NEW DELHI: Leveraging science to manage coronavirus is the only reliable way forward, Biocon Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw said in a blog post on Tuesday.
In the blog post, 'Winning over Covid-19: My Personal Experience', she said her first symptoms were a mild feverish feeling late evening on August 16.
"I had felt similar symptoms in early June and I tested negative so I just took a Crocin and thought it would take care of it. The next morning though, I continued to feel feverish and I measured it 99°F," Mazumdar-Shaw said.
That's when Mazumdar-Shaw said, she decided to test herself and her entire household as "I have my 89-year-old mother, a cancer survivor and my 71-year-old husband, a cancer patient to worry about," she added.
"At 5 pm I was told that I tested positive but that everyone else at home including my staff tested negative. Mercifully, the virus spared my mom and my husband."
"I asked for the CT value to assess my viral load and when I saw it was 23, I felt the load was safe enough to be home quarantined under tele-supervision," Mazumdar-Shaw said.
She was put on a course of Favipiravir, Azithromycin and Paracetamol.
Apart from this, she continued with her daily dose of Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Zinc, Baby Aspirin, Chyavanprash and twice a week 200mg dose of HCQ (Hydroxychloroquine), according to the blog.
"By Day 6, I started feeling better. My RT-PCR test on Day 10 was still positive but with a CT (Cycle Threshold) value of 33 suggesting a very low and non-infectious viral load generally attributed to dead virus shedding," Mazumdar-Shaw said.
On Day 12, her RT-PCR test was positive with a CT value of 36 heralding the final leg of my COVID-19 saga, she said.
"I recommend to everyone with mild fluish symptoms to test and decide on hospitalisation or home quarantine based on viral load: CT values <20 with fever ought not to home isolate," she noted.
On her learning, Mazumdar-Shaw suggested not to panic on testing positive.
"Make sure you assess your viral load based on CT value and mild symptoms with moderate viral load qualifies for home isolation," she said.
Some of her other learnings include -- "Lack of early intervention in mitigating the inflammation and cytokine storm can cause post-COVID-19 fatigue and respiratory ailments.
Finally, please test and present yourself as soon as you feel mild symptoms", as per the blog.
Do not be in denial and wait for more severe symptoms, she added.
"In June, I was half hoping that I contracted COVID-19 to overcome the paranoia and the suspense that has taken over our lives. I was also expecting the infection to be mild and short-lived. My COVID-19 experience has matched these expectations and I hope that it allays the fear of the virus," Mazumdar-Shaw said.