Says most positive cases mild, do not require oxygen support
JAMMU: Most of the Covid-19 patients fall under ‘mild’ category and do not need oxygen support at all, a doctor at GMC Jammu said on Friday urging such patients not to take steroids unnecessarily and without an expert’s advice.
“Regular check of oxygen saturation levels and taking appropriate medicines is enough for such patients to recover,” said Senior Resident Doctor, Department of Internal Medicine, GMC Jammu, Dr Rajesh Minia, while dispelling the panic and urge to hoard oxygen cylinders by the public.
Explaining the types of Covid-19 patients, Dr Minia says that they are of three types- mild, moderate and severe. “While most of the patients are of mild category and can recover easily, it is only the moderate and severe cases which need special care and treatment,” he informed.
Dr Minia advised all patients to regularly check their oxygen saturation levels and get alerted only if the levels fall below 93. If such severe level is reached, he says, that patients should contact a doctor immediately.
The Senior Resident Doctor also urged the public, especially the mild category patients not to take steroids unnecessarily and without doctor’s advice. ‘Only an expert doctor can diagnose better, especially in case a patient has other diseases in addition to Covid infection’, he cautioned. He also requested the public not to hoard oxygen cylinders unnecessarily, thereby causing shortage for the needy.
Dr Rajesh Minia has also requested the patients to take doctors’ advice seriously, follow Covid-preventive protocols and make way for severe patients by not occupying covid-care beds against doctors’ advice.
He informed that a round-the-clock Divisional Control Room has been established to address all medical advice and queries and can be reached at 0191-2520982, 2549676, 2674444, 2674115, 2674908.
Meanwhile, according to official report 54 covid patients have been discharged in the past 24 hours including 16 from GMC Jammu, 19 from Chest Disease & TB Hospital, 4 from Super Specialty Hospital and 15 from MCH Jammu. In all, 2673 patients have recovered from these hospitals till date.
In GMC Jammu, 60 Covid-19 patients have been admitted in the past 24 hours, 11 have been admitted in Chest Disease & TB Hospital, 1 in Super Specialty Hopital and 21 in MCH Jammu.
In the past 24 hours, GMC Jammu has reported 19 Covid-19 deaths and one other has been reported from Chest Disease & TB Hospital Jammu.
In GMC Jammu and other Category-II dedicated Covid Health Centres, 617 out of 804 Covid dedicated beds are occupied, while 117 are still vacant; 106 out of 688 oxygen beds are also vacant in these hospitals.
