Teleclinic Locator
This is to update you that we have garnered the following coverage for the Press Conference entitled “Apollo TeleHealth Attains the Standard of ISO 13131:2021″ organized on 10th Dec’21 in Hyderabad. Please find below the details of the coverage for your perusal. All the major mainlines, financials and regional publications have covered the same, including wires like PTI & UNI.
The HP government’s flagship telemedicine programme with Apollo Telehealth successfully saves the lives of a mother and her newborn child at a 12,000 feet Himalayan village in the Spiti Valley. Apollo Telehealth rendered its services through emergency teleconsultation with specialists facilitated by their telemedicine staff on the ground
Telemedicine is said to be the next big thing in healthcare. It’s hot right now (and not over-hyped as sceptics term it) simply because digital health dramatically enhances traditional means of treatment and care delivery, as evidenced from this real-life example. In a distinct feat of emergency delivery at an altitude of more than 12,000 feet in Kaza, the Himachal Pradesh government’s telemedicine programme with Apollo Telehealth showcased its sheer dedication, commitment, humane approach, and capability to save two lives— a mother and a child in critical state. From providing detailed patient history to doctors thousands of miles away to diagnosing the condition of the patients to providing a line of treatment and round-the-clock monitoring, telemedicine eliminated the possibility of any sort of fatality.
The mother, a 27-year old female, was admitted to Community Health Centre (CHC), Kaza, diagnosed with Abruptio Placentae (premature separation of the placenta from the uterus). While a caesarean section was performed to deliver the baby, the mother developed complications of post-surgical bleeding. Alpha Khakhar, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Apollo Hospitals who was consulted to manage the complication said, “We obtained detailed patient history, performed thorough examination over telemedicine, and diagnosed the condition as post-partum haemorrhage. Following that, we advised the line of treatment for clinical management of the patient. Complications were also starting to show effects on the baby as the delivery was preterm and the baby was born with low body weight. In addition to that, the baby had bluish discolouration at birth. To stabilise the condition of the baby, cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was advised for two minutes followed by other emergency clinical management procedures. Following CPR and emergency care the baby was shifted to neonatal care unit. However, the baby continued to have intermittent low blood sugar levels.
As the condition of the baby continued to deteriorate, a teleconsultation with senior paediatrician Latha Vishwanathan, of Apollo Hospitals was organised. A detailed assessment of the baby was performed by the paediatrician and she advised the staff to administer IV fluid and NG (nasogastric) feeding; monitor oxygen saturation and random blood sugar (RBS) levels regularly and measure body weight daily. Round-the-clock monitoring was performed by Apollo and government staff to ensure oxygen administration based on saturation levels. However, the blood sugar levels of the baby continued to dip drastically and a teleconsultation with the paediatrician was again organised for clinical intervention. The government emergency duty doctor monitored the baby, under the guidance of a senior paediatrician from Apollo.
Vishwanathan said, “As both the mother’s and the baby’s condition were worsening, the block medical officer (BMO) at Kaza requested our telemedicine staff to accompany the mother and the baby. However, the roads were closed and it took time to organise transport to the higher centre. Till then, we maintained round-the-clock supervision on the baby. This was possible only because of tele-emergency that allowed access and support to the child or else, it could have been fatal.”
Evidence-based intervention in those crucial minutes improved long-term outcomes for these fragile patients. Using cameras and connective devices, healthcare staff at Kaza connected with attending physicians and child specialists to monitor vital signs, ask questions, validate diagnoses, examine x-rays together and have the doctors observe treatment progress. It was only after six days of round-the-clock monitoring via telemedicine services that the mother and the baby were shifted to Mission Hospital in Manali where they were admitted. The condition of the mother and baby stabilised a day after the initial treatment procedures.
“Apollo Hospitals Group is the pioneer of telemedicine in the country, and it is providing emergency healthcare services to people in remote parts of the country through Apollo Telehealth,” said Sangita Reddy, joint managing director, Apollo Hospitals Group. “It has saved lives in both urban and rural areas of the country amid the Covid-19 pandemic as well, and this incident in Kaza will be an inspirational story for the whole Apollo group for times to come.
HYDERABAD: The impact of cardiovascular disease on the heart post Covid-19 is found to be severe in many cases and heart disease progresses quickly in existing patients.
According to experts, there has been a steep rise in the number of Covid-recovered patients suffering from heart problems like sudden palpitation, chest pain, heart attack, heart failure, heart swelling, low pump capacity (low ejection fraction), blood clotting, etc.
“We are seeing increasing cases of patients developing heart disease after getting infected,” Dr Sai Ravi Shanker, head of department cardiology, Prathima Hospitals, said.
Most common cardiac disorders in Hyderabad and Telangana include acute coronary syndrome, myocardial infarction, hypertensive heart disease, valvular heart disease, cardiac failure, ischaemic heart disease, peripheral vascular disease and dysrhythmia. “High levels of inflammation in body is destroying healthy tissues post-Covid and causing heart ailments. Pandemic has also led to increased stress levels and imbalances which are affecting the heart,” said Vikram Thaploo, CEO, Apollo Tele Health.
“There’s been an increase in the number of cases of heart attacks, strokes and aggravation of deep vein thrombosis in patients who have recovered from Covid-19. It has been observed that 78 out of the 100 patients diagnosed with the infection reported symptoms of heart damage and inflammation,” he added.
With sedentary lifestyle fuelling the risk of heart diseases among youth, it is important to undergo preventive heart check ups for anyone above 40 years, say experts. “Nearly 70-80% heart diseases are preventable with regular heart check-ups and lifestyle changes,” said Dr Bharat Purohith, senior consultant cardiologist, Care Hospitals
Source : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/spurt-in-heart-problems-post-covid/articleshow/86591613.cms
बर्फबारी से छह महीने तक ढके रहने वाले जनजातीय क्षेत्र स्पिति के लोगों को बेहतर स्वास्थ्य सुविधाएं मुहैया करवाने में हिमाचल सरकार और अपोलो के सहयोग से चल रहे टेलीमेडीसन सेंटर काफी मददगार साबित हो रहा है.
संदीप सिंह/काजा, लाहौल स्पितिः बर्फबारी से छह महीने तक ढके रहने वाले जनजातीय क्षेत्र स्पिति के लोगों को बेहतर स्वास्थ्य सुविधाएं मुहैया करवाने में हिमाचल सरकार और अपोलो के सहयोग से चल रहे टेलीमेडीसन सेंटर काफी मददगार साबित हो रहा है. हाल ही में काजा में गर्भवती महिला के प्रसव करवाने में सेंटर ने काफी अहम भूमिका निभाई है.
बता दें कि 11 अगस्त 2021 को क्यामो गांव की रहने वाली 27 साल की तेंजिन लामो प्रसव पीड़ा से कहरा रही थी. उसके परिजन उसे काजा अस्पताल में ले आए. लेकिन, रास्ते में पीड़िता को काफी ब्लीडिंग शुरू हो गई. पीड़िता को सामुदायिक स्वास्थ्य केंद्र (CHC), काजा अस्पताल में भर्ती कराया गया.
इसी दौरान यहां पर मिशन अस्पताल मनाली की ओर से कैंप भी चल रहा था. स्थानीय चिकित्सकों, मिशन अस्पताल और अपोलो टेलीमेडीसन सेंटर ने संयुक्त प्रयास से पीड़िता को सही उपचार मिल पाया. पीड़िता का सिजेरियन काजा में करवाया गया. बता दें कि पहली बार काजा में सिजेरियन सर्जरी हुई है.
