Yesterday, the UAE government held a new media briefing in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, in which the spokesperson for the Emirates government, Dr. Amna Al-Dahhak Al-Shamsi, spoke about the latest developments and cases related to "Coffid-19" disease in the country, in addition to the relevant government measures, and also participated in Briefing: Consultant and Head of the Department of Hematology and Oncology at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City and Principal Research Assistant for the Stem Cell Project, Dr. Fatima Al-Kaabi, and the official spokesman for the health sector in the country, Dr. Farida Al Hosani.
Al Shamsi stressed that, thanks to the distinguished capabilities of the health system in the country, and the continuous support from the leadership that provided exceptional capabilities for different health agencies and teams within the national examination program, these teams continue to expand the scope of tests for the emerging Corona virus at the country level, where more than 47 thousand A new examination, which contributed to the detection of 603 new infections, has been isolated, and is currently receiving health care, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 40,507.
And she announced that the number of healing cases in the country reached 24 thousand and 17, after the recovery of 1277 new cases, and she fully recovered from the symptoms of the disease. She also announced the death of a person with "Covid-19", bringing the number of deaths recorded in the state to 284 cases.
She pointed out that the number of cases infected with "Coffid-19", which are still receiving treatment based on the new figures, reached 16,206 cases in the country.
On the other hand, Al-Shamsi affirmed during the briefing that the world around us is witnessing a disparity in the number of injuries and healing cases that are announced, which is due to various factors, such as the efficiency of medical personnel, the commitment of patients to the medical or home quarantine, in addition to following preventive instructions, and physical distance , And other factors.
She explained that this disparity is also found in the daily cases that are announced in the Emirates, where we witness in some days an increase in recovery cases versus a decrease in the number of new injuries, and on other days we see the opposite, and the matter also applies to deaths, as this disparity It coincided with the analysis of many individuals and the media about the state of health in the state on various social media sites, and their expectations that we are going through a phase of decline in the spread of the virus in the country, or the gradual descending of cases.
She also confirmed that some of the positive indicators that we monitor within announcing the developments of daily cases in the country do not necessarily mean the end of the pandemic in the UAE, or the beginning of the decline phase, and it certainly does not mean a return to fully practicing our normal life, and she said that these indicators may reflect the positive results of some measures The precaution announced and the efficiency of our health system, but it is difficult in the current stage to set any expectations or results, especially as we need a longer period of time to monitor the numbers of cases of injury and recovery, in addition to ensuring the efficiency of the precautionary measures that were taken with the partial mitigation of some measures.
Al Shamsi stressed the importance of sharing the responsibility of all individuals in society during the current stage, and said: “What is required is to continue to adhere to preventive measures and physical separation in conjunction with the gradual return to normal life and doing business, and to adopt a new lifestyle based on these procedures and healthy habits in order to preserve our health and the health of others.” .
On the other hand, during a briefing, a consultant and head of the Department of Hematology and Oncology at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City and a principal investigator for the stem cell project, Dr. Fatima Al Kaabi, discussed the developments of the treatment announced by the UAE last May regarding supportive and innovative treatment for the injured With "Covid-19" disease, through stem cells.
She stated that the treatment developed by researchers in the UAE obtained intellectual property protection, which paves the way for this treatment to be widely shared for more patients to benefit, describing the initial results of the treatment as promising, as it was tested on 73 people with «Covid-19 “They had moderate to severe symptoms.
She explained that all patients responded to the treatment well, which indicates that the treatment was effective, and the results of the tests showed that it is safe as an adjunct to the established treatment protocols, noting that the condition of patients who received stem cell treatment improved faster than those who received conventional treatment alone, so patients who Stem cells received clinical improvement within the first four days of treatment, while patients who took conventional therapy took eight days to show similar results.
She added that the patients whose condition was dangerous, the duration of their treatment with stem cells and their recovery reached about six days, which is much less than the period of recovery of patients who received traditional treatment, and spent about 22 days in the hospital, as well as analyzes revealed that the patients who received stem cell treatment were identical All of them recovered in less than seven days, three times faster than the speed of recovery for those who received only conventional treatment.
Al-Kaabi reported that the tests showed that 67% of patients who received stem cell therapy had fully recovered thanks to this innovative treatment that was used with the traditional treatment of the disease, and said that the study that researchers in the state worked on supportive therapy worked to measure the occurrence of any side effects, Monitor the death rate within 28 days, the time when the patient can improve and be discharged from the hospital, as well as the patient's immune response file, signs of disease severity and coagulation tests were evaluated. In this study, patients with lower hemoglobin levels were excluded. Of the 10 or they had any infections in the blood or one day get cancer, or received another unconventional treatment, patients under 18 years of age were excluded.
