Dr Randeep Guleria, the director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi has allayed the fear of people about the impact of Omicron, the new Covid variant, and asked people not to hoard oxygen cylinders and medicines leading to a crisis that India had witnessed earlier this year.
Guleria said that the Omicron variant is a ‘mild’ one and it is unlikely to cause a fall in oxygen saturation levels.
As per the current data, Omicron is a mild infection…Oxygen requirement may not be that much…I would request everyone to refrain from hoarding oxygen cylinders, medicines. We as a nation are better prepared to manage any surge in the cases: Dr Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS pic.twitter.com/tFurWanO1Z
— ANI (@ANI) December 29, 2021
Guleria said this in his New Year message where he advised people not to panic, but to be vigilant as the cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus across the country are on the rise.
“Pandemic is not over, yet we are in a better position. There are a large number of people who are vaccinated. Still, cases are increasing,” the AIIMS director said.
Guleria advised people to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour including wearing masks, physical distancing, and avoiding crowds “so that we do not have a super spreader anywhere,” he said. He said people should ensure that they don’t become a part of the chain of spreading the infection.
He assured that given the level of preparedness and proper planning, India is in a better position to manage any possible new wave.
He said that the level of individual immunity too has increased. “A large number of us have either got immunity because of vaccination or due to natural infection,” he said.
We're also prepared from the point of view of individual immunity. A large number of us have either got immunity because of vaccination or due to natural infection. Don't panic, stay alert: AIIMS Director Dr Guleria in a video message
— ANI (@ANI) December 29, 2021
(Source: AIIMS New Delhi Twitter handle) pic.twitter.com/8RLQ5b3764
India has so far reported 781 Omicron cases. Delhi has the highest number of Omicron cases (283), followed by Maharashtra (167), Gujarat (73), Kerala (65), Telangana (62), Rajasthan (46), Karnataka (34), Tamil Nadu (34), as reported by HT.
Besides these states, Haryana (12), West Bengal (11), Madhya Pradesh (9), Odisha (8), Andhra Pradesh (6), Uttarakhand (4), Chandigarh (3), Jammu and Kashmir (3), Uttar Pradesh (2), Goa (1), Himachal Pradesh (1), Ladakh (1) and Manipur (1) too have reported cases of Omicron.
The Centre on December 21 directed all states and Union territories to take containment measures such as night lockdowns and bans on large gatherings if more than 10 percent of all tests in a week turn positive or if the occupancy of hospital beds breaches 40 percent of capacity. Goa and Rajasthan imposed a fresh set of restrictions, including a night curfew and limiting access to public places.
