Coronavirus outbreak: As the positive cases in India reach beyond 90 and Delhi reports several positive cases, it is imperative for one to take precautions. In order to stop other people from infection, one should focus on self-quarantine, said Randeep Guleria, Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). According to him, the sudden spike in COVID-19 positive cases in Iran and Italy shows the infection spread quite fast through the crowd with absence of an index case, The Indian Express reported. Therefore, he feels that avoiding crowded places and staying at home is one of the best practices to pull the breaks on the novel Coronavirus. He added that Indians have been lucky so far and the government has also been taking effective measures to avoid the out spread.
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The report citing the doctor said that AIIMS has enough capacity for testing the samples sent by the government and they are tested on a regular basis. Further, the capacity is expected to increase as well depending upon the situation. In fact, National Cancer Institute in Jhajjar will also start testing at its new lab facility if the number of cases increase, the report added. Moreover, AIIMS is also sending the identified positives samples to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for confirmation.
Meanwhile, Guleria feels that one who suspects any signs of Coronavirus should not directly go to the hospital but call the helpline numbers. According to him, if it is indeed the viral infection, it could get passed on to other patients in the hospital via coughing or sneezing and eventually infecting the vicinity. While there is not much difference when it comes to symptoms of the Coronavirus and other flu, people who have the history of travelling abroad in the last 14 days should definitely get a test done, the report asserted.
On the theory of whether the viral infection will tone down as the temperature hits, the report citing the AIIMS Director mentions that the theory is not proven yet. In tropical areas like Singapore and Thailand, where heat levels are higher, the virus broke out. However, with heat reaching on higher note, the magnitude of transmission is likely to be impacted, thus, bringing down the number of cases. But to this, the doctor believes that it is yet to be seen as people use air conditioners with increase in temperatures, which could give the novel Coronavirus some space to grow.
