Changing Trends of Covid-19 Treatment and Early Use of Antibiotics: A Case in Pakistan

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020. A cluster of unexplained pneumonia cases linked to the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan, China was first reported on December 31, 2019. After testing negative for common respiratory viruses, these patients tested positive for a novel coronavirus - severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Some of these initial patients demonstrated hypoxemia, ground glass opacification on chest imaging, abnormal laboratory results - low white blood cell (WBC) count, low absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), low platelet count, elevated liver enzymes, and elevated creatinine. COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization with over 23,697,273 confirmed cases in over 200 countries and territories as of August 26, 2020. Pakistan is among the few countries which were initially hit hard but have had a remarkable recovery, with the cases falling from 4000+ per day in March to only 400+ cases in the current month. As of August 26, 2020, 278,939 cases out of a total of 294,139 positive cases have recovered. However, according to a local study 15000 doctors and paramedics were tested for COVID 19 antibodies and 32% were found to be positive, indicating the extent to which healthcare professionals have been affected and several have lost their lives. Keywords: Covid-19 in Pakistan, SARS-Cov2, Pandemic 2020