Jammu, (Samajweekly) Jammu and Kashmir’s renowned neurologist, Dr. Sushil Razdan said on Thursday that the panic associated with more and more Covid cases coming to light is unfounded because 99 per cent of the infected people will always recover and be able to lead a normal life.
Speaking exclusively to IANS, Dr. Razdan said, “The panic that is gripping us as the number of daily reported positive cases has been increasing is completely unfounded.
“People must learn from the past. When Polio myelitis would spread after becoming an epidemic, only one per cent of the infected people would get paralysis. The rest would improve virtually without any treatment”.
Taking cue from his unmatched experience as a clinician, Dr. Razdan said that those who recover after getting infected with Covid have been leading completely normal lives.
Asked about the latest studies published in the Lancet medical journal which says that the neurological fallout of Covid infection is becoming a major worry among the medical fraternity, Dr. Razdan said, “This does not mean everybody who fought the virus successfully would have a neurological residue.”
“Even those facing such problems among the fringe of those who successfully fought Covid get along well enough to lead normal lives”.
Dr. Razdan says that it might sound too optimistic, but the fact is that 99 per cent of the infected people will get well irrespective of whether they are treated at a specialised facility or not.
“Not everyone among the Covid positive patients needs specialised attention. The vast majority of the positive cases will get well anyway. I am not trying to be unprofessionally optimistic.
“I say so because our experience of dealing with Covid-19 has taught us that to panic and run to the hospital is not needed at all.
“In the hospital the patient is isolated, can’t see his/her near and dear ones for weeks. Even the doctors had the paramedics are in protective gear. Their faces are not visible. It becomes a robotic life which terribly disturbs the patient.
“Unless a patient has breathing distress including constant cough and high fever that refuses to relent, there is no need for such a patient to rush to the hospital.
“The second most important thing is that the infected person should consult a general physician who would be the best judge to decide whether the patient needs specialised indoor attention or not.
“Our physicians have gathered enough experience during the last one year to decide the best course of treatment.
“Hospitals should avoid admitting patients without a referral from a local government or private physician.
“As I said earlier, 99 per cent of the infected people are going to get well anyway.”
“By over-crowding the hospitals we are actually denying the remaining one per cent the vital chance of being treated at a hospital which is most important for such cases,” Dr. Razdan insists.
Asked as to what would be his message to the people presently infected with Covid-19 in the country, Dr. Razdan smiled, “Don’t panic, just relax. I can bet one to 10 that you will get well. During last one year of scientific evaluation two facts have emerged, vaccine and mask are two tools which protect and prevent”.
The doctor said that we should get vaccinated as the vaccine gives us the protection against the virus.
“If you get a bullet-proof jacket during a war, why should you deny it? The vaccine does not guarantee that one will not get infected, but it does guarantee that you have enough protection to fight the invader,” Dr. Razdan said.
