Washington: Worried about increasing coronavirus cases in India, America’s leading public health expert and White House medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, on Monday recommended a nationwide shutdown, massive vaccination and the establishment of a large number of temporary hospitals.
“It is clear to everyone that the situation in India is extremely serious,” said Dr. Fauci, who is considered one of the world’s leading specialists in infectious diseases, said in an interview with PTI.
‘When there are so many people getting infected … the lack of the ability to take adequate care of everyone; if you have a shortage of hospital beds and oxygen and a shortage of supplies, it really becomes a desperate situation. That’s why we think it’s important for the rest of the world to help as much as they can, ‘said Dr. Fauci said.
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said that there are certain things that India can do immediately, the medium-term and long-term basis.
“In the first place, they need to get as many people vaccinated as possible, with both the vaccines they are developing in India and the supply of vaccines they can possibly get from other suppliers, the United States, be that Russia … whatever country is already willing to give businesses, ”said dr. Fauci said.
However, getting someone ‘vaccinated now’ does not solve today’s problem, adding that it helps prevent a problem in a few weeks.
‘But the solution is immediate, and I know India is already doing it, so I’m not telling you something you are not doing yet. “A few days ago, I recommended, and I believe that at least parts of India do, that you lock the country into a lock,” he said.
‘Because other countries, including for example what China did last year, what Australia did when they had an outbreak, what New Zealand did, what other countries did is to close completely for a relatively limited period of time. . You do not have to quit for six months. You can lock up for a few weeks. ‘If you walk away, it’s well known, with the experience of other countries locking in, the dynamics of the viral outbreak definitely interfere and you can interfere with the continuity and transmission of infection,’ said dr. Fauci said.
He also recommended taking the help of the military to build immediate field hospitals.
“You will remember that China last year, when they had a very serious problem, put together their resources to build new hospitals very, very quickly to be able to handle all the people who need hospitalization,” he said.
Referring to media reports, he said there was a drastic shortage of hospital beds and that people were being cared for in the short-term arrangements.
“It would be possible, with the help of your own army, to set up field hospitals as you would in a time of war, so that people who are sick and in need of a hospital bed, a hospital bed,” he said.
Maybe the Indian government is already doing that, he notes.
Dr Fauci said the world can help by providing materials to India and perhaps even staff they need to adequately address them.
The United States, for example, supplies oxygen cylinders, concentrators and generating units, he said.
Dr Fauci said India often helps other countries in emergencies.
“Given that India is currently under such terrible tension with the scale of the outbreak, the rest of the world needs to help them, similar to what the United States is doing,” he said.
“We are very sorry that India is going through this very, very difficult time,” he said.
Source: Telangana Today