Globally, more than 1 crore (10 million) people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 disease caused by the novel coronavirus over the past 6 months and over 5 lakh (0.5 million) people have been reported dead, as of 1 July 2020.
The good news is that the recovery rate from COVID19 is higher in India than in many other countries. However, the overcrowding and lack of discipline amongst the people is leading to a fast spread of the virus in big cities like Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi and in smaller towns as well.
While each and every one of us is susceptible to get infected and should take adequate precautions, individuals with a previous diagnosis of heart disease and other chronic ailments like diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease and cancer should be extra alert and safe as they could become very sick if they contract the virus. In fact, we now know that not only the lungs are attacked by the virus, but the heart, liver and almost all our organs are susceptible to damage, leading to multi-organ failure and death in critically ill patients.
With some antiviral therapies emerging and vaccine discovery underway, the only way to ensure freedom from COVID19 is preventing the infection. Imagine a game of chess in which you have moved your pieces so well that your opponent is in CHECKMATE! In the fight against this pandemic, our opponent is the coronavirus and if we make the right moves we can CHECKMATE this deadly bug. If we all follow the steps for CHECK and those with chronic ailments also follow the steps in MATE as shown below, there is a good chance we can checkmate and eliminate COVID19 in the near future.
If you or your loved ones are worried or anxious about your health condition and would like to get specific advice, you should contact your healthcare provider at once. It is safer to be extra cautious than to regret being careless during these testing times.
Stay home, stay safe, stay healthy! And to mark National Doctor’s Day today, what can be more rewarding for a physician than spreading awareness and educating people about their health!