बच्चे को छह दिनों तक काजा में अपोलो टेलीमेडीसन सेंटर ने निगरानी में रखा था. तो वहीं, अपोलो हॉस्पिटल्स एमडी और MBBS ने बताया कि टेलीमेडिसिन पर पूरी तरह से जांच की और पोस्ट-पार्टम हैमरेज के रूप में स्थिति का निदान किया. उन्होंने आगे बताया कि बच्चे पर जटिलताएं भी दिखाई देने लगी थी.
क्योंकि प्रसव समय से पहले था और बच्चा कम शरीर के वजन के साथ पैदा हुआ था. इसके अलावा, जन्म के समय बच्चे का रंग नीला पड़ गया था. बच्चे की स्थिति को स्थिर करने के लिए, कार्डियो पल्मोनरी रिससिटेशन (PCR) को 2 मिनट के लिए सलाह दी गई और उसके बाद अन्य आपातकालीन नैदानिक प्रबंधन प्रक्रियाओं की सलाह दी गई.
Source : https://zeenews.india.com/hindi/zeephh/health/apollo-telemedicine-center-proving-born-for-the-tribal-area-know-the-reason-nchp/982191
हिमाचल के ट्राइबल क्षेत्र काजा पहली बार सिजेरियन विधि से शिशु का जन्म हुआ है। बर्फबारी से छह महीने तक ढके रहने वाले जनजातीय क्षेत्र स्पीति के लोगों को बेहतर स्वास्थ्य सुविधाएं मुहैया करवाने में टेलीमेडीसन सेंटर मददगार साबित हो रहा है। हॉल ही में काजा में गर्भवती महिला के प्रसव करवाने में सैंटर ने काफी अहम भूमिका निभाई। 11 अगस्त 2021 को क्यामो गांव की रहने वाली 27 वर्षीय तेंजिन लामो प्रसव पीड़ा से कराह रही थी। परिजन उसे काजा अस्पताल ले आए। लेकिन रास्ते में पीड़िता से काफी ब्लीडिंग शुरू हो गई।
पीड़िता को सामुदायिक स्वास्थ्य केंद्र (सीएचसी), काजा में भर्ती कराया गया था। इसी दौरान यहां पर मिशन अस्पताल मनाली की ओर से कैंप भी चल रहा था। स्थानीय चिकित्सकों, मिशन अस्पताल और अपोलो टेलीमेडीसन सैंटर ने संयुक्त प्रयास से पीड़िता को सही उपचार मिल पाया। पीड़िता का सिजेरियन काजा में करवाया गया। पहली बार काजा में सिजेरियन हुआ है। असल में काजा में सामान्य प्रसव ही करवाया जाता है। लेकिन अगर उक्त पीड़िता को रैफर करते तो मां और बच्चे दोनों की जान को खतरा था। शिशु को छह दिनों तक काजा में अपोलो टेलीमेडिसिन सेंटर ने निगरानी में रखा।
डॉ अल्फा खाखर (एमडी) अपोलो अस्पताल ने बताया कि टेलीमेडिसिन पर पूरी तरह से जांच की, और पोस्ट-पार्टम हैमरेज के रूप में स्थिति का निदान किया। उसके बाद, हमने सलाह दी रोगी के नैदानिक प्रबंधन के लिए उपचार की रेखा। बच्चे पर जटिलताएं भी दिखाई देने लगी थीं, क्योंकि प्रसव समय से पहले था और बच्चा कम शरीर के वजन के साथ पैदा हुआ था। इसके अलावा, जन्म के समय बच्चे का रंग नीला पड़ गया था। बच्चे की स्थिति को स्थिर करने के लिए, कार्डियो पल्मोनरी रिससिटेशन (सीपीआर) को 2 मिनट के लिए सलाह दी गई और उसके बाद अन्य आपातकालीन नैदानिक प्रबंधन प्रक्रियाओं की सलाह दी गई।
सीपीआर और आपातकालीन देखभाल के बाद बच्चे को नवजात देखभाल इकाई मेंस्थानांतरित कर दिया गया। हालांकि, बच्चे को रुक-रुक कर कम रक्त होता रहा। जैसे-जैसे बच्चे की स्थिति बिगड़ती गई तो अपोलो हॉस्पिटल्स’ ने ’वरिष्ठ बाल रोग विशेषज्ञ, डॉ. लता विश्वनाथन (एमबीबीएस, डीसीएच, डीएनबी), (बालरोग) के साथ टेली-परामर्श का आयोजन किया गया।टैलीमेडिसन सेंटर काजा मेंतैनात स्टाफ नर्स तेंजिन डोल्कर ने कहा कि उक्त पीड़िता और बच्चा छह दिनों तक हमारी निगरानी में रहा। हमारा स्टाफ चौबीस घंटे उसके लिए तैनात था। अब बच्चा काफी स्वस्थ है और मां भी। हमारा सैंटर बेहतरी सुविधा जनजातीय क्षेत्र के लोगों को मुहैया करवा रहा है।
बीएमओ तेंजिन नोरबू ने कहा कि 11 अगस्त को गर्भवती महिला को लेकर परिजन अस्पताल जाए थे। लेकिन ब्लीडिंग काफी हो रही थी। ऐसे में मिशन अस्पताल केसहयोग से यहां पर सिजेरियन करना पड़ा। इसके बाद अपोलो टेलीमेडीसन सैंटर की निगरानी में महिला और बच्चा रहे।
Source : https://mbmnewsnetwork.com/himachal-pradesh/356958/himachal-caesarean-for-the-first-time-in-kaza-baby-and-mother-under-observation-for-6-days
बीएमओ तेंजिन नोरबू ने कहा कि 11 अगस्त को गर्भवती महिला को लेकर परिजन अस्पताल जाए थे. लेकिन ब्लीडिंग काफी हो रही थी. ऐसे में मिशन अस्पताल के सहयोग से यहां पर सिजेरियन करना पड़ा. इसके बाद अपोलो टेलीमेडीसन सेंटर की निगरानी में महिला और बच्चा रहे.
हिमाचल प्रदेश में बर्फबारी से छह महीने तक ढके रहने वाले जनजातीय क्षेत्र स्पिति के लोगों को बेहतर स्वास्थ्य सुविधाएं मुहैया करवाने में हिमाचल सरकार और अपोलो केसहयोग से चल रहे टेलीमेडिसन सेंटर काफी मददगार साबित हो रहा है. अभी हॉल ही में काजा में गर्भवती महिला के प्रसव करवाने में सैंटर ने काफी अहम भूमिका निभाई. 11 अगस्त 2021 को क्यामो गांव की रहने वाली 27 वर्षीय तेंजिन लामो प्रसव पीड़ा से कहरा रही थी.
उसके परिजन उसे काजा अस्पताल में ले आए. लेकिन रास्ते में पीड़िता से काफी ब्लीडिंग शुरू हो गई. पीड़िता को सामुदायिक स्वास्थ्य केंद्र (सीएचसी), काजा में भर्ती कराया गया था. इसी दौरान यहां पर मिशन अस्पताल मनाली की ओर से कैंप भी चल रहा था. स्थानीय चिकित्सकों, मिशन अस्पताल और अपोलो टेलीमेडीसन सेंटर ने संयुक्त प्रयास से पीड़िता को सही उपचार मिल पाया.
