Muscat: “The Delta virus has led to many COVID-19 patients than previous variants. There were complications typical to this strain that many took lightly and paid a heavy price, at times, in lives,” Dr Dilip Sanghvi, said. The Internal Medicine Specialist at Apollo Hospital Muscat told Gulf News the number of cases admitted at their facility during this wave was higher than before.
“From April till June, we were overwhelmed by a steady flow of COVID-19 patients, and had too many admissions due to the second wave. Our COVID-19 ward was full and we had to restrict admissions only to patients who warranted inpatient treatment. Priority was given to those with really low oxygen saturation levels and severe symptoms. Rest of the patients were treated in Outpatient Department and also in Emergency Rooms.”
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Dr Sanghvi said people don’t fully understand how serious the threat is. Newer strains exhibit new symptoms, hence all the more reason symptoms like fever, cold or difficulty in breathing are not to be taken lightly, he said. He added that many patients were brought to hospital after the symptoms got worse, which cost lives.
“All hospitals, including ours, were stretched to the maximum and we had to increase the number of beds in order to accommodate more patients. Now, from the beginning of July, the number of admissions has reduced, which could be due to implementation of the lock down. Severe and critical cases continue to get admitted but in smaller numbers and this has eased the pressure on the system.”
Dr Sanghvi advised people to continue following the precautionary measures, including wearing face masks, washing hands with soap, practising social distancing and avoiding crowded places even after two jabs of vaccination.
