Anyone with symptoms can report themselves through the MySejahtera app which should eventually link them to their local public health office with the intention of keeping the hospitals informed of their status.
– Dr Lavanya
KUCHING: Anyone with Covid-19 symptoms should get immediate medical attention so that they can be assessed and triaged appropriately, said Dr Lavanya Narayanan.
The 32-year-old Sarawakian, who is currently practising at Hospital Sungai Buloh in Selangor, pointed out that fever and cough were the most common symptoms upon hospital admission in individuals diagnosed with Covid-19, based on a nationwide observational study on clinical characteristics of Covid-19 published November last year involving Hospital Sungai Buloh, Hospital Seberang Jaya and Clinical Research Committee (CRC).
“Anyone with symptoms can report themselves through the MySejahtera app which should eventually link them to their local public health office with the intention of keeping the hospitals informed of their status.
“Patients must take necessary measures to ensure they do not transmit the infection to another person,” she said.
“Our body responds to infection through a few layers of defence. Once a person has been infected with the virus, it can take up to 14 days for symptoms to appear (if they do at all) — known as the incubation period.
“If the first and second lines of defence which are the innate and adaptive immune response respectively function well, then most likely one may fight it off as they are able to mount an appropriate immune response towards the infection.
“The patients might remain asymptomatic or just have mild symptoms which will resolve in a couple of days.
“However, once one requires supplemental oxygen, then that is considered a severe disease” she explained.
Dr Lavanya added that based on an observational study done in a Covid-19 hospital in Malaysia last year, people with risk factors such as those who are obese, older and/or have comorbidities were more likely to develop a more severe disease compared to those who were young with no comorbidities.
She added that a recent update on the guidelines by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the treatment of Covid-19 had seen the addition of the use of pulse oximetry that measures the oxygen levels of Covid-19 patients who are quarantined at home.
A pulse oximeter or an oximeter is a small, lightweight device clipped to the finger; it uses light to measure how much oxygen is being carried to the body extremities.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Adham Baba recently said the government would need to look into equipping people and healthcare facilities with oximeters.
Dr Lavanya said that the best way to monitor suspected patients is still to look out for common symptoms which Covid-19 patients experienced such as fever, sore throat, cough, and body ache as the virus enters the upper respiratory tract before reaching the lungs.
“RT-PCR or RTK antigen swab test has to be done to confirm the infection. When we talk about someone suspected of having Covid-19 due to being in close contact with a confirmed person or someone who develops flu-like illness symptoms, then it is best to get tested to see if one may be positive or not, rather than using an oximeter device to screen for Covid-19.
“Monitoring with an oximeter device alone is not going to be the best measure of identifying if one needs hospitalisation due to low oxygen levels.
“Low oxygen levels in the blood are usually not the first sign one experiences in this viral illness. Just like other viral illnesses, prodromal symptoms like fever, headache, malaise, cough or sore throat will precede lower respiratory tract involvement,” she said.
Dr Lavanya added that one must also consider other existing lung diseases that might show a lower oxygen level and they should not be confused with Covid-19 pneumonia or hyperinflammatory state.
She said WHO and the Ministry of Health had produced easy guides to follow, and is by far the most important advice when it came to precautions one should take to protect oneself.
“These include observing physical distance guidelines, making wearing a mask a normal part of being around other people, maintaining good hygiene by regularly washing one’s hands or using alcohol-based hand sanitisers, and avoiding the 3Cs, namely spaces that are closed, crowded and involve close contact,” she added.