मां और बच्चे को खतरा
पीड़िता का सिजेरियन ऑपरेशन काजा में करवाया गया और पहली बार काजा में सिजेरियन तरीके से डिलीवरी करवाई गई. असल में काजा में सामान्य प्रसव ही करवाया जाता है, लेकिन अगर उक्त पीड़िता को रेफर करते तो मां और बच्चे दोनों की जान को खतरा था. बच्चें को छह दिनों तक काजा में अपोलो टेलीमेडीसन सैंटर ने निगरानी में रखा था. डॉ अल्फा खाखर (एमडी, एमबीबीएस) अपोलो हॉस्पिटल्स ने बताया कि टेलीमेडिसिन पर पूरी तरह से जांच की, और पोस्ट-पार्टम हैमरेज के रूप में स्थिति का निदान किया. बच्चे पर जटिलताएं भी दिखाई देने लगी थीं, क्योंकि, प्रसव समय से पहले था और बच्चा कम शरीर के वजन के साथ पैदा हुआ था. इसके अलावा, जन्म के समय बच्चे का रंग नीला पड़ गया था. बच्चे की स्थिति को स्थिर करने के लिए, कार्डियो पल्मोनरी रिससिटेशन (सीपीआर) को 2 मिनट के लिए सलाह दी गई और उसके बाद अन्य आपातकालीन नैदानिक प्रबंधन प्रक्रियाओं की सलाह दी गई.
Source : https://hindi.news18.com/news/himachal-pradesh/keylong-himachal-news-first-time-in-kaza-women-baby-through-cijerean-hpvk-3732845.html
जागरण संवाददाता, काजा : जनजातीय जिला लाहुल-स्पीति के काजा में पहली बार सिजेरियन से शिशु का जन्म हुआ है। इसमें टेलीमेडिसिन के माध्यम से विशेषज्ञों ने मदद की। जिले में सामान्य प्रसव करवाए जाते हैं।
प्रसव के दौरान जटिलताएं होने के कारण टेलीमेडिसिन के माध्यम से पहली बार लोसर गांव की 27 वर्षीय तेंजिन लामो का सिजेरियन प्रसव करवाया गया। अपोलो अस्पताल दिल्ली व मिशन अस्पताल मनाली के विशेषज्ञों ने इसमें मदद की। बर्फबारी से छह माह तक ढके रहने वाले जनजातीय क्षेत्र स्पीति के लोगों को बेहतर स्वास्थ्य सुविधाएं मुहैया करवाने टेलीमेडिसिन सेंटर वरदान साबित हो रहा है। 11 अगस्त को लोसर गांव की 27 वर्षीय तेंजिन लामो प्रसव पीड़ा हुई। स्वजन उसे काजा अस्पताल लाए, लेकिन रास्ते में रक्तस्राव ज्यादा होने के कारण सामुदायिक स्वास्थ्य केंद्र काजा में भर्ती कराया गया। यहां मिशन अस्पताल मनाली की ओर से कैंप भी चल रहा था। स्थानीय चिकित्सकों, मिशन अस्पताल और अपोलो टेलीमेडिसिन सेंटर के संयुक्त प्रयास से गर्भवती को सही उपचार मिल पाया।
चिकित्सकों की मानें तो गर्भवती को रेफर करना खतरनाक साबित हो सकता था। इससे मां और बच्चे दोनों की जान को खतरा था। नवजात को छह दिन तक काजा में अपोलो टेलीमेडिसिन सेंटर में निगरानी में रखा गया। अपोलो अस्पताल की डा. अल्फा खाखर ने बताया कि टेलीमेडिसिन पर पूरी तरह से जांच करने के बाद सिजेरियन की सलाह दी। जन्म के समय बच्चे का रंग नीला पड़ गया था। वरिष्ठ बाल रोग विशेषज्ञ डा. लता विश्वनाथन की सहायता ली गई। टेलीमेडिसिन सेंटर काजा में तैनात स्टाफ नर्स तेंजिन डोल्कर ने बताया कि जच्चा-बच्चा छह दिन तक उनकी निगरानी में रहे। अब दोनों स्वस्थ हैं।
बीएमओ काजा डा. तेंजिन नोरबू ने बताया कि 11 अगस्त को गर्भवती को लेकर स्वजन अस्पताल आए थे। रक्तस्राव काफी हो रहा था। मिशन अस्पताल के सहयोग से सिजेरियन करना पड़ा। अपोलो टेलीमेडिसिन सेंटर की निगरानी में रहे जच्चा-बच्चा दोनों स्वस्थ हैं।
Source : https://www.jagran.com/himachal-pradesh/kullu-first-segerian-delivery-in-kaza-22003195.html
In an exclusive interview with ETHealthworld, Dr K Ganapathy, former president of the Telemedicine Society of India, and member of the board of directors of Apollo Telemedicine Foundation shares how the COVID-19 pandemic led to the massive transition in doctors accepting telehealth. Dr Ganapathy has been working relentlessly since 1999, for the growth and development of telemedicine in India and was also a member of the National Task Force on Telemedicine.
According to Dr Rajeev Boudhankar, internal medicine (MD) and CEO-Bhatia Hospital, “in India, given the present status of the pace of vaccination and availability of vaccines, it is still a long way to develop herd immunity”
Even as India’s effective reproduction number (R) for Covid, an indicator of how fast the viral infection is spreading, has hit a record low of 0.78 according to reports, many experts say that India may be far from achieving herd immunity or indirect protection or population immunity against the disease — a situation when most of the population is immune to the virus. To understand more, we reached out to health experts.
Here is what they had to say:
The term herd immunity refers to community, population, or mass-level immunity against a particular infectious disease. Herd immunity with safe and effective vaccines makes diseases rarer and saves lives.
We can get herd immunity in two ways. One is naturally, when everyone tends to develop antibodies against the disease. That is when most of the population gets infected or sick by the virus and thus acquires natural immunity by producing antibodies against that pathogen. Another way is through mass vaccination of people which provides artificial immunity, explained Dr HK Mahajan, anaesthesiologist, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, Vasant Kunj.
“There are T memory cells in our bodies that can recognise the virus and protect against that by producing antibodies in future. The vaccine produces artificial immunity so that when an infection occurs, our body can recognise the virus and start producing antibodies. In case of coronavirus, however, many mutations and new variants are happening frequently and causing agonising health problems and complications,” he said.
Herd immunity is usually achieved for viruses that do not mutate and are stable. “Since we do not have deep insights into the Covid-19 virus right now we can only hope that there will be herd immunity built into the system when around 50-60 per cent of people are infected and recovered,” said Dr Shuchin Bajaj, founder and director, Ujala Cygnus Group of Hospitals.
Stating that in Delhi, 24 per cent of people infected and recovered have developed immunity and antibodies, Dr Bajaj mentioned that it is being hoped that in “another one or two months”, herd immunity may develop. “But if the antibodies disappear or the virus mutates, then this herd immunity will not be there any longer. This myth that herd immunity will always be present may not work here, as we see it in cases of influenza virus to which people fall prey every year and catch a common cold, because the virus mutates very quickly and presents as a new version every time,” he said.
However, research is still ongoing into how strong that protection is and how long natural immunity lasts. World Health Organization (WHO) states on its website that it is also looking into whether the strength and length of immune response depend on the type of infection a person has: without symptoms (‘asymptomatic’), mild or severe. Even people without symptoms seem to develop an immune response.
