Masks, Physical Distancing, Hand Hygiene Of Utmost Importance In India, Say Experts

New Delhi: With 20 lakh COVID-19 cases, the third-highest after US and Brazil, India can’t afford to take it easy when it comes to taking precautions against the pandemic.

Top health experts have advised that Indians need to stick to basic precautionary measures like wearing masks, physical distancing, hand hygiene, and surface disinfection till a safe and effective vaccine is found, reported India Today.

The advice was given at a webinar organised by the Association of Healthcare Providers of India (AHPI) on the subject of ‘Covid Care: Community Transmission and Herd Immunity’.

“The government has to enforce the wearing of masks properly as many people are still not wearing it or donning it improperly below their nose.” Also, private hospitals are overwhelmed while there are few takers for beds in government hospitals. Public and private partnership is critical in meeting healthcare challenges like COVID-19 in India,” said president of AHPI, Dr Alexander Thomas.

Echoing similar views, Dr Vinay Aggarwal, MD, Pushpanjali Medical Centre, New Delhi said that the best way to contain the spread of COVID-19 is proper use of masks, sanitisation and social distancing followed by testing and home isolation.

While India has a low fatality rate and high recovery rate compared to the US and Brazil, the country needs to adhere to basic precautions, India Today quoted experts as saying.

Director-General, Association of Healthcare Providers in India, Dr. Girdhar J. Gyani, pointed out that India has 30 COVID-19 deaths per million compared to a staggering 464 in Brazil and 492 in the US. India’s recovery rate has gone up to 65 percent and the fatality rate has gone down to two percent from 3.6 percent, the report added.

However, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) recently stated that the community spread of the deadly coronavirus has started, and the situation is bad in the country, reported India Today.