Tag: Dr Randeep Guleria

  • Not much data on Delta plus variant to suggest it causes more deaths: Delhi AIIMS director

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: The Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, Dr Randeep Guleria on Thursday said that there is not much data available on the Delta plus variant to suggest that it is more infective or has a higher rate of mortality.

    He advised that if people follow COVID appropriate behaviour and take the COVID-19 vaccination, then they will be safe against any emerging variant.

    “There isn’t much data on Delta plus variant to suggest it’s more infectious, causing more deaths, or has developed significant immune escape mechanism. But if we follow COVID appropriate behaviour and get vaccinated, we’ll be safe against any of emerging variants,” Dr Guleria told ANI.

    On Doctor’s Day, the AIIMS director also remembered the health care workers who lost their lives during the COVID pandemic.

    “Doctors are fighting for the last one year and we should appreciate their work. We should also remember those who sacrificed their lives. While remembering them, we should create a situation where the cases do not increase further. We should follow COVID appropriate behaviour and should also adopt vaccination so that there should be less strain on the doctors and the hospitals,” he added.

    Dr Guleria also raised the issue of violence against doctors and added that it is demoralising for the medical community.

    “We should appreciate and respect the work doctors are doing and should condemn violence against doctors. It is a very big threat which is demoralising for the medical community,” the AIIMS director said.

  • Strict lockdown should be clamped in areas with Covid positivity rate of over 10 per cent: AIIMS director

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A strict lockdown should be imposed in areas where the COVID-19 case positivity rate is over 10 per cent or the bed occupancy is above 60 per cent, AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria said on Tuesday, while stressing that clamping such restrictions all over the country cannot be a solution, keeping in mind people’s livelihood.

    He rejected the strategy of imposing night curfews and weekend lockdowns by some states to reduce the number of coronavirus cases, saying “these would not have much of an impact on the transmission cycle”.

    “There is a need to impose strict regional lockdowns in areas where the COVID-19 case positivity rate is over 10 per cent or the bed occupancy is above 60 per cent to break the chain of transmission. The COVID-19 task force has also been advising for the same.

    ALSO READ | Only way to stop COVID-19 spread now is full lockdown: Rahul Gandhi

    “It is there in the guidelines of the home ministry, but it is not being strictly implemented,” Guleria said.

    He said there should be a gradual, graded unlocking in such areas once the positivity rate reduces.

    However, he stressed that there should be restrictions on people travelling from areas that have a high positivity rate to places with a low positivity rate to curb the spread of the infection.

    On his views about a nationwide lockdown, Guleria said, “A complete national lockdown cannot be a solution, keeping in mind people’s livelihoods and the impact it will have on daily wage labourers. Day-to-day activities in areas with a low positivity rate should be allowed with restrictions.”

    Aggressive containment measures have to be put in place for a sufficient period of time as no healthcare infrastructure can manage this kind of a caseload, he stated.

    Guleria’s remarks come in the backdrop of the country facing a serious COVID-19 crisis with a spike in the numbers of cases and deaths, and hospitals running out of oxygen and beds.

    ALSO WATCH:India’s COVID-19 tally has crossed the grim milestone of two crore with over 50 lakh cases recorded in just 15 days.

    It has mounted to 2,02,82,833 with 3,57,229 fresh cases reported in a day, while the death toll due to the viral disease has climbed to 2,22,408 with 3,449 more people succumbing to it, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

  • ‘Symptomatic treatment at home enough against COVID’: Experts warn against hoarding of oxygen, remdesivir

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Noting that hoarding of oxygen and injections like remdesivir is leading to panic and creating their shortage in market, top health experts on Sunday said COVID-19 is a mild infection and that for 85-90 per cent people only symptomatic treatment at home is enough.

    They also stressed that vaccines and COVID-appropriate behaviour together can break the chain of transmission.

    On the shortage of oxygen and medicines, AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria said that hoarding of oxygen and injections like remdesivir in homes is creating panic and causing a shortage of these medicines.

    “COVID-19 is a mild infection and 85-90 per cent people will only suffer from cold, fever, sore throat and bodyache. Only symptomatic treatment at home is enough to ride through these infections and there is no need for oxygen or remdesivir,” he was quoted as saying in a Health Ministry statement.

    He added that 10-15 per cent of patients with severe infection may need oxygen, remdesivir or plasma etc, while less than 5 per cent need ventilators or intensive care.

    Furthermore, Dr Guleria clarified that remdesivir neither reduces the hospital stay nor saves lives.