WHO supports herd immunity through vaccination, not by allowing disease to spread through any segment of the population, as this would result in “unnecessary cases and deaths”.
According to Dr Nanditha C N Gowda, consultant- General Medicine, Apollo TeleHealth, “Vaccinated people are protected from getting the disease in question and passing on the pathogen, breaking any chains of transmission”. “The SARS-CoV-2 virus is a highly transmissible virus. If you allow this to happen naturally, it will take a long time, of course, but more importantly, it’s going to do a lot of collateral damage. This is an important area of research and will likely vary according to the community, the vaccine, the populations prioritised for vaccination, and other factors,” noted Dr Gowda.
According to Dr Mahajan, in our country at least “80 per cent of the population needs to be vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity”. “We have to observe which vaccines remain more effective — for example, Pfizer or Moderna vaccines in the US are said to be 90 to 95 per cent effective. In India, we are getting Covishield, Covaxin, and Sputnik which are said to be effective on mutants and variants. But with the new Delta plus variant and an anticipated third wave in future we need to find out ways and means to achieve herd immunity by focusing on mass vaccination,” he said.
As per Dr Rajeev Boudhankar, internal medicine (MD) and CEO-Bhatia Hospital, “in India, given the present status of the pace of vaccination and availability of vaccines, it is still a long way to develop herd immunity”.
We have to achieve immunity through vaccination, stated Dr Mahajan. “As we all are foreseeing that the third wave will be dangerous for children, we need to protect the parents also. The Uttar Pradesh Government, for example, is focusing on vaccinating parents so that children may get protection. This means that we have to develop herd immunity indirectly too for the health of our children and elderly. This battle can be won by public sensitisation and community vaccination only,” he said.
With just about four per cent of the population vaccinated, it is expected that the “third wave is no more a guesswork but a definite event expected”, said Dr Boudhankar. “Moreover, the vaccination program has still not reached our rural population on a large scale, where 70 per cent of our people live. This makes the situation grimmer not only for the development of herd immunity but also for the third wave,” he added.
Till that time, we need to observe Covid-appropriate behaviour. Use of face masks, social distancing, and hand hygiene is of utmost importance. “And then on the side, be able to detect rapidly those who are infected in the community, making sure that enough testing is available so that you’re able to detect and diagnose people, be able to isolate them, then test their contacts and quarantine them. These are the measures that have been shown to be successful. Only through vaccination, healthcare availability and strict regulations, we will be able to achieve the required goal,” said Dr Gowda.
Dr. Nanditha CN Gowda, Consultant- General Medicine, Apollo TeleHealth, informs that studies indicate PCS lasts for more than a year in some patients.
Sandeep Sharma*, 53, who was battling Covid, was relieved when his RT-PCR report came negative on May 15. But today, more than a month later, he still suffers from lack of sleep, and body ache, and experiences shortness of breath after a little physical activity.
Same is the case with Kusum Vasudev*, 24, who was declared Covid negative on May 02, but still suffers from recurring headaches, while her sense of taste has not returned fully.
“I even have problems remembering things. I really had to rack my brain to recollect the phone numbers of my parents and sister, which were earlier on my fingertips,” she says, adding that the doctor has told her it will take time for her to get rid of these issues.
Both Sharma and Vasudev are facing a condition that doctors call Post Covid Syndrome or Long Covid. First seen in social support groups, Long Covid or Post-Covid Syndrome (PCS) is not much understood.
Why? Because it impacts Covid survivors across all age groups, and does not depend on how severe or mild the disease has been for them.
Though symptoms like breathlessness, persistent cough, joint and muscle pain, tiredness, hearing and eyesight issues, headaches, memory problem, loss of smell and taste are visible, it is the effect on internal organs, gastro-intestinal and cardiac problems that present greater cause for concern.
“PCS can include signs of severe diseases like Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS) and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). So, none of the symptoms should be taken lightly,” says Dr Ashish Gupta, Senior Consultant, Critical Care Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Apollo Spectra Karol Bagh, Delhi.
Stating that ignoring any symptom can be fatal, Dr Gupta advises that a Covid recovered patient experiencing any abnormal change in the body must immediately consult a doctor.
“Some post-Covid conditions may happen as an after-effect of treatment or hospitalisation, such as post-intensive care syndrome (PICS), including severe weakness and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The treatment is largely based on the particular condition and we are yet to gather enough evidence to tell how long these may persist,” says Dr Gyan Bharti, Pulmonologist, Columbia Asia Hospital, Ghaziabad. So far, the hospital has received over 300 PCS patients.
“During the second wave, people below 40 were found to be more affected by PCS,” says Dr Bharti.
Dr Nanditha CN Gowda, Consultant- General Medicine, Apollo TeleHealth, informs that studies indicate PCS lasts for more than a year in some patients.
“The worst thing is that everyone, young or old, is susceptible to it. So far, we have seen more than 20 patients with post-Covid syndrome at our hospital,” says Dr Gowda.
Agreeing that it can affect any age group, Dr Bhumesh Tyagi, Senior Consultant, General Medicine, Sharda Hospital, Greater Noida, points out that people with co-morbidities, chronic lung, heart, kidney diseases or those who suffer from malignancies are more prone to PCS.
“We see around 8-10 patients of PCS in our OPD daily,” he says, adding that even those who did not have symptoms when infected can have PCS. Also, the symptoms may appear immediately after or several weeks later, he adds.
“Studies are underway to understand the complete profile of PCS. As of now, each Covid-recovered patient must keep a close watch on the body and consult a doctor if faced with any discomfort to avoid any further complications,” says Dr Gowda.
So, getting a negative RT-PCR is not a reason to throw caution to wind, say doctors. All recovered patients must also strictly adhere to Covid protocol of masking, social distancing, hand sanitizing and stay away from crowded places to avoid Post Covid Syndrome (PCS).
(*Names changed to protect identity)
Gurugram: As the whole country scrambles to navigate through the worst public health disaster in recent memory, a few organizations and companies are looking to contribute their bit by ensuring protection and treatment for their own employees. With a view to secure the health and lives of their employees, among several measures, these few companies are also taking recourse to Covid-focused telehealth solutions easing the load on the already struggling public health infrastructure and services in the country. And in this endeavor, Apollo Telehealth, India’s premier and pioneering telehealth solutions provider, has emerged as a significant partner of choice for these companies. Apollo Telehealth’s Tele-Covid Management, a notch above the popular doc-on-call telehealth solutions, being a one of its kind offering, is proving to be a lifeline for these companies with several more queuing up to deploy this service.
“Today, our public health infrastructure is being tested to its limits with the sheer ferocity of the new wave with newer mutants and variants of the virus striking mortal fear in most of us even impacting motivation and productivity at work. At this juncture, our Tele-Covid Management solution that we put in place last year has proved to be a godsend for organisations and companies. We understand that despite the imposition of mobility restrictions and lockdowns, there are several sectors of the economy where physical movement of a part of the workforce is unavoidable and keeping social distancing nearly impossible. And the energy sector is one such sector where a substantial number of employees would have to be, willy-nilly, involved in functions which would necessitate outdoor activity and mingling. It is very likely that these employees while in the line of duty would fall prey to the deadly virus. And here it is but natural that the responsibility would lie with the companies themselves for the safety and health of their employees. With Tele-Covid Management solution, Apollo Telehealth has made an effort to share that responsibility of these companies towards their staff,” said Mr. Vikram Thaploo, CEO, Apollo TeleHealth.
