California doctor getting many calls about coronavirus from Indian American community

Rajesh Maheshwari

Ritu Jha-

In general, coronaviruses themselves – for example, the common cold — are not fatal or that severe, but COVID-19 has no treatment yet, just supportive treatment from healthcare professional, says Dr. Rajesh Maheshwari, an urgent care medicine specialist in San Ramon who runs the San Ramon Urgent Care & Clinic, in San Ramon, California.

Maheshwari, who graduated from the University of Sind/Liaquat Medical College and specializes in urgent care medicine and general surgery, told indica he has been receiving phone calls from people with flu symptoms, and he has been directing them to go to emergency rooms to be checked.

COVID-19 has been more severe for people with chronic medical conditions that make people more susceptible to respiratory infections and complications and lung ailments such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD ), a chronic inflammatory lung disease that causes obstructed airflow from the lungs. Symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. Smokers and people with chronic bronchitis are very badly affected.

Maheshwari, who has many patients of Indian origin said, the community should not hide if their family members have been to China recently.

“Every day I see patients, specially our Indian people… many try to hide the story and hesitate to disclose. When they bring their parents, they will not disclose where the transit was and where are they coming from,” Maheshwari said. “In a fear their parents would be in quarantined for 14 days, and they don’t want their loved ones to be in quarantine.”

He said a man brought in his 78-year-old father who had pneumonia, and  Maheshwari ordered lab tests. The patient, who on his first visit to the clinic did not disclose his recent travel to China, was getting better but soon fell sick again. When the doctor learned of the visit to China, he asked the patient to go to a hospital emergency room. Th man recovered and was discharged after 10 days.

“I was concerned because we have other patients and other people,” Maheshwari said,

Adding further Maheshwari said he has been getting several calls from people with flu symptoms, asking for CT scans, “but we are asking people to go to the emergency room rather than coming to our clinic.”

“Now we are under shortage of the masks. It’s very important to educate people that anybody who is sick, they should have mask on, and those regular masks they are buying, thinking it is their protection, it’s not that effective. The only the mask that is good the N-95, and that is usually used by healthcare professionals.”

He said hygiene is super important. “That is my only message, hygrine, hygiene, hygiene.

The good thing is everybody, and scientists are working toward finding treatment and making vaccines. So far there are no successes, but they have found medicine that could be helpful.

They are using malaria medicine to recover or reduce the complication. There is no treatment at this time.”

COVID-19 is different from the normal flu’s symptoms that include running nose and cough, the doctor said. With pneumonia, there is heavy coughing with yellow and green production. In COVID-19, patients are experiencing body aches, dry coughs, fever, and shortness of breath.

At airports people arriving are checked  for only fever and are allowed to come in, he said. “Fever can happen after 14 days. That is why people are kept in quarantine in 14 days.”

In general, people in good health should eat more fruits with vitamin C or take vitamin C tables, be sure to properly hydrate by drinking hot water, he said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday declared a state of emergency in the state, where one person has died, at least 60 people have been treated for coronavirus, and approximately 10,000 people are under observation, according to published reports

A cruise ship returning to San Francisco from Hawaii, with 35 people showing symptoms among 2,400 passengers and 1,00 crew members aboard, is being held off the California coast because nearly two dozen passengers are showing symptoms.

Across the US, there have been 12 deaths and more than 230 confirmed coronavirus cases

The FDA and CDC are working with international partners to closely monitor the outbreak caused by a novel (or new) coronavirus first identified in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, according to news reports.

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