    In moderate to severe cases, it may be able to reduce hospital stay but if administered in mild cases it can complicate matters.

    Remdesivir is no magic bullet and it is used in hospitals for moderate to severe cases, he said.

    On administration of oxygen to those who don’t need it, Dr Guleria said that people who have oxygen saturation above 94 do not need the gas as increase in oxygen saturation beyond this level would not increase oxygen in blood.

    However, this can cause shortage in supply of oxygen and will reduce access to oxygen for serious cases, the statement said.

    Dr Guleria along with Dr Naresh Trehan, Chairman and Managing Director, Medanta, Dr Navneet Wig, Head of Department of Medicines, AIIMS and Dr Sunil Kumar, Director General Health Services addressed concerns and issues related to COVID-19.

    Dr Trehan, while speaking on the steps to be taken immediately after a positive RT-PCR test, said that the people should first contact local or family doctors.

    All doctors are aware of the protocol to be followed and can recommend courses of medication for patients who should isolate themselves at home.

    He also advised yoga and pranayam which are help maintain lung health and added that pronation is also helpful, the statement said.

    Dr Trehan reiterated the importance of double masking, distancing and hand hygiene and said the mask should seal the air passage around the nose and mouth for proper protection.

    He also recommended staying away from crowded places.

    On oxygen demand, he said it has suddenly risen in the current crisis and manufacturing facilities are stretched for supplies.

    Industries have the capacity but lack cryo-transportation.

    The government is actively working on this and the situation will be under control in the next five to seven days, he was quoted as saying in the statement.

    Dr Sunil Kumar addressed the topic of preparations of the government to mitigate the situation and said that from no preparedness last year, it ramped up capacity to a unique level very soon.

    Over 2,500 laboratories were created where only one existed before the pandemic, he said, adding,”we increased our testing capability to lakhs of tests per day, ramped up tracking and contact tracing and manufacturing of PPE kits et al.”

    Reiterating the importance of getting vaccinated, Dr Sunil said there are negligible side effects of vaccines, and that vaccines and COVID-appropriate behaviour together can break the chain of transmission, the statement said.

    Dr Navneet said there is a need to save healthcare workers who will in-turn save patients.

    “To save our healthcare workers we need to break the chain and reduce the number of infections. To break the chain is a responsibility of all sections of society but foremost it is the responsibility of the people to undertake COVID-appropriate behaviour,” the statement quoted him as saying.

  • Vaccine against COVID-19 only helps prevent severe illness: AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: AIIMS Delhi Director Dr Randeep Guleria on Wednesday said that COVID-19 vaccine prevents people from getting severe illness though it may not prevent their getting infection.

    Addressing issues related to COVID-19 along with Dr Devi Shetty, Chairman, Narayana Health and Dr Naresh Trehan, Chairman, Medanta through video conferencing, Dr Guleria said that anti-bodies which are produced because of the vaccine will not allow the virus to further replicate and it will not allow the disease to become more severe and therefore lives will be saved.

    “There are a lot of people who are saying what is the point of vaccination because I know a person who got vaccination and even two weeks of vaccination, he got COVID-19. The vaccine prevents you from getting the disease in the form of severe illness, hospitalisation, going into the ICUs, or even dying from COVID-19. It may not prevent you from getting the infection,” he said.

    “We know that it has good potential in the majority of people. But when you are exposed to a COVID-19 patient, the virus may still come in your nose and throat, it may multiply there for some time. But anti-bodies which have been produced because of the vaccine you have taken will not allow the virus to further replicate and it will not allow the disease to become more severe and therefore you will be saved. But during that time, your RT-PCR test may come positive and you may be infectious to others,” he added

    Dr Guleria said there is need to use masks and follow COVID-19 appropriate behaviour even after vaccination and the vaccine is one weapon in the fight against coronavirus.

    “The most important is COVID appropriate behavior. Vaccine is just one weapon that we have. The vaccine will not bring down the pandemic. The number of cases we are having right now has to be brought down by breaking the chain of transmission. This is the virus that spreads from one human to another,” he said.

    “It is important to understand that even after the vaccine we may have a positive report. It is important to wear a mask even after vaccination. Currently we know that the vaccine does not prevent people from getting the infection. Hopefully, as we go along and more research comes in, we will have better vaccines which will also prevent us from getting the infection and that will bring down the number of cases and break the chain of transmission,” he added.

    India reported 2,95,041 new COVID-19 cases and 2,023 deaths on Wednesday, a record-high since the pandemic broke out last year. (ANI)