'Be vigilant, Covid cases are doubling each day, next 2 weeks are crucial'

People must not go to crowded places unless it is an emergency, says Dr Ashish Khattar, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine at Delhi's Venkateshwar Hospital

With India continuing to witness a surge in COVID-19 cases, Health Expert has said that the infections are doubling each day and advised people to be vigilant as the next two weeks will be crucial.

Speaking to ANI, Dr Ashish Khattar, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine at Delhi's Venkateshwar Hospital said that the cases are doubling each day but the symptoms are mild with upper respiratory tract infection and there is no major requirement for hospitalisation. "In the last three days, we have seen doubling of COVID-19 cases and even more than that. Definitely, over the next two weeks, we can see a certain spurt in COVID-19 cases. By end of January, a major population would have been affected," Dr Khattar said.

Notably, India on Wednesday reported 58,097 fresh COVID cases and 534 deaths while on Tuesday, the country had recorded 37,379 new COVID cases and 124 deaths. "Majorly, we are witnessing is an upper respiratory tract infection in patients. People are coming commonly with complaints of fever, headache, back pain, severe lethargy, fatigue, running nose, blocked nose, throat pain, and minimal cough. Over the last four or five days, I have seen 60-70 patients, but none of them complained of any respiratory distress or breathlessness. Of these patients, we have hardly admitted one," Dr Khattar said.

According to him, most of the infected people are in home isolation and are recovering well adding that the hospitalisation rate is less this time as compared to the last wave of the pandemic. "I haven't seen anybody complaining of worsening of the illness and landing at the hospital or any fall in the saturation," he said.

When asked about the treatment being given to COVID-infected patients, Dr Khattar said that commonly, symptomatic medications like cetirizine, anti-inflammatory drugs or antipyretics like paracetamol, few multi-vitamins like Vitamin C, Zincovid are being given. Raising a note of caution as Omicron is steadily spreading, Dr Khattar said, "It is a viral infection and mutations have been happening. We don't know when the mutations turn up again and the illness becomes severe. Thus, I suggest that people be vigilant, whether it is a mild infection or severe infection. It is unclear when this minor infection might turn into severe disease."