HYDERABAD: Even as the Covid-19 cases are surging in the state by each passing day, seasonal diseases like viral fevers, coughs and cold are adding to the existing miseries of people.
According to official sources, such seasonal ailments have increased three-folds and city hospitals are packed with patients. As the symptoms of these seasonal diseases and that of Covid-19 are almost similar, doctors are said to be facing a tough time.
At the Fever Hospital, Nallakunta, the out-patient department which usually has around 300 patients, is getting around 900 patients each day. The hospital dedicated 200 beds for Covid-19 treatment, 100 beds fitted with three-line oxygen supply and 44 ventilator beds, with all medical and oxygen supplies. The hospital superintendent urged the patients who are Coronavirus positive with mild symptoms not to come to the hospital, but to stay home and get treated.
“Already there is heavy load on the hospital. We are ready to treat the patients with moderate to severe symptoms. As of now, six doctors, four nurses, four ward boys and four paramedics have been infected with Covid and are in home isolation. This Omicron variant is six to eight times faster in its spread, but is much weaker compared to other variants,” said Dr K. Shankar, superintendent, Fever Hospital and director of Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM), Narayanguda.
He said the third wave of Coronavirus would come down in the month of March. “There are more seasonal fevers and infections, and its symptoms are similar to the Covid symptoms. The hospital OP is flooded with patents. I request patents who are Covid positive with mild symptoms not to come to the hospitals. They can be treated at home, stay in home isolation and the government is providing you the Covid-19 treatment kit. In most of the cases this time, patients are getting cured within a week,” he said. “In this third wave, most of the cases are with mild symptoms, and a very few cases require ICU (ventilator). The saturation levels of oxygen are also not dropping to less than 90 per cent even after five days,” he added.
Dr Shankar said there were too many festivals, celebrations and public gatherings, yet people were not following proper Covid precautions. Maybe that could have triggered so many cases, he said, adding that presently the positive rate had gone up to more than 20 per cent because more numbers of people were vaccinated.”
He suggested, “The frontline workers, especially in the medical field, should go for booster shots of vaccine soon after completion of six months of vaccination. People should eat nutritional and protein-rich food, keep physical distance and wear masks properly.”
