Is novel coronavirus a ‘Dodo hunter’ or boosts immunity, cause ‘organ suicide’ and death?

Are we not hunting the ‘shadow of a ghost’ in the name of chasing novel coronavirus? 

Should we not ask the above fundamental question, at least now? Is the poor novel coronavirus the real killer of man or else it simply boosts our immunity (cytokine storm) and that results the death? 

The above question has already been asked by British scientists if not ICMR, Niti Aayog etc., and also has been answered by then with reasonable scientific evidence.  The details were captured under the title “New coronavirus not the real killer: it's the patient's immune system damaging vital organs”  https://www.euronews.com/2020/04/09/understanding-covid-19-the-unknown-disease-with-multiple-faces

Today, May 11, 2020, Times of India has reported the conversation of Honourable Health Secretary of Tamil Nadu Dr Beela Rajesh, IAS with Union Health Minister Shri. Dr Harhwardhan that the state do not believe that all those who died in the state were due to COVID 19 but possibly due to severe or acute co-morbidity conditions. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/govt-doesnt-believe-covid-killed-all-victims/articleshow/75665224.cms

The above statement made by Dr Beela Rajesh should be seen also from the premise of scientific understanding of the state of Tamil Nadu because the Honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Shri Eddapadi Palaniswami (EPS) has appointed Dr Beela Rajesh as Health Secretary may be due to her in-depth knowledge in medicine.  She is a medical graduate as well. 

The disease supposedly caused by novel coronavirus - called COVID 19 shows several clinical faces or manifestations.  The big question is how a pathogen can trigger all such diverse clinical problems and at the same time also can remain silent in large proportion of the population?  

Only if we ask such questions, the scientist Sherlock Holmes in each one of us would emerge to detect the real killer.

If we refuse to ask such questions, we will continue to chase the virus, impose lockdown, destroy economy, life and livelihood …… hunt people who may carry the RNA of the virus, quarantine them, declare containment zones…. etc.

The accepted medical norms is that all those asymptomatic carriers of either RNA of the virus or the live virus can be a vector of contagion; harmful to the society like the virus. 

What a bizarre notion we have cultivated so far.   If we are going to identify and quarantine all such individuals in our large population means, that would be a big joke and nothing else.  When the virus has already reached the community level, the task to accomplish for our government is humongous and if our government ever adventure such endeavour and then continue the lockdown that would be the biggest tragedy any elected government can commit to its country. 

There are three distinct phases has been recognized among people who contract the virus

a)     Viral phase: where the virus multiplies rapidly in the respiratory system and may or may not produce symptoms of common flue and then the problem would disappear in 6-10 days.  Almost 80-98% people are likely to fall in the above group

b)     The pulmonary phase: where some patients might develop a specific type of pneumonia involving both lungs resulting in respiratory distress

c)      Severe phase:  where some patients would develop ‘cytokine storm’, an uncontrolled inflammatory response of immune system, resulting in death 

Interestingly the severe cases of COVID 19 do not seem to show high viral load then who is the real killer becomes the real question.  It is the immune reaction that makes many organs commit suicide; fails to function and the patient dies.  The reason is cytokine storm and that is what has been documented until now. 

What the scientists have documented so far is “The inflammatory response is a natural immune system reaction. It’s necessary to repair cell damage. With normal pneumonia, germs damage the pulmonary tissue and the immune system generates an inflammatory response to stop it. The immune system ‘kills’ some cells to repair the damaged tissue”.

“What is happening now with coronavirus is that instead of sending a few cells it’s sending tonnes of cells that generate an uncontrolled inflammatory response, not only in lungs but can be widespread in the body”.

Does that mean, novel coronavirus boost the immunity?  Then what is the logic and science of Modi advocating immune boosters from grandma’s kitchen healing practice to combat the pandamic? 

Now the question is how we can mercilessly crucify the poor novel coronavirus as the killer and chase such a rapidly spreading virus?  How wise are we to impose nationwide lockdown to prevent the virus spread?  What effort ICMR has taken to understand the virus in India?

Should we not think the novel coronavirus may be a mere ‘Dodo hunter’?

Dodo was a flightless bird once roamed in Mauritius Island.  The Dutch sailors easily hunted the bird because the bird was unaware of human beings as a threat to its life and the bird was also unaware of any predators.  Does that mean the Dutch sailors great hunters of Dodo bird?

Similarly lots of people have died of COVID 19 but more due to violent immune reaction than due to virus.  The virus might have abated the immune reaction but the virus does not seem to have acted as murderer in strict legal sense based on the scientific details available so far. 

The question is whom are we trying to save from novel coronavirus?  Who are those susceptible people who might develop cytokine storm due to the entry of the virus is difficult to predict.  Age, various co-morbidity conditions etc., are considered to favour the virus to boost the ‘self’ immune response that ultimately causes the death.    Then should we not focus to protect the susceptible than lockdown the entire country, kill the life and livelihood of millions?

Certainly we are fighting the shadow of a ghost.  Ghost itself is not real.  Imagine the shadow of such unreal ghost that we are chasing. 

The price that we pay for such an exercise is horrible and decaying. 

Are we not butchering our economy, life and livelihood by locking down our country?

Novel coronavirus wants to escape from Homo sapiens but we are trapping the virus from escape.  Let us open the door, let each one of us be the humble exist door for the virus so that the virus would go to its world.