Despite gradual increase in number of people getting Covid vaccine and decline in positivity rate, it is still no time to down our guard against Covid. With this in mind, top doctors and medical experts from Jammu continue to offer valuable advice.Professor and Head of Department, Chest Disease, GMC Jammu, Dr Rahul Gupta encourages people to get vaccinated and says, ‘It is due to the vaccine that I am able to treat Covid patients with greater confidence and sense of security.”He informs, ‘Mild fever, headache or nausea after taking vaccine is normal and there is nothing to worry. It is due to the body’s immune-response, such signs show that the vaccine is doing its job within your body.” He also advises that if the side effects persist even after two days, one should visit a health centre or consult a doctor.Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, GMC Jammu, Dr Kailash Singh adds to the subject and says, ‘Studies have shown that 93% of the Covid fatalities were those who were never vaccinated, while the rest were those who had taken only one of the doses.”Not only vaccine, doctors are equivocally encouraging Covid appropriate behaviour and social distancing. Medical Superintendent, MCH Gandhi Nagar, Dr Arun Sharma says that the reason he never contracted Covid infection despite running high risk for being a Doctor, is strictly observing Covid appropriate behaviour, which includes keeping social distance, frequently washing hands and wearing face mask in public at all times. ‘I make it sure that I change my clothes after returning from any public place’, he told.For people observing symptoms in themselves, Professor Department of Medicine, GMC Jammu, Dr Fayaz Ahmad Wani advises for drinking water frequently and for monitoring oxygen saturation levels multiple times during the day.
Oxygen saturation levels above 94 are safe, and only when the levels fall between 94 and 90, it is time to get alert and contact a doctor, he said.Dr Wani adds that laying down in prone position for longer duration can also help increase blood oxygen saturation. Prone position is a body position in which the person lies flat with the chest down and the back up. A little word of caution for heart patients comes from Professor of Cardiology at Super Specialty Hospital, Dr Dharminder Kumar. He called upon heart patients to take care of their heart and strictly follow Covid appropriate behaviour. He says that the coronavirus is affecting the functioning of the heart and is a major cause of Covid deaths. ‘People with heart issues need to take the vaccine at the earliest, if not already vaccinated. Those with kidney-liver problems and asthma patients also need to take vaccine immediately in addition to their treatment’ he advised.On the hazard of Black Fungus, Professor and Head of Opthalmology, GMC Jammu, Dr Satish Gupta tells that it usually targets Covid-recovered persons with uncontrolled diabetes or those who have administered prolonged or unsupervised dosage of steroids.“Cancer patients, those who have undergone organ transplant and people with weak immunity are more susceptible to Black Fungus” he added.Dr Satish Gupta differentiates Black Fungus Infection from Conjunctivitis and tells that conjunctivitis is a routine infection and is easily curable; while the Black Fungus needs timely medical intervention.Covid patients with severe conditions usually need oxygen support and the two Triage hospitals- Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar and GMC Jammu are sufficiently equipped with oxygen provisions, Incharge Oxygen GMC and Deputy Medical Superintendent, Super Specialty Hospital, Dr Harjeet Rai informed. He said GMC Jammu has a reservoir for Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) with a capacity of 20 thousand kilo litres. Similarly, an oxygen manifold was also installed which supplies oxygen from cylinders to patients. Additionally, there is a 1200 LPM oxygen generation plant which caters to non-Covid patients.‘Some new oxygen generation plants at Jammu have been set up in Chest Disease & TB Hospital, Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar and Government Medical College Jammu. Apart from these, plants have also been set up at GMC Kathua, District Hospital Samba and District Hospital Reasi, he said.The doctors have appealed the public to take note of key information regarding Covid infection and share it with others. And in the words of Head of Department, Anaesthesia and Critical Care at GMC Jammu, Dr Smriti Gulati, ‘Please do not hesitate from getting tested for Covid infection if you observe its symptoms in yourself. Our health system is well equipped to treat all Covid patients. Covid mortality rate can only be lowered if patients reach hospital in early stages of the infection.