“With our existing healthcare systems struggling to provide adequate services and facilities in these trying times when a shortage of ICU beds and oxygen supplies have become an everyday experience for most people, Tele-Covid Management ensures that end-to-end treatment and solutions is provided for all corporate employees enrolled for the programme. With provision for separate isolation wards, tele-ICUs, tele-emergency and tele-specialist services – also accounting for comorbidities – offered as part of a comprehensive Tele-Covid Management module, we have ensured that these employee-patients receive continuous consultation and care by some of the best practitioners and doctors in the country. The programme runs until these patients get completely cured of the deadly disease and rejoin work with fresh energy and vigour. It has been a great help especially for companies having their operational facilities in remote locations,” further said Mr Thaploo.
So far, running from more than 10 locations, the programme has catered to 1400 plus employee-patients spread across the states of Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh and Orissa delivering in excess of 10,000 consultations. Among the two PSU’s who have already adopted Apollo Telehealth’s Tele-Covid Management solutions, NTPC Limited (National Thermal Power Corporation Limited) is one, which is engaged in the business of generation of electricity and allied activities.It is being anticipated thatmany more companies are likely to follow their footsteps in the coming weeks and months to ensure that their employees get the required protection and treatment amid these uncertain times.
Source:
As the whole country scrambles to navigate through the worst public health disaster in recent memory, a few organisations and companies are looking to contribute their bit by ensuring protection and treatment for their own employees. With a view to secure the health and lives of their employees, among several measures, these few companies are also taking recourse to COVID-focused telehealth solutions easing the load on the already struggling public health infrastructure and services in the country. And in this endeavor, Apollo Telehealth has emerged as a significant partner of choice for these companies. Apollo Telehealth’s Tele-Covid Management, a notch above the popular doc-on-call telehealth solutions, being a one of its kind offering, is proving to be a lifeline for these companies.
“With our existing healthcare systems struggling to provide adequate services and facilities in these trying times when a shortage of ICU beds and oxygen supplies have become an everyday experience for most people, Tele-COVID Management ensures that end-to-end treatment and solutions is provided for all corporate employees enrolled for the programme. With provision for separate isolation wards, tele-ICUs, tele-emergency and tele-specialist services offered as part of a comprehensive module, we have ensured that these employee-patients receive continuous consultation and care,” said Vikram Thaploo, CEO, Apollo TeleHealth.
Source: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/pioneer-health/inbrief-inbrief-2021-06-15.html
India is planning to do a study on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccination if two different coronavirus vaccines are administered to a patient for their two doses. This comes after several reports of a massive shortage of COVID-19 vaccines in the country.
New Delhi: India is planning to do a study on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccination if two different coronavirus vaccines are administered to a patient for their two doses. This comes after several reports of a massive shortage of COVID-19 vaccines in the country.
“India may in few weeks start testing the feasibility of a regimen that mixes two different doses of COVID vaccines to see if it helps boost the immune response to the virus,” said Dr N K Arora, Chairman of COVID-19 working group under the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI).
Earlier, in Uttar Pradesh’s Siddharthnagar district, due to medical negligence, 20 people were administered the first dose of Coveshield and the second dose of Covaxin.
Talking about this incident, Dr Mubasheer Ali, Senior Consultant – Intensive Care Specialist, Apollo TeleHealth says, “It is not dangerous. That being said, the WHO has stated that in truly exceptional situations, in which the first-dose vaccine cannot be determined or is no longer available, either vaccine may be given to complete the vaccination series. But in normal circumstances, you should receive the same vaccine product for both doses.”
Mixing of different COVID-19 vaccines might actually be a good idea, according to Dr Chandrashekhar T, Chief Intensivist, Fortis Hiranandani Hospital Vashi.
“Mixing and cocktailing of vaccines as per studies is not dangerous. This technique is being tried and tested in some countries, and even in India, there are some experts who vouch for the mixing and cocktailing of vaccines. However, there is no evidence or study on the effects of mixing Covishield and Covaxin in India,” says Dr Chandrashekhar.
Talking about similar experiments in other parts of the world, Dr Chandrashekhar shares, “In countries like Canada, Finland, Norway, etc., the mixing of vaccines has been done between Covishield and Pfizer-Biotech vaccine.”
Dr Chandrashekhar further believes that cocktailing of vaccines might actually give better immunity. More study on it however is needed to ascertain it.
“There are several studies that indicate that mixing and cocktailing of vaccines help in covering a broader spectrum of mutations and so helps in providing a broader immunity to people.”
Possible side-effects of mixing different COVID-19 vaccines are headache, body ache, and fever.
Apollo Telemedicine Centre at Kaza in Lahaul-Spiti district is proving to be a boon for residents of the Spiti valley.
The centre was set up in April 2015 to provide medical care on the doorstep of residents. As many as 9,480 persons have availed this facility since April 2015 to till date.
Sources said most key roads in the region remained blocked to vehicular movement during winter months. It was difficult for the residents of the Spiti valley to avail medical facility in such a situation. Therefore, a telemedicine centre was set up at Kaza to ensure timely treatment to residents.
Sher Singh, a Spiti resident, said whenever required, employees of the telemedicine centre connect patients with medical experts through videoconferencing. “We feel fortunate to have this facility in this remote region of Himachal round the year,” he added.
Lama Buteeth, a health coordinator at the centre, said, “There are 172 types of medicines that are provided free of cost to patients as per the doctor’s prescription. We connect patients with doctors via videoconferencing.” she remarked.
Buteeth said earlier, they had organised awareness camps on regular intervals to make people aware about the importance of the telemedicine facility.
She said 17 types of diagnostic tests were also performed at this centre.
Source: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/himachal/telemedicine-centre-to-aid-of-spiti-residents-261079
It’s been more than a year-and-a-half into the pandemic, yet experts worldwide are struggling to completely understand the nature of the Coronavirus. This has led to Catch-22 leaving lakhs clueless about what to do next. MUSBA HASHMI brings you a report
Remember, last year, experts and even the World Health Organisation suggested that everyone need not wear a mask, but only those looking after COVID patients. Not only this, people even anticipated that the Coronavirus would die in summers because of the high temperatures, not to mention the perception that the elderly and people with comorbidities are at a higher risk of getting infected. There is more. A certain type of UV rays were believed to inactivate the virus. However, all these notions got nullified sooner than later.
“Few new reliable scientific studies say that temperature, humidity or UV rays do not play a significant role in Coronavirus spread. That means whether it’s hot or cold outside, the transmission of COVID-19 from one person to the other depends almost entirely on human behaviour. Weather influences the environment in which the Coronavirus must survive before infecting a new host. But it also influences human behaviour, which moves the virus from one host to another,” Dr Mubasheer Ali, Senior Internal Medicine Consultant, Apollo TeleHealth, tells you.
Whenever a pandemic breaks out, the origin country knows more about the virus than any other country and for all the right reasons. “When COVID broke, initially it was believed to transmit through droplets; hence, the mask was only mandatory for COVID caregivers. For the rest, a six-foot distance and hand hygiene was enough. But gradually, with time, it was found that the virus is air borne and can sustain in the air for about four hours. Hence, masks were made mandatory for everyone,” Dr AP Singh, Senior Consultant Physician, Yashoda Super Specialty Hospital, Ghaziabad, tells you.
