New Delhi: A day after Delhi recorded India's second death owing to COVID-19, All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) Director Dr Randeep Guleria on Saturday said that there is "no need to panic" while underlining that we need to be "vigilant and cautious" in monitoring the spread of the disease.
"There is no need to panic. All of the cases in India either came from outside or individuals who came in close contact with those coming from outside. There is no community spread so far as India is concerned. We are still better off than many countries like Europe and the US, " Guleria told ETV Bharat.
The AIIMS director added, "However, we need to be vigilant and cautious in terms of monitoring and making sure that there is no community cluster or outbreak, and if there is how do we contain that."
When asked about the symptoms of the deadly disease, Guleria said that the symptoms are very "non-specific".
"Symptoms are very non-specific. If you have a fever, cold, sore throat, cough, body ache...and this will occur to a large number of people who have common flu or cold, so this is very non-specific...the only important thing to add to is that if you have traveled in the last 14 days to an area where there is a large outbreak of COVID-19 or you have in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 then you should worry and get yourself tested, " said Guleria.
Elaborating on the precautions to avoid contraction of COVID-19, Guleria said, "As a precaution, you should avoid going to areas where there is a large crowd. You should repeatedly wash your hands, especially when you are traveling outside, in a metro or any common facility, then you should use soap and water or a hand sanitiser, so that you don't spread the virus further."
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On educational institutes being shut down countrywide, Dr. Gulleria said, "This is a cautious and a good decision because we want to contain the spread of the disease right now. Schools and colleges are areas where a large number of students come together and if one of them has the infection it can quickly spread."
When asked if AIIMS has taken any special measure to tackle the disease, Dr. Guleria said, "We have set up a COVID-19 task force which is working on a daily basis, preparing SOP's, facilities, and making sure that if there are cases we are ready to handle them."
The number of positive cases of coronavirus in India has risen to 84, said Health Ministry on Saturday.
More than 4,000 people, who had come in contact with 84 positive cases, are under surveillance, said the ministry.
Seven people, including five from Uttar Pradesh and one from Rajasthan and Delhi, who tested positive for coronavirus, got discharged after treatment.
