MOSCOW, March 20. /TASS/. Most patients infected with the novel coronavirus recover completely, while those who experienced the severe form of the disease may suffer from certain unfavorable effects, such as pulmonary fibrosis, the director of the National Medical Research Center for Preventive Medicine, Oksana Drapkina, has said.
"Most patients recover completely, but those who developed pneumonia or experienced the severe form of the disease may have to brace for some adverse effects, pulmonary fibrosis being the worst of all. The bronchi and lungs deserve the closest attention," Drapkina said in a live broadcast on the portal Future of Russia. National Projects, operated by TASS.
Drapkina said that in such cases patients should turn to specialists for advice and recommendations as to how to proceed with medical treatment.
"The doctor will decide when the lungs should be scanned again or whether an X-ray examination is advisable. The doctor’s advice is to be followed by all means," she said.
People with chronic diseases of the lungs, asthma and others should certainly take precautions to avoid aggravations.
"Any aggravation harms the immune system and makes the human body more vulnerable to infection," Drapkina said.
"I’ve come across some quite alarming information about re-infected patients, although recoveries are many. Such people are back to work and there have been no relapses. We still lack the time to assess immunity. The clinical picture is changing very fast and some consequences are still not very well known to us," she said.
An outbreak of the novel coronavirus-related disease in central China late last year has spread to more than 140 countries. The World Health Organization has declared a pandemic. According to the latest statistics, more than 230,000 people have contracted the virus around the world. The disease has claimed 10,000 lives. According to the anti-coronavirus center, 199 cases of COVID-19 infection have been registered in Russia.