Al-Kaabi concluded by saying that researchers and doctors are currently carrying out various stages of experiments to determine the effectiveness of treatment in preparation for the third experimental stage, the ideal maximum dose, and the effectiveness of treatment in other respiratory diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cystic fibrosis.
On the other hand, during the media briefing, Dr. Farida Al Hosani, the official spokesman for the health sector in the country, touched on some inquiries and what is being circulated on social networking sites about "Covid 19" disease, and related studies and research, where she assured the public not to rush to circulate Information before confirming its authenticity, especially in light of the current circumstances in which information is contradictory to the subject of the disease, and any false news may create a kind of exaggerated fear or anxiety.
She reported that one of the things that has been circulated recently is information about the possibility of the patient being transferred with "Covid-19" without symptoms of infection to others, as she showed that the new Corona virus is a recent virus, and studies and research on it are new and few, including studies on the possibility of transferring the patient With «Covid-19» without symptoms of infection for others, as so far only three studies have been conducted in this regard, and they have not been approved or scientifically confirmed, which necessitates the necessity of relying on information and confirmed studies on the virus so far, and the continuation of precautionary measures based on these Information and what we know about the virus, including continuing physical spacing, wearing masks, washing hands periodically and sterilizing them, and most of all, continuing to deal with people around us as potential HIV-infected, and preventive measures must be followed with them.
She also stressed in the same context the necessity of adherence to those infected with "Coffid-19" disease without any symptoms showing them with quarantine or home procedures based on the instructions of the health authorities, and not mixing with other people in order to preserve the health and safety of others.
She stressed that what is being circulated about the rapid examination of «Covid-19» disease through blood, is not confirmed, and that this examination has not been adopted until now as a diagnostic examination of the disease in the country and other countries around the world, and this examination lacks accuracy, and is currently subject to the necessary tests and studies .
Al-Hosani also touched on another query about the effectiveness of gloves in protecting against transmission of the virus, especially since workers in shops, supermarkets, delegates and others do not change gloves for long periods during the day, and she explained on this subject that it is important for people who wear gloves for long periods to replace them with a picture Periodically, in a safe manner, and to ensure disposal after use and throwing them in designated areas, and stressed the persistence and continued washing of hands, or sterilizing them using disinfectants, which provides greater protection from wearing gloves.
On the inquiries of a newspaper about the continuity of individuals over the age of 60 years to stay at home, Farida Al Hosani explained: “We are currently going through an important stage of responding to and containing the virus, a stage that requires us to continue to adhere to preventive measures, especially by the groups most vulnerable to the consequences of the disease and its symptoms. And, like the elderly and those with chronic diseases, they must take more care than others and adhere to physical distance, and stay away from public places to avoid getting sick.
She emphasized that the UAE government has made senior citizens and residents a priority under the current circumstances, and has focused on them through its precautionary measures and double attention to them, in order to preserve them and preserve their health.
Hydroxychloroquine in the currently used dosages is safe
The official spokesman for the health sector in the country, Dr. Farida Al Hosani, explained about what has been raised recently about hydroxychloroquine and its effectiveness in treating cases with Covid-19 disease, that the scientific community and medical staff are continuing to conduct clinical studies on the most effective drugs For the treatment of «Covid-19» disease, especially since the emerging coronavirus is a recent virus, and tests and studies on it are limited, and with regard to the drug hydroxychloroquine, there were inconsistencies in its studies and tests, and many were withdrawn because they lacked accuracy, which made us Reviewing the national protocol for treatment in the country, limiting the use of the drug to simple and medium cases, and not using it to treat critical cases, based on practices in many countries around the world.
She said: "We see that the drug in the dosages currently used on patients in the country is safe, and there are no side effects, as we study and analyze all data on the use of hydroxychloroquine at the country level, and we will provide you with the results of these studies very soon."
67% of patients who received stem cell therapy fully recovered, thanks to the innovative treatment, in addition to the traditional treatment for the disease.
• What is being circulated about the rapid examination of «Coffid-19» disease through blood is uncertain, and the examination has not been approved.
There are inconsistencies in the studies related to "hydroxychloroquine", many of which were withdrawn because they lack accuracy.