Published 19:52 IST, March 13th 2020
People should not be paranoid about Coronavirus: Dr. Ramakanta Panda
People should not be paranoid about Coronavirus as it doesn't help says Dr. Ramakanta Panda, Managing Director of Asian Heart Institute.
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People should not be paranoid about the Coronavirus as it doesn't help says Dr. Ramakanta Panda, Managing Director of Asian Heart Institute. Talking to Republic TV, he also stressed on changing habits to stop the spread.
With the spread of Coronavirus, what is also spreading is a lot of misinformation and it is difficult to work one's head around what to believe. One thing that we all could do is to listen to the doctors to get the real picture of the pandemic. Dr. Ramakanta Panda, one of the world's leading heart surgeons has appealed people to not be paranoid regarding the spread of the disease. He said that COVID-19 was "like any other flu with less or mild symptoms".
Dr. Panda said that while other virus outbreaks have had people with clear symptoms, the Corona effect is mild hence it becomes difficult to detect. However, people get affected by flu in many countries and we should think properly than panicking without proper information he said. "More people die due to flu across the globe than this virus so people should not treat as if the world was coming to an end soon. The first thing that one needs to do is stop panicking", he added.
So far India has registered one death related to the pandemic. Dr. Panda said it is time to change our habits. "The most dangerous thing that people do is sneeze on bare hands. They close their mouth with their palm, almost covering entire face. That action leads to the spread of the virus (if one is affected) on the entire palm. One might think they have prevented the spread, but on the contrary, they have it on their palm consequently affecting everything they touch", explained Dr. Panda. Stressing on washing hands with soap, he said that what one should definitely do is "wash hands with soap for about 20 seconds after sneezing".
Unmasking the role of masks he said they had a limited role to play. "The virus does not travel far in the air as it is in drops. If someone sneezes more than 2 meters away from you then there is no role of masks there but if the person is with in two meters and if affected then it could help", he said. Those taking care of patients must use mask, he added.
Updated 19:52 IST, March 13th 2020