That said, about two years into the pandemic, experts worldwide are struggling to completely understand the virus’ nature completely. So much so, that there are clashes of opinions even when it comes to treating the disease. Be it the use of common drugs like Remidesivir and Fabipiravir or steroids, dark clouds of confusion have engulfed everybody’s mind resulting in a Catch-22 situation, and many people worldwide remain clueless of what to do next.
“Many are asking why experts haven’t been able to find a treatment or cure for the virus. The simple answer: there’s too much they don’t know. Two years feels like a long time, but it’s no time at all when it comes to medical research. COVID-19 is a novel virus, which means that very few have natural immunity to it and experts couldn’t research on it prior to the outbreak in December 2019,” Ali says.
While the reasons for the usage of unproven drugs are complicated, for once, it is difficult in a pandemic to treat a patient with only minimal care. “This pressure to ‘do something’ might nudge physicians towards creating guidelines for unproven drugs that are either considered innocuous, or may have shown promise in animal studies or theoretical models, based on biological pathways. Another reason is that constantly reviewing the rapidly changing evidence in a pandemic is an intensive exercise, which many doctors are finding it difficult correlating with individual patients and their conditions. Making quick changes to treatment protocols to reflect evidence may be challenging for everyone, given that they have to coordinate with people across institutions, States and local administrations,” Ali explains.
Singh adds and tells you that both Remidesivir and Fabipiravir drugs are repurposed for COVID. These are the drugs that helped fight several infections earlier, but for COVID, the efficacy was less and that we are yet to find anti-viral drugs for COVID. “These drugs are for emergency use only; they are not fit for long-term use,” he says.
This is not all. The use of steroids are under the scanner too. Steroids are a life saving medicine and have been used historically for a long time in conditions of acute stress and where the patient’s life is in danger. And they should, in the same way be used in COVID as well when the cytokine shower is starting, and is in imminently danger of becoming a cytokine storm that is when the steroids should be started.
“They should not be started too early, especially never during the viremic phase, because they suppress your antibodies, your immune response and will allow the virus to replicate in an unlimited form,” Dr Shuchin Bajaj, Founder Director, Ujala Cygnus Group of Hospitals, opines.
Singh agrees with Bajaj and says that steroids have been used in the treatment of several diseases for years and so is being done in COVID. However, it should only be started in the second phase of the disease where a patient experiences cough, chest pain and his oxygen levels start to fall.
“There are cases of Black Fungus in various hospitals which are being attributed to extensive use of steroids. However, in our hospital we haven’t seen a single case of this fungal infection. Like I said, steroids aren’t a new treatment. Then there are some, who call it a hospital acquired infection. The reason being the use of industrial oxygen and lack of hygiene practices. But, again there are no facts to support it. Hospitals are doing everything they could. It is too early to predict whether Black Fungus is a post-COVID complication or a hospital acquired opportunist fungal infection,” Singh opines.
The other side of the story is many people are avoiding hospital visits due to the fear of catching infection. Bajaj has a take on that.
“Hospital visits being avoided by patients is the right thing to do actually, patient should not be visiting hospitals unnecessary. What we see in India and especially North India is that people even for the smallest of ailments like common cold will go and visit the highest super specialty hospital. So it’s a good thing that now due to COVID patients are avoiding hospital visits most of the conditions, more than 90 per cent, can be solved easily at home, especially in these times with the availability of teleconsultation. And even if you don’t trust teleconsultations you can visit your neighbourhood clinic or the doctor who you want to see, I think most of them have their own standalone clinics. So you can go and visit them, only in very unavoidable cases should you go and visit the hospital directly,” Bajaj suggests.
Singh has a different take on the matter. He doesn’t find this as a feasible option. Many people with serious diseases, too, are avoiding their visits to the hospital. They keep on tolerating the symptoms; this leads to the advancement of the disease.
“Take proper precautions and visit the hospital if you are undergoing treatment for cancer of tuberculosis. Avoiding it can pose serious threat to your health. Remember, mortality rate of COVID is only 2 per cent, while for cancer, it is much higher. So, if it’s the fear of catching infection that is holding you back from going to the hospital, don’t forget there are other diseases that are equally or, for that matter, even more deadly. But, this doesn’t mean that you start taking the virus lightly,” Singh advises.
Doctors believe blaming experts and scientists worldwide for not finding a cure for the disease is not the right thing. It takes years to come up with a proper treatment for diseases.
“COVID is a new disease which none of us understand right now. So there is a lot of conflicting claims coming in. It was said that ventilators will be the only cure, then it was said maybe ventilators are not necessary, maybe you need to have high flow nasal cannulas. Then it was said that smokers will be most affected because their lungs are already weak and they will die. Later, it was changed to that smokers may be the only people who will survive this. So this is something that is coming back and forth. But it is, I think, exactly like how science functions. Science works on getting evidence. And we are unearthing a lot of evidences which will take some time to understand. Most of the diseases that came in usually took hundreds of years for us to understand and find an effective cure. We’ve seen this only for one year. So I think within the next one or two years, we will have a much better understanding and we will develop a sure shot cure for it as well. Historically, viruses have been difficult to cure. HIV we have not been able to cure even now, even after 40 years of its emergence. So it may take some time, but we will definitely find drugs to control it,” Bajaj asserts.
Ali adds that researchers are moving as quickly as they can to find a complete cure for this virus and as part of this scientists have spent the past two years developing vaccines and treatments to slow the pandemic and lessen the disease’s damage. “Healthcare professionals are working tirelessly to fight this disease, but they can’t do it alone. The people will still have to help flatten the curve by following all the precautions and guidelines,” Ali says.
Singh concludes by saying that the need of the hour is to to be patient. The focus of every doctor right now is to save lives. Research can wait. Having said that, there are people who are studying the virus, but they need time as well. Once, the situation is under control, we will be conducting research to get more insights about the virus.
Source: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/sunday-edition/covid—s-catch-22.html
Internet-propelled technologies that are shaping the new-age globalisation are also in some ways diminishing the need for trans-border travel for services. And telemedicine is one such technology-based service. With the ongoing pandemic leading to near crystallisation of all-round behaviour in terms of restricted physical and social fraternising, telemedicine has come to acquire a permanent value in our lives.
Particularly in the backdrop of the advent of medical value travel (MVT) as a specialised health-driven travel service in recent years, telemedicine has emerged as a potent alternative to those wishing to access quality healthcare outside their own countries.
India since time immemorial has been a huge draw for people outside by virtue of also being a repository of traditional knowledge and wisdom in terms of health and wellness.
And continuing this tradition, in more modern times too, it has retained its popularity and goodwill among global health and wellness enthusiasts.
In 2019, nearly seven lakh people or 6.4 per cent of total tourists, came to India exclusively for medical purposes. A year earlier in 2018, nearly 25 per cent arrivals from West Asia were for medical purpose followed by Africa (14.6 per cent), South Asia (13 per cent) and Eastern Europe (4.2 per cent). And of West Asians, 86 per cent of Iraqis, 54 per cent of Yeminis, nearly 29 per cent of Omanis and over 10 per cent of Saudi Arabian tourists came to our country for medical reasons only. In a similar vein, among our South Asian neighbours, 30 per cent of Afghans, 22 per cent of Maldivians and 14 per cent of Bangladeshis came for medical purpose alone.
