Dr. Priya Sharma, Eye specialist at Gurugram Civil Hospital

“Yes, risk is there. And there is a sense of fear at the back of the mind. But duty comes first,” said Priya Sharma, currently working with the screening and sampling team which is running a flu OPD to screen COVID-19 suspects at Sector 10 Civil Hospital, since the outbreak of the epidemic early this month.

The 43-year-old eye specialist said she was extra cautious when she returned home from hospital every evening. “I avoid touching the door knobs, and the light switches. I ensure that while talking to my son and parents, I maintain a safe distance. I hardly enter their rooms after returning from hospital,” said Dr. Sharma.

She said the entire team of doctors at the hospital had been working diligently since the outbreak, putting in extra hours of works, under the leadership of Principal Medical Officer Dr. Deepa and the Chief Medical Officer J.S. Punia, who kept them in high spirits.

Dr. Sharma said many patients with symptoms of flu came to get themselves tested for COVID-19. Hence, they had to screen each and every patient carefully to identify the suspects and then take their samples. “We also need to explain and counsel to the rest that every cough and cold symptom is not due to COVID-19. At times, counselling people becomes very difficult, but we try our best to allay the anxiety of the patients,” Dr. Sharma said.

She said that at the same time it was very important for them to protect themselves since every patient was a potential COVID-19 suspect. “We take all the necessary precautions like wearing masks, caps, using sanitisers at frequent intervals and maintaining a proper distance from the patients. While collecting samples from the suspected cases, all necessary precautions are taken. We have sufficient supply of Personal Protective Equipment which we need to wear while taking samples to protect ourselves,” said Dr. Sharma.