Indian doctor: Negative test result not final for COVID-19 survival

A medical expert, Dr Arun Balaganga, has urged Nigerians, especially those that have tested negative for Coronavirus, to continue to take precautionary measures to avoid being infected the second time.
Balaganga, the Managing Director of Indian International Healthcare Centre in Abuja, said this on Sunday.
There are 318 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nigeria with 70 recoveries and 10 deaths since the outbreak of the virus in the country.
He said that testing negative for COVID-19 after being infected with the virus does not make the survivor’s body system resistant to the pandemic.
“We do not have 100 per cent clear-cut theories about the transmission dynamics of COVID-19 because the World Health Organisation (WHO), said earlier that it is not so risky, but later declared it a public health global emergency.
“At some point, they said it was airborne, and later they said it was not airborne; so we do not have a clear picture on this.
“Again, there can be different strains of this virus; a person who is actually infected and recovered can still be infected again, if the person gets the second strain of the virus.
“There are chances that the person can still be infected with the second strain of the virus because the person already has anti-body of the first strain.
“So, it’s unlikely that the person may get infected with the same strain or probably; in case of immuno-compromised people, recurring infections can be common. It’s just like someone catching cold multiple times.
“These are all hypothetical assumption,” Balaganga said.
According to him, the myth that hot temperature kills Coronavirus has not been proven going by the rate of infection and transmission of the virus in Africa, particularly in Nigeria with hot climate.
He said: “Nigeria is currently experiencing hot climate, the same with India; this disqualifies the hypothesis of relation between the temperature and Coronavirus spread.”
Balaganga, who was a Programme Manager, Primary Healthcare in Cross River, explained that recovery from Coronavirus could differ from body mechanism just as the spread also differs because of those who are asymptomatic
“Obviously, there is a situation where one group is treated with a particular drug while another group could use plausible drugs like vitamin C, and so on.
“So, what happens is that all these medicines are working in different stages of the viral replications and spread; the body also has its own defense mechanism to fight the virus because it understands that it’s a foreign body.
“So, if a person has very good level of immunity, with a simple supportive care and the help of paracetamol to reduce the fever, the body will automatically respond to it and fight the virus and that is the reason plausible drugs are given and people get better.
“When we are administering drugs on a COVID-19 patient, it makes the work of the body easy to fight against infection, and that is the difference between giving drugs and giving plausible therapy,” Balaganga added.
The Indian doctor urged Nigerians to always adhere to government’s directive on the virus, especially the lockdown order, and other personal hygiene regulations.