The spread of Covid-19 is yet to be contained, and the number of those infected around the world continues to multiply. The pandemic came about unexpectedly, and unfurled so quickly that a vaccination has not yet been developed to cure the illness. Instead, doctors are relying on medical equipment to keep patients alive.
Some of the key equipment being used to fight Coronavirus today includes:
Ventilators
Ventilators are undoubtedly the most important machinery for stabilizing the symptoms of people with Coronavirus. Covid-19 inflames the airways and makes it difficult to breathe. In serious cases, it can cause your lungs to become full of fluids, which is where the risk of death is at its highest.
A ventilator machine delivers a controlled dose of oxygen into a persons body. Ventilators can be automated to take breaths for a patient, or kick in when a patient hasnt taken a breath in a long time. While ventilators dont cure Coronavirus, they can keep your lungs stable and help you to breathe until the illness passes and you get better.
Ventilators are very clever in how they work they use oxygen sensors to determine exactly how much oxygen a patient requires. This one piece of equipment is absolutely vital in hospitals around the world, says Sensoronics, and without it, the Covid-19 death toll would be much higher.
Medical masks
When it comes to preventing the spread of Coronavirus, medical masks have proved incredibly useful. These disposable masks are worn on the lower half of the face, covering the nose, mouth and chin, and are used to prevent the spread of disease from the person wearing the mask to people around them. The masks also prevent the wearer from breathing in airborne viral droplets that are produced when a person coughs or sneezes.
Medical masks dont guarantee that the wearer will not become infected with Covid-19, but they can help to reduce risk somewhat. They have played an important role in spreading infection in hospitals though research has found that making your own homemade mask wont prove very effective.
Soaps and hand sanitizer
Soap is one of the most basic hygiene essentials in any bathroom, but its importance has been exemplified during the Covid-19 pandemic. Washing your hands frequently, and in the correct manner, has become the most imperative piece of advice that the public has been given in face of the virus.
When you wash your hands with soap, not only are you physically removing any germs that have built up on your skin, the soap will also kill the germs that remain. Coronavirus pathogens are contained in tiny casings, and soap can break these casings apart, making the virus harmless and preventing it from infecting you.
Sales in soaps and hand sanitizers have multiplied dramatically over the past month, with many supermarkets selling out of the products entirely. Hand sanitizer is a particularly popular portable option but scientists warn that its nowhere near as effective as a soap and water combination, and should only be used when there are no proper hand washing facilities around.
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