Shimla: Keeping in view the rapid rise in positive cases of Covid-19, with no signs of abatement, the peak can be expected next week in the state, said Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Senior Medical Superintendent Dr Janak Raj.
He along with IGMC, Department of Medicine Professor, Dr Balbir Verma who is also incharge of Covid-19 ward at IGMC on Friday addressed media persons during a Covid-19 sensitization workshop, organized under the joint aegis of IGMC and Press Club of Shimla at the Press Club.
Given the situation, he called upon the public to give utmost importance to religiously practice the guidelines related to Covid-19, as careless and failure to take precautions by the people has led to the rise in cases in the state.
Underlining the need for public awareness, he said that it was necessary to take precautions and strictly follow the social distancing, mandatory wearing of mask and washing hands with soap and proper sanitization where hand washing is not possible and avoiding crowded places.
“Each infected person is a link in the chain of transmission and we need to break the chain. Proper clinical criteria should be followed,” he said, adding that wearing masks prevents the infection from spreading, controls the breath of infected patients from reaching out to another person.
Both the health experts also emphasized the importance of need to reduce mortality.
Dr Balbir Verma said, “Maintaining blood oxygen level in the body of those infected with coronavirus is of prime importance. It should be regularly monitored with pulse oximeter so that the infected person, especially asymptomatic patients who otherwise tend to be careless can immediately seek treatment at the hospital, before it reaches to dangerous levels. Lowering of blood oxygen level can worsen the health of the infected patient and the patient succumbs to the disease.”
This is one of the prime reasons that young people and even those patients who have no co-morbidity are dying, he cautioned.
He said that usually the pulse oximeter reading 95-96 percent reflects normal oxygen levels, however below 95 percent is considered low and there is need to seek immediate medical attention to boost the oxygen saturation or else it can be life-threatening.
Dr Janak disclosed that the around 260 staff of the IGMC alone have so far tested positive while rendering their duty as Covid-19 warriors.
