roads – even in cities like Mumbai, Shanghai, Buenos Aires and Los Angeles – and dolphins and other sea creatures have returned to the unpolluted waters around Venice for the first time in decades.

It seems ridiculous that a self-replicating virus that’s been called a beer virus, a contagion, a pandemic and now Covid-19 – and more specifically SARS-CoV-2 – has been able to shut-down most of the world. 

More Time to Play Online Gamble Real Money Casino Games 

What is alarming is that even with the collaboration of the best brains on the planet, we don’t seem to be getting any closer to a vaccine or a cure.  At best, the estimated lead time is still 12 to 18 months.

That basically leaves us clutching at straws and spending more and more time in front of the PC playing online gamble real money casino games at Springbok Casino – that’s when we’re not checking the latest numbers and figures on Covid-19 infections and deaths!

Taking your mind off the seriousness of a global pandemic is definitely not a bad thing.  Stress can lower your immune system, which is not a good thing during the pandemic.  So when you consider that you can bank ZAR by wagering on low edge online gamble real money games, it could be a good way of keeping your bank balance, and immune system, in positive territory!

A Cure for Coronavirus?  

How far are we in developing a cure for the so-called Corona beer virus?  Clearly not far enough – but there are a few existing drugs and treatments that have shown some promise.  Here’s a quick rundown of a few of the meds and treatment protocols that have been making the news:

Chloroquine - Trump’s Misguided Cure for Covid-19 

Chloroquine is an anti-malarial drug that has been punted as a cure by a seriously misguided US president. Sure, it’s highly effective when it comes to treating malaria but the coronavirus – be it a beer coronavirus to some – is an entirely different beast.

How does chloroquine work?  It effectively retards viruses by binding to healthy human cells and encouraging them to replicate.  It also stimulates the body’s natural immune system.

The problem is the drug has well-known and pretty dire side effects that can include weakening the heart muscles.  When taken in large doses chloroquine can be fatal as we have already seen in the USA and Nigeria. Self-medicating with chloroquine is seriously not a smart thing to do.

Another really big problem with inaccurately exclaiming to the world that chloroquine is the cure, is that people who actually need the medication, such as those with Lupus, are now struggling to get their hands on their medication.  People are stockpiling chloroquine and the price of the medication has skyrocketed.

Remdesivir - Expensive and Still to be Proven  

How about Remdesivir?  It’s an antiviral developed by a Californian biotech firm. Well, according to recent reports, this drug appears to have been instrumental in the full recovery of at least one Coronavirus sufferer – and the notoriously difficult FDA has given it the thumbs up.

Remdesivir works by inhibiting a key component of the virus called RNA polymerase – the cog that basically drives the rapid replication of covide-19 in the body.

At this point of time, the drug is only being rolled out for the critically ill and with a price tag of around R11,500 a pop, its not really feasible as a mass-scale treatment.

Having said that, it’s apparent efficacy in arresting the spread of covid-19 may well be the prompt you need to unleash online gamble real money games on your PC and phone and pray for the rapid replication of crisp hard cash!

Favipiravir - A Mixed Bag of Results

Then there’s the Japanese flu drug Favipiravir that’s kicked corona-ass in Wuhan and Shenzhen.  The antiviral drug is also known as Avigan, and apparently works by disrupting the cellular pathway that helps viruses replicate inside human cells.

Although the results in China were encouraging, there doesn’t appear to be sufficient consensus around its efficacy in the fight against SARS-CoV-2.  Where does that leave us?

With a 100-year old process called convalescent plasma and an even longer lockdown than anticipated.  We all know what that means…  More time to fire up the engines of online gamble real money games at Springbok online casino!

Convalescent Plasma - Promising but Still in the Trial Stage 

Now for what could be the icebreaker when it comes to an iceberg of the size, scale and temerity of covid19...  As we speak, scientists are busy experimenting with a process called convalescent plasma.

In layman’s terms that means harvesting the virus fighting capabilities of people who have recovered from the disease and transferring them to infected folk.  These virus-fighting capabilities are in the form of antibodies found in the blood plasma, hence the name ‘convalescent plasma’.

Antibodies borrowed from healthy hosts can weaponize the natural immune system and optimise its ability to fight the disease.  This type of process has been used for hundreds of years and proved to be partially successful during the 1918 flu pandemic.

Lesser Known Symptoms of Covid-19  

Right, now that you know that a cure is not imminent, here are a few of the lesser known coronavirus symptoms to watch out for:

• Mental and physical exhaustion – described as brain fog and walking through treacle
• Loss of appetite
• Sore, irritated and infected eyes similar to that of allergy sufferers
• Back pain
• Diarrhoea and other digestive issues
• Loss of taste or sense of smell

A dry, persistent cough, tingling throat, headache and fever are common symptoms that suggest you should contact the national or provincial coronavirus helpline or your doctor straight away.

If the symptoms are not that severe and the health authorities give the go ahead, you will probably be able to self-isolate and recover at home.  If not, you’ll be admitted to an isolation ward and the virus will be treated symptomatically.

The best way to stay healthy is to avoid getting the virus in the first place and if that means a 21-day lockdown, so be it.  At least there is always Springbok Casino and our legions of online gamble real money games to keep you suitably entertained!