Here on things are becoming pretty clear that living amidst Covid 19 virus is going to be a new reality until we get a vaccine. In this series of posts we will be answering many frequently asked questions regarding COVID 19. 
COVID 19 coronavirus

When you get some product from outside during covid-19, How much time should you leave it alone for?

To take a decision regarding how long you have to leave the product alone depends on the type of material. This infographic below is self explanatory to make you understand how long the virus lasts on various types of surfaces.
You can leave the home deliveries that you receive at least for 15-30 minutes in direct sunlight. Corona viruses degrade quickly in temperatures higher than 56 degrees Celsius, and in direct UV light. 
For small articles you can use following to clean surfaces
  • Diluted bleach
  • Diluted Detergents 
  • Alcohol solutions 

How does alcohol in hand sanitisers (and soap) kill the coronavirus?

Novel coronavirus has a lipid envelope. Soap being a detergent destroys the envelope. Similarly sanitizers having 60% alcohol or above also destroy the envelope of the virus.

What is the extent of success against COVID 19 by Government of India?

We should all commend the efforts of government of India, atleast till now the virus growth rate has been kept in control. They have also been successful in implementing one of the most strictly implemented lockdowns in the world. It is not possible to eliminate Covid 19 virus transmission as of now without the aid of a vaccine, but until a vaccine comes into the picture, controlled transmission and gradual strengthening of the herd immunity seems to be only way forward. Here is a video posted by a popular vlogger Project Nightfall which has lauded the efforts of Indian government:

Which hospital to successfully launched plasma therapy to treat COVID 19 in India?

  • SMS hospital, Jaipur  – Link
  • Max Hospital, New Delhi – Link
  • ICMR has approved PLACID Trial to test the effectiveness of plasma therapy – Link. Following are the hospitals which have been approved to participate in this study:
  1. Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh
  2. Madras Medical College in Chennai
  3. Smart NHL Municipal Medical College in Ahmedabad
  4. BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad
  5. Sawai Man Singh Medical College in Jaipur
  6. Government Medical College, Nagpur
  7. Gandhi Medical College, Telangana 
  8. Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal.
However it should be understood that plasma therapy is not a magic bullet or it is going to make a big dramatic difference. It is going to be one of various options to treat severely ill Covid 19 patients along with other drugs. (Link)

Can famotidine 20mg tablets protect us from COVID 19?

Preliminary study has shown that “Compared to the rest of the patients, those who received famotidine had a greater than two-fold decreased risk of either dying or being intubated” (Link) . To come to a conclusion regarding its real effectiveness, a randomized control trial is required (Link).

References

The Arogyada
www.arogyada.in