And this flow of medical tourists is not restricted to these sources only. India is also a favoured destination of medical tourists from advanced countries such as the US. According to Medical Tourism Index that ranks American perception of 46 international healthcare destinations, for 2020-21, India ranks sixth in terms of medical tourism industry, sixth in terms of qualities of facilities and services, and tenth overall on the index.
Combining medical value travel with telemedicine is brimming with potential in terms of not just capacity building of client countries and improving patient outcomes but generating precious foreign exchange (through services offered), creating employment and, importantly, helping in soft power projections of a country.
The rising traction in telehealth cannot merely complement MVT but even serve as a force multiplier for the latter. And for the client country, cost-effective access to quality care without the need for physical travel would be a huge incentive. Fundamentally, telemedicine can help with preliminary assessment of patients before having to make medical value travel to another country. Given that radiology services are typically a high-cost proposition, teleradiology can help reduce costs by enabling transmission of patient’s images such as X-rays, CT scans and MRI images and thereby facilitating high quality analysis from locations in India. And once preliminary evaluation is done, a patient can make the journey for advanced treatment or relevant surgeries to a health destination country such as India.
As telehealth emerges as a critical component of the Indian healthcare delivery system galvanised by Covid-19, it can make invaluable contribution to the global medical value market for Indian healthcare. Apart from preparing a comprehensive policy blueprint towards this end, the government should also work out legal, technological and investment issues with potential client countries.
In fact, India could start by identifying a few client countries first and use that template for others subsequently.
More than half a million people may have to go through the horrifying struggle to latch on to dear life after recovering from Corona, writes MUSBA HASHMI
A 69-year-old male Diabetic and hypertensive patient got down with fever earlier this month. At first, he thought of it as viral, but when the fever didn’t go even after two days, he underwent an RT-PCR test. Positive, the report said. He had mild COVID and was treated in home isolation with oral anticoagulants and other supportive drugs. The symptoms went away soon and he recovered in 15 days. The man and his family took a sigh of relief. However, this is not the end of the story.
To everyone’s surprise, one week later he complained of acute pain in the right leg. Something neither the patient nor his family members anticipated. Investigations revealed very high d dimer levels and deep venous thrombosis. It is a condition that occurs after a blood clot forms in a large vein, most often in the calf. Pain, swelling and sometimes pulmonary embolism (or a sudden blockage in the lung) can occur, making deep vein thrombosis a life-threatening condition. But, fortunately the doctors were able to save the patient because of early treatment.
However, not everyone might be as lucky as this man. Though the number of Corona cases is declining in India, the country is staring at the horrendous possibility of patients recovering from COVID, but succumbing to a heart attack or organ failure soon after.
“It is estimated that 26 per cent of the COVID patients can exhibit post covid complications,” says Dr Mubasheer Ali, Senior Internal Medicine Consultant, Apollo TeleHealth. The long-term effects may include fatigue, cardiac, respiratory symptoms, and neurological symptoms.
Looking at the current figures of recovered cases, more than half a million people may have to go through the horrifying struggle to latch on to dear life. Currently, India has seen 22,712,735 recovered cases, which is 99 per cent of the total cases with just one per cent deaths. The latest post-Covid complications story is giving a twist to the tale as the country might see more deaths in the months to come.
The post COVID complications are common in vulnerable patients such as patients above 60 years with or without comorbidities such as Diabetes, hypertension and cardiac disorders. The country has about 54.5 million cardiovascular diseases patients (according to a previous data), 77 million Diabetics, as of 2020, and similarly people struggling with serious ailments that are likely to get aggravated post COVID. Not only people with comorbidities, but the ones who have suffered severe COVID symptoms are equally at risk.
“It is found that individuals with a severe disease at the start of their illness have a greater risk of long-term cardiac complications secondary to COVID-19. But, recent scientific data suggests that even people with mild COVID-19 may develop long-term health complications that go well beyond the lungs,” Ali adds.
Dr Shuchin Bajaj, Founder & Director, Ujala Cygnus Group of Hospitals, says that deaths in such cases is not new in the second wave. It happens due to heart attack or because of developing severe post Covid pneumonia leading to low oxygen levels in the patient, requiring ventilator support and then dying. The reason for cardiac arrests in such cases is the increased thrombogenicity in the blood.
“The Covid-19 infection increases the thrombogenicity in the blood. This leads to thickening of blood owing to prothrombotic conditions. This virus makes the blood thicker, which leads to formation of blood clots which can later result in cardiac arrest. Also, COVID-19 has endothelial disease qualities that damage the inner lining of blood vessels of the heart and arteries which makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood as it is supposed to do,” Dr DK Jhamb, Director & HOD Cardiology, Paras Hospitals, Gurugram, tells you.
“It is found that individuals with a severe disease at the start of their illness have a greater risk of long-term cardiac complications secondary to COVID-19. But, recent scientific data suggests that even people with mild COVID-19 may develop long-term health complications that go well beyond the lungs,” Ali adds.
Although most people with COVID-19 get better within weeks of illness, some people experience post-Covid conditions. “Post-Covid conditions are a wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems people can experience more than four weeks after first being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. These post-Covid health conditions are known as “long Covid” or “long-haul Covid”. In such cases, a patient continues to experience symptoms of the disease four weeks after initial recovery,” Dr Deepak Verma, Internal Medicine, Columbia Asia Hospital, Ghaziabad, tells you.
He agrees with Ali and tells you that Covid-19 is also affecting multiple organs and body systems, including heart and blood vessels, lungs, kidneys, skin, brain and nerves. This virus has the potential to directly involve lung cells, leading to lung fibrosis. They stimulate the fibroblasts, causing fibrosis of the lungs and that is a tripling problem. “That is, you land with a ‘triple lung’, leading to fatigue and you always pant for breath,” Verma says.
Available data indicates that about a quarter of those with COVID-19 suffer from symptoms four-five weeks after testing positive, and about one in 10 experience symptoms after 12 weeks.
“While there is no conclusive evidence, people may experience post-Covid conditions due to persistence of the virus in some parts of the body that are sheltered from the immune system,” Verma adds.
Certain post Covid complications can be quite severe ranging right from death to continued breathlessness, post Covid pneumonia, inappropriate sinus and anxiety. These can last anywhere between two weeks and five months.
“We have seen hundreds of cases till now. And, one of them was a famous paediatrician, who was admitted in our hospital. He suffered from inappropriate sinus tachycardia for about four months after recovering from COVID. Every time he stood up and walk, his heart rate would shoot up to 150 per minute. He would develop severe palpitations and would have to sit down immediately. A visit to the toilet was like preparing for a marathon for him. He would think 10 times before standing up. It was a severe case and quite unfortunate too because it was a helpless situation. Thankfully, he has recovered now and is doing perfectly great,” adds Bajaj.
The only way, Jhamb says, to avoid these deaths is to take proper care even after recovering from the virus.
“The increased deaths can also be attributed to heart attacks and multiple organ failure as a result of post-Covid complications. It is disheartening to say that people with CVDs are at a higher risk of losing the battle against COVID. In such a scenario, patients with underlying diseases should be more careful than ever and should take proper care of themselves even after they have recovered from the infection. This is the only way deaths related to post-Covid complications can be reduced in the coming months,” Jhamb opines.
While, Ali suggests it is important to diagnose and treat the post-Covid complications early, in order to reduce mortality. “Early signs of post-Covid complications depend on the organ or the system involved post recovery. Complications range widely involving cardiac, neurological and respiratory systems. Take for example, if there is an impending cardiac complication then the patient can experience typical cardiac symptoms such as chest pain, palpitations, heaviness in the chest and others. This can further lead to increased chances of heart attacks. So, one has to be alert and should keep a watchful eye on the symptoms,” he says.
