With Coimbatore district witnessing new cases of COVID-19 at a steady pace, the Health Department has urged people aged above 60 and those with comorbidities to be extra cautious as they are more vulnerable to develop severe conditions of the disease upon getting infected.
The rationale behind the caution is that aged persons, those who have undergone organ transplantation and those suffering from comorbidities including coronary artery disease, cancer, obesity, renal failure and hypertension are more likely to require care in intensive care units or beds with ventilator support. These are in high demand now.
According to Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan, people aged above 60 and those suffering from other ailments need to take extra caution though all are bound to follow safety guidelines.
He said that adhering to safety guidelines such as use of mask, physical distancing, frequent hand washing and avoiding exposure to crowded places were paramount to combat the disease spread.
K. Kolandasamy, former Director of Public Health, Tamil Nadu, also felt that aged and comorbid persons should ensure more caution.
According to him, protecting people who are in the vulnerable categories from COVID-19 infection will also reduce casualties caused by the disease.
“Asymptomatic patients could be present in the population who become unknown transmitters of the disease. Following safety guidelines is the only means to protect oneself,” he said.
The second sero-survey conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research in Coimbatore district to estimate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, result of which was given to the Health Department on September 30, showed that 31 (7.2 %) out of the 428 blood samples collected from the district had IgG antibodies against the virus.
According to health officials, this could mean that 31 out of the 428 people, who were randomly examined, had exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and the viral load could not have been enough to manifest into infection. In the first survey conducted in May, IgG antibodies against SARS CoV-2 were found in 10 (2.5 %) out of 400 random samples.
“The survey result indicates an increase in people’s exposure to the virus in areas from where the samples were collected,” said a health official.