Santa Cruz de Tenerife, October 9 2020. "Generalized use of masks may already be working as a kind of vaccine, allowing innocuous particles of small viral load that may be used to immunize the bulk of the population", states the head of the Hospiten Rheumatology Service, Jeronimo Balsalobre, confirming it as one of the conclusions reached in the framework of the Update on the Diagnosis and Treatment of COVID-19 Congress.
"The wearing of masks, in addition to hand hygiene and social distancing are, for the moment, our best allies in stopping the spread of coronavirus", adds the Hospiten specialist and director of the congress, who also clarifies that to achieve herd immunity in a natural way or by vaccination will still take time.
Another of the conclusions addressed during this meeting organized by the Menendez Pelayo International University (UIMP), in collaboration with Hospiten and Cabildo de Tenerife, is that the pathogen has attacked the elderly, but they confirm that "patients of any age and end up in the ICU”.
“The gravity of the disease lies more in the hyperinflammatory response of our own immune system than in the pathogenicity of the virus itself, and current treatments to stop replication of the virus have been of little use. To date, the only treatment that has shown efficacy in reducing mortality is dexamethasone, a corticosteroid that has been on available for more than 60 years”, explains Dr. Balsalobre.
The congress, aimed at healthcare professionals involved in the treatment of these patients, has centered on sharing the analysis of mechanisms used by the virus to infect the host and learn about the mechanisms responsible for hyperinflammation and potential lung damage, among other data on COVID-19.
Immunology
On October 29 and 30, a meeting on Basic Immunology will be held as part of the same collaboration agreement with the UIMP. In this case, the objective of the training session is based on their understanding of the need for the prevention of infections through vaccination, and being able to understand how deficiencies, excesses or errors of our immune response contribute to the development of diseases.
This collaboration between Hospiten and the UIMP confirms the institutions’ commitment to and endorsement of the continuous updating of new techniques and cutting-edge treatments to go on offering excellent service, while seeking to improve the quality of life of patients.