Extreme care and vigil should be maintained during the monsoon against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, Health Minister K.K. Shylaja has said.
In a statement here on Saturday, the Minister said that symptoms of main monsoon-related diseases such as viral fever and cold were similar to those of COVID-19. Hence, more care should be taken not to contract monsoon-related diseases.
Special attention should be paid to wearing masks. Wet masks should not be donned on any account. More masks should be kept handy while venturing out. Used masks should not be left lying around. Wet masks should be properly stored in a secure plastic cover.
Cloth masks should be washed in soap water, dried in the sun, ironed, and then used. Used masks should be burnt as part of waste management.
Wet rain coats should be specially hung up to dry. Donning of wet clothes should be avoided to the extent possible as the possibility of virus presence in them is more. Tight clothes, jewellery and other objects that cling to the body should be avoided as those can increase the chances of getting infected.
Mobile phones, identity cards, and purses should be sanitised frequently. Digital transactions should be preferred, the statement said.
Those who get fever or cold should turn to the eSanjeevani online telemedicine platform for doctor consultations. Medicines should be taken as per their directions. If there is no improvement, patients should head to the nearest health-care institution. To the extent possible, only patients should make hospital visits.
If people living in containment zones experience the symptoms, they should contact the nearest health workers, or DISHA, or district control room over phone and follow their directions for visiting health-care institutions for treatment.
Soap, masks, and physical distancing should be made part of the lifestyle, the Minister said in the statement.
