Busting myths surrounding COVID-19, doctors P.S. Shankar, Vikram Siddreddy and S.S. Gubbi have urged people not to panic but to take necessary precautions such as wearing face masks, maintaining social distancing and frequently washing hands to prevent the spread of the pandemic.
In an interaction with media representatives here on Monday, they strongly advised people to get admitted to hospitals only when they develop symptoms and not just because they tested positive for the pandemic.
“Media, especially electronic media, is creating panic among the people. Instead, they should infuse confidence among the people by inculcating awareness with scientific information. If you strictly follow the three mantras — wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and frequently washing hands, you can check the spread of COVID-19,” Dr. Shankar said.
On the misconceptions about Remdesivir, Dr. Shankar said that the injection was more effective compared to others but it was not a perfect medicine for cure.
“One has to take other medicines for 15 days. But, Remdesivir gives the same results in nine days. That’s the difference. People should show more interest in getting vaccinated against the pandemic. Two doses of vaccine would give you more protection against COVID-19,” Dr. Shankar said.
‘Sell drug online’
Taking serious note of the shortage of drugs, especially Remdesivir, used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, Dr. Vikram Siddareddy, who is Chairman and Managing Director of United Hospital, strongly proposed that COVID-19 drugs should be sold online.
“The government should put a mechanism in place to facilitate the sale of COVID-19 drugs online. To ensure that the drugs are ordered online only for immediate use and not for hoarding, an OTP [One Time Password] should be sent to the patient and the hospital treating him to procure the required drug. This would effectively prevent the illegal hoarding of drugs essential for treating COVID-19 patients,” Dr. Siddareddy said.
