SRINAGAR: Asking people to avoid improper use of facemasks venturing out unnecessarily, a senior endocrinologist has asserted that the virus makes no distinction between diabetics and non-diabetics.
Dr Khurshid Ahmad Bhat, Consultant, Endocrinologist in Super Speciality Hospital Srinagar said diabetes and thyroid-related problems are common in J&K but diabetics as such are not more prone to getting infected with Covid-19 when compared with non-diabetic patients.
“However, in case of diabetes is not under control then there can be severity in disease. Besides, the stress in infected patients can lead to an increase in sugar level and diabetic patients must monitor their sugar levels during the course of infection. Steroids given during severity of the disease can also increase blood sugar levels and patients need to do frequent monitoring of their sugar level so that dose of insulin can be modulated,” Dr Bhat said. “The diabetic patients, in general, need to continue with their medicine properly and check fasting blood sugar and post-breakfast blood sugar at least once in a month.”
“Vaccination is very important and requested all eligible people to come forward for vaccination,” Dr Bhat said. He dispelled rumours and myths regarding vaccination and said that both vaccines Covishield and Covaxin are safe and minor side effects like temporary fever and body ache after vaccination can be treated with a tablet of paracetamol. “There is no need to panic, it can only aggravate management and containment of virus”, Dr Bhat advised.
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“Simple infection can be treated at home by taking paracetamol, drinking enough water, home isolation and following SOPs,” Dr Bhat said. However, a decrease in oxygen saturation below 93% implies hospitalization is required said Endocrinologist Dr Khursheed.
Dr Bhat said that testing capacity has been overwhelmed and suggested judicious use of testing. He informed that “If a person tested positive then there is no need of repeated RT-PCR”, also, “If a person had been asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic and has recovered” further testing is not advisable, he doesn’t need further testing.
