Dr Nikhil Varge, Consultant Internal Medicine, Medicover Hospitals, Navi Mumbai

The sudden uptick in Covid cases has led to panic-like situations among people. It is the need of the hour to adhere to the Covid protocol of masking, hand sanitizing and social distancing to minimize the chances of infection.

Dr Nikhil Varge, Consultant Internal Medicine, Medicover Hospitals, Navi Mumbai said, “Currently, there is a steep rise in the cases of Covid-19 due to the omicron variant. This variant easily spreads from one person to another but it doesn’t cause severe complications when compared to its previous variants such as ‎Alpha (B.1.1.7), Delta (B.1.617.2) or ‎Beta (B.1.351). Moreover, during winter, there was a spike in the cases of viral infections because of viruses and caused potential problems in people who have a lung, heart and kidney disease, diabetes and even elderly population. One has to be vigilant and if someone in the family has any symptoms such as cold, cough, flu, weakness, fatigue, headache, body pain, sore throat, and chills then he/she should isolate himself/herself in one room. Seek immediate medical attention to differentiate which type of virus he/she is infected with. The RT-PCR test is readily available which will help one to know about his/her Covid status.”

Dr Varge added,” Now, most of the population is in post-vaccination stage so one will have a minor type of illness. For the high-risk population we have effective medication that is available now to reduce the chances of hospitalization or having any severe illnesses. Stay alert and get tested without any delay. To prevent Covid infection, everyone including the high-risk population consisting of elderly people, those having diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, lung and heart disease should avoid going to crowded places, wear masks, maintain a safe distance from others, hand sanitation and follow good personal hygiene practices. So, we are monitoring the situation as of now and time will tell whether it will turn into a full-blown wave or just a few cases. Mumbai is in the high-risk zone as a large number of people travel for tourism and work purposes. The city also has a dense population as the majority of people use public transport. We have to be careful and adhere to Covid protocol.”