Coronavirus: stigma associated with Covid may cause more deaths, says AIIMS chief | India News



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NEW DELHI: Stigmatization of Covid-19 patients and their families is resulting in cases arriving late to hospitals with increased difficulty breathing, and this could mean increased morbidity and mortality, Dr. Randeep Guleria, director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). ), said Thursday.
According to Dr. Guleria, the disease can be successfully treated in most cases and 80% of patients only need supportive care, while 20% would require more care and of these only 5% need ventilators. He said 15% of the most severe patients essentially need increased oxygen support rather than ventilators, and government capacity development had taken this into account.
He urged people to support patients and their families rather than stigmatize them. “We should see how we can support Covid-19 patients and their families. More people should show up for the test (in the development of symptoms),” he said. The government said that healthcare facilities for treating patients have increased 3.5-fold in the past month.
While 90-95% of Covid-19 patients recover, the death rate from the disease is increasing due to the stigma associated with the disease, Dr. Guleria said. AIIMS is a leader in the clinical management of infection throughout the country. So far, more than 700 people have died from the new coronavirus in India. He said that recovering patients should be honored as they have won a battle, adding that it is not easy even to be isolated, surrounded by doctors and nurses in suits of dangerous materials for the whole body.
Also read: 35 AIIMS documents, nurses asked to quarantine
“We have to remember that this is a disease that is not that serious. Infected patients are approaching health centers at a later stage that is leading to increased mortality,” said Dr. Guleria.
Currently, there are a total of 3,773 dedicated Covid facilities, including 1.9 lakh critical and critical case isolation beds, 24,644 ICU beds, and 12,371 ventilators. In addition, there are more than 1.6 lakh isolation beds in Covid care centers that act as the main part of care.
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