AIIMS has 120-150 beds dedicated to coronavirus patients: Director Randeep Guleria

As the number of positive coronavirus patients climbed to 84, Dr Randeep Guleria, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director, on Saturday said that the hospital has 120-150 bed facility, including AIIMS Jhajjar, dedicated to coronavirus patients.

"In AIIMS we are having meetings on a regular basis and also have a task force, including several departments, to deal with COVID-19 patients. The task force has also prepared a Standard Procedure Protocol (SOP)," Dr Guleria told ANI.

He also said, "We have a triage area in our under-construction burns and plastic building and a vacant area of the building have been converted into an ICU ward."

"In our facility in Jhajjar we have emptied a ward with 100 beds and, hence, we have 120-150 bed facility," he added.

He also said that the people need not panic as till now no cases of coronavirus spreading through community have occurred.

"Though the number of coronavirus cases is increasing in India, the affected people are those who have either come from abroad or were in close contact with a coronavirus infected person," he added.

On the rumours that people can protect themselves from the virus through Ayurveda, allopathy or homeopathy, he said, "There is no scientific proof regarding this." He also added that one can only protect themselves by taking precautionary measures.

Dr Guleria said, "As we do not have a particular medicine to treat this type of coronavirus, hence, we are administering the already tested medicine for MERS-Coronavirus to only severe patients."

Commenting on the recent reports that Nigambodh Ghat authority had denied a coronavirus patient from cremation, he said, "The virus does not spread through dead bodies. You need to cough or sneeze and then only will coronavirus spread.