Why coronavirus patients end up on oxygen support

Patients infected with the coronavirus are always in need of oxygen because the virus attacks immature red blood cells in the body, says a new study.

This, it notes, helps to explain the low oxygen levels in Covid-19 patients and why many patients, even those not admitted, suffer hypoxia, a potentially dangerous condition in which there is decreased oxygenation in the body's tissues.

The findings were published in the when she represented Kemsa acting CEO Edward Njoroge Stem Cell Reports journal by researcher’s from the University of Alberta’s faculty of medicine and dentistry who examined the blood samples of 128 Covid-19 patients.

The patients included those who were critically ill and admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), those who had moderate symptoms and were admitted, and those who had a mild version of the disease and only spent a few hours in hospital.

The researchers found that as the disease became more severe, more immature red blood cells flooded into the blood circulatory system, sometimes making up as much as 60 per cent of the total cells in the blood. By comparison, in a healthy individual’s blood, immature red blood cells make up less than one per cent.

“Immature red blood cells reside in the bone marrow and we do not normally see them in blood circulation. This indicates that the virus is impacting the source of these cells, as a result, and to compensate for the depletion of healthy immature red blood cells, the body is producing significantly more of them in order to provide enough oxygen for the body,” said study leader Shokrollah Elahi, an associate professor.

He explained that immature red blood cells do not transport oxygen, however, they are highly susceptible to the coronavirus. And as they are attacked and destroyed by the virus, the body is unable to replace mature red blood cells, therefore diminishing the ability to transport oxygen in the bloodstream.

Medical oxygen has become one of the most important commodities in the fight against Covid-19. Dozens of patients in Kenya have died due to an acute shortage of oxygen. As of yesterday, about 112 patients were in ICU.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has warned Kenyans that health facilities are currently full and that they should observe the control measures to avoid getting to a point of needing admission.

“Our hospitals are fairly full right now... and the saving grace is the presence of oxygen,” he said.

More deaths

According to data released by the Ministry of Health, more people are dying. Yesterday alone, the country lost 32 people to the virus, a majority of them being 60 years and above.

Experts attribute the high number of deaths to poor adherence to safety protocols, which is causing a surge in infections. Some say new variants could also be a reason, but this has not been confirmed yet.

“We could be recording more deaths because more people are severely ill and the resources, including facilities, are overwhelmed,” said Prof Matilu Mwau, an infectious disease researcher.