Vaccine reduces severity in +ve cases: Dr Naveed
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 19: The Nodal Officer for COVID-19 and HoD Social and Preventive Medicine, GMC Srinagar, Dr Saleem Khan, today said the corona situation in Kashmir is alarming as the younger generation has been badly affected by it.
Dr Saleem said Jammu and Kashmir would become Delhi in case people do not follow SOPs like wearing face masks, avoid social gatherings and maintain distance in letter and spirit. He said viruses can never be stable as they keep on changing and might turn aggressive sometimes and sometimes become less effective.
He said new strains of COVID-19 in India are aggressive and virulent and increase its transmission manifold. He said the situation is alarming to the extent that COVID-19 has affected the young generation badly.
“It’s unfortunate that our young generation is worst hit by COVID-19. We seriously need to implement SOPs as the situation cannot be taken for granted. Its effect was very causal last year but the general population got badly affected this year,” he said.
He also warned people to be cautious and follow COVID-19 guidelines in letter and spirit so as to save themselves from falling prey to deadly virus. He also advised people to get themselves vaccinated, COVID-19 cannot be taken lightly given its aggressive behavior.
In the meantime, Head of Department at Chest Diseases Hospital Dalgate, Srinagar, Dr Naveed Nazir today said that it’s high time for the people to take precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting at SMC Srinagar today he said that the situation shouldn’t be allowed to go out of control.
“One thing that needs to be hailed is that people have started following SoPs. There is hardly anyone who doesn’t wear a mask. This is a good sign,” he said, adding that “we must strictly follow SoPs and contain the situation.”
Dr Naveed said that there are over 100 beds available for the infected patients at CD hospital Srinagar with 90 per cent occupancy. “We are not admitting patients with mild symptoms and they are asked to go for home isolation. At present all our beds are almost full. We have oxygen facility at all the beds and have ventilators as a backup as well. We also have 50 more beds available as a backup at a nursing home,” he said.
He said that there are some cases who have tested positive even after taking the COVID vaccine, but that is obvious as the vaccine takes at least three weeks to adjust in the body. “Its efficacy too isn’t 100 percent but it has surely helped to prevent the severity in the patients who test positive, which is significant. People must take COVID vaccines as it helps to reduce mortality,” he said.
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