Delta wave of Covid-19

Delta, a variant of concern

India saw an unparallel devastation of human life, in the living memories of present generation, in the second wave of Covid-19 of Delta variant infection, which ran from mid April to mid May 2021. We are a nation of multitude of population. So in such a demanding situation, health infrastructure and system remained fail. We may have 'many' research institute, many oxygen plant, many hospital and serum institute in 'number', but when demand rose for providing it to 'per capita'; to our dismay, it proved a failure. And it was supposed to be. We are in no way capable of providing 'health needs' to such a 'large number' of people at any given instance, if a sudden pandemic rose even in future. Unfortunately disposal of dead bodies have also seen unprecedented scenario, which put humanity on shame.

People suffering, in desperate need of medicine, oxygen, hospital bed, doctor; and there was none. Disposal of dead bodies saw such painful and shameful visuals. Business of hoarding medical needs and market of fake medicine were on high. There is no 'actual number' of lives lost, because there was no one to record to in such a messy situation. Bonds of accountability of any kind was broken. A time of shame; pity, pain, tears ran high on faces of masses, those who lost their dear ones or children who lost their both parents; not to mention the neglect and negligence by the system to which we are proud of as most religious and democratic nation. Holy values saw a deepest dip of our time.

Delta plus variant acquired a spike protein mutation called K417N, the sub lineage of Delta, is on rise now. No one knows, what are in the store as mutation causes more transmissibility. Precaution measure and vaccines are the only answer at present.

First report from China was of 30th December 2019, later WHO issued disease outbreak news on 5th January 2020. Ever since, this virus has shown tendencies of a quick and efficiently evolving variants. Since one and half year, the cases and deaths are on rise, every minute. As of June 22, the country wise variant reported are; Alpha in 170, Beta in 119, Gamma in 71 and Delta in 85 countries. 

Lab leak theory of Covid-19

WIV image credit: Kyodo News via Getty

There is a huge debate these days about the origin of Covid-19/Corona/SARS-CoV-2; that this virus either has emerged from some zoonotic host in nature or it is bioengineered in some Virology lab. Before coming to any conclusion, it would be better to evaluate both possibilities in the light of available evidences. 

Possible spillover from nature: 

1. Most scientist believe that SARS-CoV-2 has a spillover from nature, because

bats are the known carrier for coronavirus. Horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus affinis) is commonly found in southern China. Genome of virus RATG13 found in this bat is 96 percent identical to the genome of SARS-CoV-2 causing Covid-19 in human.

2. This means that a closer link in between human and bat is missing for the difference of 4 percent genome.

3. Again the spillover from the lab is a remote possibility as lab engineered strain mostly cause small outbreaks. They are well documented and contained. 

4. Same covid-19 like pattern were found for emergence of infectious diseases causing pandemic in previous years; e.g. SARS coronavirus, influenza, Ebola, HIV etc. in other parts of the world.

5. 'WHO' too agreed for investigation in to pandemic's origin in depth (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00375-7).

Lab leak theories are basically grounded on:

1. SARS-CoV-2's closest relative is still elusive to scientists.
2. Covid-19 first reported in Wuhan, is not a coincidence where WIV lab is researching on the same virus.
3. SARS-CoV-2 is spreading unusually quickly in humans, that points intention.
4. Furin cleavage site on virus protein spike, absent in it's closest relative. (But opponent to lab spillover theory believe it a convergent evolution for evolutionary advantage as virus adapting to the similar environment; as furin cleavage is also found on common cold viruses)
5. Original host of virus could not be found as yet.
6. CGG encoding for Amino Acid Arginine underlying a segment of furin cleavage site is preferred code for Arginine by humans, not viruses. (https://nicholaswade.medium.com/origin-of-covid-following-the-clues-6f03564c038). (But opposite believer point the 3 percent of Arginine been coded by CGG code in SARS-CoV-2, citing example of Indian variant (B.1.617.2 or Delta) has mutations in nucleotides encoding it's furin cleavage site, making it more virulent variant.)

Spillover theory and word of politics: 

There are many voices echoed in favor of a fair enquiry in this matter. 

1. US President Joe Biden tasked US Intelligence community to find the origin of SARS-Co-2. 

2. Australia, EU, Japan were also in the same league in voicing their concern for a fair investigation. 

3. World leaders in G7 summit were also vocal in a statement issued to the media on June 13, 2021.

(https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/g7-leaders-discuss-wuhan-lab-leak-theory-behind-covid-19-pandemic/article34804805.ece)

It's true that:
The Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in China's central Hubei province is located in the same city from where the first Covid-19 were reported, but there is no substantial evidence to prove the controversial spillover theory from lab as of yet.

