Understanding the Mechanisms of Harm: Medicine in the Time of Covid-19

What is the Purpose of a Virus?

Viruses exist to survive, replicate, and spread. They are not designed to kill their host as that would mean their own demise. This is why virologists anticipate that SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19, will evolve to become more infectious but less deadly.

The Process of Natural Covid Infection

When someone contracts Covid, the virus enters the body through the nose and mouth. The virus's spike protein binds with the ACE2 receptor in the nose, allowing the virus to replicate. The immune system then either eliminates the virus or the virus continues into the lungs, causing the person to become symptomatic.

For many, Covid has been no more severe than a common cold, with others experiencing no symptoms at all. However, some people have experienced more severe symptoms such as body aches, fever, and loss of taste and smell. Despite the potential severity of the disease, the majority of people recover from Covid infection. This is consistent with the pattern of viruses becoming more transmissible but less lethal over time.

The Impact of Severe Covid and Cytokine Storms

The spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is the toxic part that can cause severe Covid. In severe cases, the spike protein spreads through the bloodstream to the body’s organs, causing a cytokine storm. This is a situation where the immune system overreacts, causing damage to the body it was meant to protect.

Covid-19's Risk to the Elderly and Those with Chronic Illnesses

Most people who contract Covid recover, even if they experience several days of severe illness. Covid-19 has primarily affected the elderly and those with other serious illnesses and conditions, such as diabetes and obesity. For example, in the U.S., over 80% of Covid deaths were in the 65 and older population. Almost all deaths, regardless of age, were in those with comorbidities.

Failure to Treat in Early Stages of Disease

Because the original Wuhan variant and subsequent Delta variants of SARS-CoV-2 were more toxic, failing to treat the disease in its early stages was a significant lapse in medical ethics. This failure to treat led to the worst possible outcomes from Covid-19 – hospitalization and death.

Standard Protocol and Its Consequences

The Standard Protocol for treating Covid-19 has often been to send patients home without treatment and only admit them to the hospital when their symptoms become severe. This approach has led to many deaths that could have been avoided with early treatment.

Neglect in Hospital Covid Treatment Protocols

Many accounts suggest that the overall care of Covid patients in hospitals was often callous. Patients were often isolated, denied food and water, and increasingly disoriented. Medical preferences were ignored, and needed medications for chronic conditions were withheld. Some patients were ventilated, not because they were having difficulty breathing, but because the medical staff didn't want an infected Covid patient openly breathing in the room. This increases the mortality risk for the patient.

Discarding the Hippocratic Oath during Covid

The Hippocratic Oath's principle of "First do no harm" was often disregarded during the Covid-19 pandemic. Many in the medical profession blindly followed orders instead of using their medical knowledge to treat a patient's symptoms. However, there were treatments available for inflammation, blood clotting, and respiratory demise from the very beginning of the pandemic.

Bottom Line

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed many flaws in our medical system, from the failure to treat in the early stages of the disease to the neglect of patients in hospitals. It's crucial to learn from these mistakes to ensure better handling of future health crises. What are your thoughts on this matter? Share this article with your friends and sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is delivered every day at 6pm.