Health experts in Canada have revealed that persons who have recovered from the dreaded coronavirus are more than those that have lost their lives.
According to a report on globalnews.ca, out of the over 121,000 recorded cases of the pandemic, about 66,000 have been healed whilst about 4,400 have died.
This report comes at a time there is seeming tension in Ghana after the country recorded its first two cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, March 12, 2020.
Two individuals who returned to the country from Norway and Turkey about a week ago are reported to have tested positive.
An infectious disease specialist based in Canada, Dr Isaac Bogoch, has noted that though the death rate of the pandemic cannot be adequately measured, recovery from it largely depends on the severity of the infection.
“The vast majority of people are going to have a very mild infection and will do just fine. They’ll be asked to stay home. They’ll have a fever and a cough. It’ll be symptoms similar to a cold, which they’ve probably had countless times before, and they’ll get better in a few days.”
He says a mild case of COVID-19 can be treated the same way common cold it.
“Doctors will recommend plenty of fluids and electrolytes, acetaminophen for fevers and aches and, most importantly, staying home to rest and reduce the risk of spreading the disease,” the report states.
Dr Bogoch adds that COVID-19 cases become more difficult to recover from when the virus starts impacting the lungs.
“When people have shortness of breath or trouble breathing, you can’t wait that out at home. You have to be seen in a hospital setting,” he said.
Assistant Professor and Chair of Canada Research, Dr Jason Kindrachuk also notes that a ‘fairly robust immune system’ is what people need to recover from the pandemic.
Available data suggest that older persons, especially those in their 70s and 80s, with existing health problems have a higher risk of dying from the pandemic.
“When you get into the older demographics, things get a bit cloudier. The question becomes, will they require ICU care? A lot of the data coming out of China suggests that if you ended up in the ICU and you ended up on mechanical ventilation, you did not have a good prognosis,” Dr Kindrachuk stated.
Both experts believe people who recover from mild COVID-19 cases are unlikely to see lingering health issues, but it’s too soon to say what lasting impacts the virus will have on them.
The World Health Organisation says most of those who have died from the virus so far had “underlying health conditions,” such as hypertension, diabetes or cardiovascular diseases.
Ghana recorded two cases of the disease on Thursday