A spillover from nature through a bat directly or indirectly seems most likely.

Latest:
Amidst all the suspicion of lab leak theory, the Chinese Academy of Sciences reportedly nominated the 'Wuhan Institute of Virology' for top science award in conducting 'the most comprehensive and systematic identification research on the aetiology of covid-19'.
(https://www.wionews.com/world/wuhan-lab-suspected-of-leaking-covid-19-nominated-for-top-science-award-in-china-393263)

Corona virus outbreak, symptom, medicine, vaccine and lesson learnt

Corona Virus outbreak, causing severe acute respiratory syndrome (Covid-19) was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30th January 2020 and a global Pandemic on 11th March 2020 by World Health Organization. Then it was thought as of zoonotic origin of some mammal like bat or other.

Covid-19 was first reported on 31st December 2019 from Wuhan, China. Spreading swiftly on global scale and adapting itself to gradually more lethal strain, surprised the medical community as well because mostly next level of strains are supposed to be less pathogenic, as considered generally.

Disease symptom is most intriguing so far as this affects different people in different ways. Common symptoms of fever, dry cough, tiredness, sore throat, diarrhea, loss of taste or smell to severe symptoms like breathing difficulty, chest pain, speech loss etc., ranging from 5-6 days to 14 days long period.

Getting blood oxygen level down is one point when body seems to be struggling for adequate supply of oxygen to their body parts. It is though lungs and RBCs who are the major player in this mechanism. Either lung being turned to morbid state or RBCs being in clotting phenomenon due to enzymes exudes of the virus, is yet to be fully explored and understood. But post-Covid death is all due to the organ failure at one or many level. Seriously infected patients even after been cured are suffering with many troubles of organ systems as one or more.

Medicines prescribed were mostly meant to take load away from fever and virus with immunity booster pills to fight; are the direction in which medicines were used by prescribing suitable doses of antipyretic, anti viral drugs and vitamin tablets. Plasma therapy in this case is used but with efficacy and validity controversy.

Vaccines in this turmoil came as the only hope, even infection after the second vaccine dose is also on the record. It was and still is a hard task economically and physically to administer to all human population. This pandemic period has shown us as we humans are sitting in the same boat. A person standing last in the line can not be left as he/she will be the asymptomatic carrier. Rich or poor, black or white are the world citizens as deserving equal rights of life, sustainability, health care and education. This is the time to learn this hard lesson for humanity. 

In India by the time of second Covid wave in March-April 2021, every kind of medical system was in total failure. People were asking for medical oxygen for anything and there was none. Death were so enormous that disposal of human dead bodies saw most unprecedented visuals of the century. India was truly devastated. Systems failed at many levels. 

Lessons learnt are to be carried with our life style now and that is cleaning hands often with soap and alcohol based rubs, maintaining safe distance, wearing mask, not going out when it's unnecessary, 

Delta variant is in the corner to meet us, we don't exactly know that what is in store of the Covid strain or some other viruses in future, safety should be the prime concern of every individual as for self and safety of other human fellows too.

Sun sneeze is a heritable trait

Sun sneezing, as name suggests is a photo sneeze reflex or better said a naso-ocular reflex caused by the exposure of an individual to bright light, so Photosneezia is another name came from. Claimed to be affecting 18 - 35 percent of world's population which is quite sizeable number as 1 in 4 persons are sun sneezers, whose exact physiology is yet to be explained.

It is well recorded in history by Aristotle and others but was less understood until recently.

Some believe that it may have evolutionary advantages for the cave dwellers in terms of spreading of pathogens present in their naso-pharynx, to their fellow cohabitants. It doesn't fits that way because we all should have had this in our DNA.

Rock Garden, Chandigarh, India

 

By 1980s it was established as a heritable autosomal dominant trait, is now called ACHOO syndrome (Autosomal-Dominant Compelling Helio-Opthalmic Outbursts), caused by single-nucleotide polymorphism on Chromosome 2, where a single base Adenine (purine) is replaced by Cytosine (pyrimidine) on DNA due to random mutation.

Being of dominant nature (name; the C allele on the rs10427255 SNP), it expresses itself even if being transmitted by the single parent through Chromosome 2 (location; 146,125,523). 

Physiology is simple as Opthalmic branch (Optic nerve) of Trigeminal nerve (longest Cranial nerve) inhances the irritability of the Maxillary branch to get sneeze.