‘Even if 1% population is hospitalised…’: AIIMS doctor's warning amid Covid spike
Premium- India has reported 2,630 cases of Omicron variant so far
- The total number of recoveries from the variant stands at 995
With India reporting 90,928 new Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours ending on Thursday morning, a doctor from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has issued a warning and advised to diligently follow all safety protocols.
“Vaccination, masking should be actively followed to avoid the spread of the infection. Even if 1% of the population requires hospitalisation, it would be a huge number," said Dr P Sarat Chandra, the professor of neurosurgery at AIIMS.
“So it is our responsibility to not let our guards down thinking it is a mild infection," said Chandra while referring to the new Omicron variant of coronavirus.
This comes as the daily positivity rate in the country climbed 6.43% while the weekly positivity rate reached 3.47%.
India has reported 2,630 cases of Omicron variant so far, according to the ministry of health and family welfare.
It said that Maharashtra has reported the maximum number of Omicron cases (797) followed by Delhi (465). The other states that have reported the Omicron variant cases in the country include Rajasthan (236), Kerala (234), Karnataka (226), Gujarat (204), Tamil Nadu (121), Telangana (94), Haryana (71), Odisha (60), Uttar Pradesh (31), Andhra Pradesh (28), West Bengal (20), Madhya Pradesh (9), Uttarakhand (8), Goa (5), Meghalaya (4), Chandigarh (3).
The other states and Union Territories reporting the Omicron cases include Jammu and Kashmir (3), Andaman and Nicobar (2), Assam (2), Puducherry (2), Punjab (2), with Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Manipur reporting 1 case each.
The total number of recoveries from the variant stands at 995.
As the R-naught value surpasses the peak of the second wave, many doctors and healthcare professionals are among tens of thousands testing positive every day, data shows.
Nearly 300 healthcare workers and doctors from Delhi, including 90 from the government-run Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, have tested positive in the last few days and are in isolation.
Over 150 doctors from Bihar and nearly 300 from Bengal, as well as an unspecified number from Bengaluru, have also been detected with the virus.
In Mumbai, 157 doctors at the King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital have tested positive, with another 80 falling ill at Sion Hospital and nearly as many at others in the city. Across Maharashtra over 260 have tested positive so far.
Referring to this, Chandra said: “We have to protect our healthcare workers. They have to take full precautions because they are the frontline soldiers."
“In my unit, almost 50% of residents are sick. They have mild symptoms, but they have not been able to work. We cannot afford doctors falling sick," he added.
Meanwhile, precautionary Covid-19 vaccine dose for healthcare workers, frontline workers and those above 60 years of age with co-morbidities will be rolled out from 10 January.
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