Noted cardiologist and Padma Shri awardee Dr Tejas Patel on Sunday said COVID-19 is in community transmission stage in Gujarat and that it would be difficult to predict the number of cases in the future.
Dr Patel, along with critical care specialists and pulmonologists, was interacting with media in Gandhinagar. The doctors are part of the task force formed by the BJP government in the state to tackle COVID-19.
He said there is no need to fear the virus, and added that “the best thing is to stay away from it and stick to the basics. He noted that it would take time for herd immunity to develop.
The doctors, however, did not have any specific answers for questions on high mortality rate in the state. Critical care specialist Dr Maharshi Desai said it is difficult to control the death rate, and added that instead of focusing on inter-state numbers, their focus is on overall care of patients.
Principal secretary (health and family welfare) Jayanti Ravi had attributed the high mortality in Gujarat to co-morbid conditions and late reporting of cases. She had pointed out that 84 per cent of the deceased in the state had co-morbidities.
Dr Ami Parekh of SVP Hospital in Ahmedabad said while there is no treatment for COVID-19, they are treating the complications arising out of it. She said the treatment becomes difficult when it is a combination of various diseases.
Dr V. N. Patel, an expert in community medicine, had a piece of advice for people. He said while places of worship are set to open, the devotees should not ring the bell and receive prasad. Further, he urged people to avoid public gatherings.
Meanwhile, with the death of 30 patients in 24 hours ending at 5pm on Sunday, the total number of COVID-19 positive deaths in Gujarat has gone up to 1,249. With 480 cases in the period, the number of positive cases in the state has gone up to 20,097.
