“No Need To Panic”: AIIMS Chief, Top Doctors Clear Doubts About India’s COVID Surge

New Delhi: On Monday (April 26), India saw a new record high as fresh covid cases surgeD to 3,52,991. In last 24-hours, India also reported 2,812 deaths. According to the union health ministry data, this is THE fifth straight day that over 3 lakh cases have been recorded by the country. Nearly 10 lakh cases have been reported in the last 72 hours. This fresh surge has taken the country’s caseload to 1.73 crore; 1.95 lakh people have died so far after contracting the virus. Many countries including the US, Britain, France and Germany have offered help, as the unprecedented surge overwhelms the country’s hospitals.

Also Read: How To Treat Covid-19 Patients At Home, Here Is What Doctors Recommend

Top doctors in the country say there is no need to panic and urge citizens to follow coronavirus appropriate behaviour at all times. Addressing the issues related to coronavirus surge in the country on April 25, AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria said,

COVID-19 is a mild disease and there is no need to panic. If we talk about the current situation of COVID-19, there is panic in public, due to this panic, people are putting injections in their houses, hoarding of the Remdesivir drug and oxygen cylinders. And because of all this, we are facing a shortage of supply and unnecessary panic is being created.

Explaining further, Dr Guleria said,

COVID-19 is a normal infection. 85 to 90 per cent of people are witnessing normal symptoms like fever, cold, body ache, and cough and in these cases, one doesn’t need Remdesivir or other large numbers of medicines. You can take medicines for these normal infections or treat yourself with home remedies and yoga. You will be back to normal and get well within seven or 10 days. You don’t need to put Remdesivir or oxygen in your house unnecessarily.

The AIIMS Director also said that there are 10-15 per cent of people who may witness severe infection and may need extra medicines like Remdesivir, oxygen or plasma. And less than five per cent of patients need to be operated on a ventilator. He added,

If we see this data, it shows that there is no need to panic. If one gets a positive report, he/she shouldn’t rush to the hospital or get medical oxygen. It’s a wrong belief and it will create an unnecessary shortage of oxygen. We need to understand that it is a mild disease and only 10 to 15 per cent cases get severe.

Reiterating the same fact that most of the COVID-19 patients can recover at home itself, Medanta Chairman Dr Naresh Trehan said,

As soon as your RT-PCR report comes positive, my advice would be to consult your local doctor with whom you are in touch. All doctors know the protocol and will begin your treatment accordingly. 90 per cent of patients can recover at home if given correct medicines on time.

Further explaining what one can do while home treating their COVID, Dr Naresh Trehan added,

Practice Yoga, do ‘anulom vilom’, a specific type of controlled breathing (pranayama), it is proven very beneficial in expanding our lungs and oxygen circulation in our body. We can also look at the proning technique, the process, in which the individual is lying face down.

Also Read: As COVID Cases In India Sets World Record, Centre Recommends “Proning”. Here’s All You Need To Know

Dr Trehan also said that individuals need to protect themselves from catching the virus and that can only be done if they continue following COVID-19 appropriate behaviour. He said,

The thumb rule to fight coronavirus is just these three steps – masking, social distancing and maintaining good hand hygiene. At this time, we all need to double up these precautionary measures, if we are stepping out of the house for some or the other reason, we need to double mask ourself. If you have an N-95 then wear that along with surgical mask, if you are using a cotton mask, make sure, you double up that as well and wear it in such a way that it is sealed from both the ends. Lastly, stay away from crowded places as much as possible, there are multiple variants out there, which means the virus is spreading at a faster rate than before, so we need to take our own precautions. We all will fight this together and come out of it real soon, till then, we need be extra vigilant.

Dr Sunil Kumar, Director General Health Services said,

The reason why we are seeing this big surge is that we forgot about COVID appropriate behaviour and that’s the reason why COVID hit us back. Secondly, when we started the immunisation drive in India, not many people were ready to come in and get vaccinated because of the myths. We have to understand that it is only two things that will help us come out of this pandemic and that is only and only covid appropriate behaviour and vaccination.

Stressing on the importance of wearing masks properly, Dr Sunil Kumar further added,

Mask needs to cover your nose and mouth, that’s the correct way to wear a mask. If you are not wearing it properly then nothing will help, not even double masking. So make sure, you wear it properly.

Also Read: Wear A Double Mask, Ensure Cross Ventilation: Experts On Ways To Eliminate Airborne Transmission Of COVID-19

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.