While we are still fighting the deadly second wave of COVID-19, many States are reporting a rash of mucormycosis aka black fungus cases.
While some doctors believe it is a post-Covid complication, there are no reports to back the fact. Also, several doctors disagree with the notion and say that it is simply an opportunistic infection and attacks people with a compromised immune system. It is also said to be a hospital acquired infection.
“Black fungus is an opportunistic infection and attacks people with a compromised immune system. Certain people like transplant patients, cancer patients and people on immunosuppression are at high risk. The fungal spores are present in our environment but can infect only when the immune system is down. Hence, we generally see these infections limited to a particular patient group,” Dr Sumana Arora, Vice President, Clinical Services, DayToDay Health, tells you.
However, we are seeing an explosion of black fungus infections lately in our country, especially with the COVID pandemic. Why, you ask?
“The novel Coronavirus infection by itself is diabetogenic. Further, the covid infection has two phases — the viral phase and the inflammatory phase. And not necessarily the infected patient goes through both phases. Most of the patients go through only a mild illness in the form of the viral phase and do not enter the inflammatory phase at all. However, for the patients who do enter the inflammatory phase of the illness, steroids are the standard of treatment. Unfortunately, we are seeing indiscriminate use of steroids even in the viral phase, which is doing more harm than good. This is leading to more patients entering the inflammatory phase,” she adds.
Additionally, poor sugar monitoring control and improper tapering of steroids add to the problem. The fact that India is the Diabetic Capital of the world doesn’t help either. “It is also suspected that the use of industrial oxygen, dirty masks and unclean tubes when using oxygen therapy is also leading to this infection, not to mention the unclean water for humidification for oxygen therapy,” she says.
Dr Archana Dhawan Bajaj, Gyneacologist Obstetrician and IVF expert, Nurture IVF, agrees with Arora and says that this is not per se a complication of COVID-19 alone, it can happen to anybody whose immunity is compromised.
“Patients with malignancies or HIV also have compromised immune system and are at a higher risk of getting fungal infection,” Bajaj says.
This fungus can enter through the sinuses into the brain and the lungs and from the brain. It could damage the eyes also. A very high mortality rate as high as 50 per cent found to be associated with mucormycosis. The disease can be easily cured if it is picked up at the early stages with drugs.
“If the disease gets at advanced stage which often happens in people with COVID-19, it becomes difficult to treat it. People with COVID and mucormycosis may have headache, breathlessness, difficulty in timing well or difficulty in vision along with other symptoms. Mucormycosis is potentially life-threatening condition and should be treated timely with adequate emphasis on all possible curative drugs and procedures,” Bajaj says.
Source: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/sunday-edition/covid-and-after.html
The COVID-19 pandemic has restricted children within ther four walls of their homes – drastically reducing their physical activity.
New Delhi: Coronavirus pandemic has hugely altered all spheres of our lives, with many of us wondering if we will ever get back to our pre COVID-19 lifestyle. The pandemic has sadly also impacted children we well, who for more than a year now, for many parts in the world, have not attended regular schools. They have also been restricted by their parents to go out and play with their friends and are largely home-bound.
Aryan*, a 12-year-old boy, who was a regular tennis player has gained eight to nine kilos in the last six months alone, shares Angelina Pillay, Dietician and Health Advisor, Apollo TeleHealth, about one of her client’s.
Due to lack of exercise and a sedentary lifestyle, Aryan gained weight so quickly. The young boy would also eat lots of namkeen packets sitting at home.
Sadly, he is not a lone case. “ Overweight and obesity have always been a problem in the urban population owing to rapidly changing lifestyle in the last one decade. The problem is exaggerated and has reached greater heights during the COVID pandemic,” shares Dr Meena J. Consultant, Paediatrics and Neonatology, Aakash Healthcare and Super Speciality Hospital.
Talking about how the COVID-19 pandemic is responsible for a spike in obesity among children, Dr Jesal Sheth, Senior Consultant-Paediatrician, Fortis Hospital, Mulund shares, “COVID has changed the lifestyle of children. Lockdown, sedentary lifestyle, restrictions, lack of play have increased the incidence of lifestyle disorders like obesity in children.”
It is important to look after children’s weight gain and manage it as early as possible. “Childhood obesity can lead to an increased risk of hypertension, diabetes and atherosclerosis in early adulthood,” shares Dr Sheth.
However, despite lockdown measures, there are steps that parents can be mindful of to ensure that their kids do not gain extra weight.
One of the easiest ways to look after both the physical and mental wellbeing of children is to actively engage with them and keep them involved in household chores as they are deprived of physical socializing. “Parents should take their children’s help in household activities like cooking, gardening, decorating or creating arts skills,” shares Pillay.
Breaking it down into 3 simple steps Pillay shares the secret of managing kids weight, “Develop healthy eating habits, limit calorie-rich temptations and limit sedentary time – this will help together to be active with children and ensure adequate sleep”.
‘The current data from India and other countries indicate that re-infections are rare. However, in some cases, it may occur any time beyond three months after recovery from COVID-19,’ says N.K. Arora
“COVID-19 is a recent disease and at times it displays symptoms which no other viral infection does. While we are developing understanding about the short and long-term impact on the body we now know that one may develop new symptoms six months to one year after recovering from COVID. The term given to this is long COVID,” said N.K. Arora, head, Operations Research Group which is part of the National Task force set up by Indian Council of Medical Research in response to COVID-19, speaking exclusively to The Hindu.
He added that studies have shown that after a COVID-19 infection, antibodies may persist for three to nine months, which prevent re-infections.
“The current data from India and other countries indicate that re-infections are rare. However, in some cases, it may occur any time beyond three months after recovery from COVID-19. Vaccines provide protection against severe disease for a longer duration,’’ he said.
Available data and research explain that not all but some people may experience long-term effects of COVID-19, said Mubasheer Ali, senior internal medicine consultant, Apollo TeleHealth. He noted that these long-term effects may include fatigue, respiratory symptoms, and neurological symptoms.
“This is long COVID and it refers to when people continue to experience symptoms of COVID-19 and do not fully recover for several weeks or months after the start of their symptoms. Although it is still unclear how many people have experienced long COVID, data from some COVID Symptom Study suggest that one in 10 people with the illness experience symptoms for three weeks or longer,” he said.
The virus strain B.1.617 was extremely infectious and virulent, said Sushant Chhabra, HOD, Emergency Medicine, Manipal Hospital, Delhi. He noted that currently some infected with this strain even after recovery were showing long-term injuries to the lungs which took a good four-five months for recovery.
“There are many cases which we have observed in the last few days wherein patients have COVID-19 like symptoms but their RT-PCR tests are showing negative results. Irrespective, we are treating them as COVID-19 patients,” said the doctor.
He added that they were seeing patients who recovered from COVID-19 in the first wave during October or November and had got re-infected in the second wave.
“The possibility of re-infection is always there in COVID-19 because their immunity is not a life-long thing. It generally stays for three-four months which is why patients end up getting re-infected,” he added.
There isn’t enough data to back the widespread use of Ivermectin in Covid patients and it can be recommended only in some mild to moderate cases, experts say as three states go ahead with plans to distribute the anti-parasitic drug as a preventive de…