No need to panic from 2nd wave: Kashmir doc
Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Apr 25: Noting that the second wave of COVID-19 is testing people’s patience and their capacity to endure pain, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today that this “toofan” (storm) has shaken the country after it was full of enthusiasm and self-confidence after successfully tackling the first wave.
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In his monthly Mann Ki Baat broadcast, Modi spoke to doctors, nurses and frontline workers, who shared their experience and views on the disease, and expressed confidence that people will soon come out of this crisis.
The over 30-minute broadcast was entirely focussed on the pandemic, which has been rampaging across the country for weeks, with Modi asserting that defeating the disease is the biggest priority.
Modi began the programme by taking note of people’s sufferings.
“Many of our near and dear ones have left us untimely. After successfully confronting the first wave of Corona, the country was full of enthusiasm, full of self-confidence, but this storm has shaken the country,” he said.
He urged people to go for vaccination against the disease and cautioned them against rumours about it.
The Centre, he said, will continue to provide jabs free of cost to the eligible people (those over 45 years of age).
“We have to accord priority to the expert and scientific advice at this time to win this battle,” he said.
Modi also appealed to states to extend the benefit of the Centre’s free vaccine campaign to the maximum number of people.
“The Government of India is applying its entire might to give a fillip to endeavours of state Governments. The State Governments too are trying their best to fulfil their responsibilities,” he said.
A doctor, whose conversation with the Prime Minister was played in the programme, noted that people are a bit scared about the pandemic situation, while saying that there is absolutely no need for it as 80 to 90 per cent of the infected people do not show any of these symptoms.
It is imperative that treatment protocol is as per the doctor’s advice, he said.
Meanwhile, Kashmir’s leading pulmonologist and Head of Department, Chest Disease Hospital in Srinagar, Dr Naveed Nazir Shah today told Modi that all the misconceptions about COVID-19 vaccine are baseless as its efficacy is more than 60 percent and even if one gets infected after that it can’t be life threatening.
Talking to Modi in “Mann ki Baat” regarding the 2nd wave of COVID-19 in the country, Dr Naveed said that at the start of Pandemic, the first designated COVID-19 hospital in Kashmir was the CD hospital.
“There was an atmosphere of fear not among people who used to think COVID infection as a virtual death sentence, but also amongst the doctors and the Para Medical staff of our hospital. They had apprehension that they too might get infected while treating patients”, the doctor told PM.
Dr Naveed further said: “As time passed, we saw that if we use proper protective gear and follow safety guidelines, we will ensure our safety as well as that of our support staff. Later, we observed that many patients recovered without medication and with the passage of time, fear about COVID greatly diminished”, he added.
“Today when we are facing the second wave, we need not to panic. Even now if we follow all protective measures, SoPs such as wearing masks, using hand sanitizers and maintaining social distance and avoiding social gatherings, we can continue our daily routine while protecting ourselves from infection”, he said.
On being asked by the PM that people have lots of queries regarding vaccine such as how protective are the vaccines? How secure can one feel after vaccination, Dr Naveed said that, since the time when the infection surfaced, till today there is no effective treatment available for COVID-19.
“We had been saying since the beginning that if some effective vaccine comes up, it can help us to get rid of this disease. As we have two vaccines available now, trials have shown that their efficacy is more than 60%”, he added.
Dr Naveed told the PM that in Jammu and Kashmir till date, 15 to 16 Lakh people have been vaccinated.
“Several misconceptions and myths are being circulated on social media about side effects of vaccines. Till date in the entire process , we have not found any side effects. The only usual side effects, associated with every vaccine such as fever, pain in the entire body, pain at the site of vaccination were witnessed”, he added.
He also said that, another apprehension that people have is that a few persons were found Positive even after vaccination but here the companies themselves have said in their guidelines that people can get infection even after vaccination but the severity of the disease will not be life threatening.
“We must remove all the misconceptions about vaccines and whosoever gets their turn, as from 1st May in the entire country, vaccination drive will begin for those above 18 years of age, I appeal to the people to come forward and get themselves vaccinated for their protection as well as the protection of our society and community “he added.
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