CHENNAI : Doctors at the Government Corona Hospital at King Institute in Guindy, who have treated 23 confirmed cases of Omicron so far, said the precautions and treatment protocol in place against the variant have been the same as for the other SARS-CoV-2 variants.
They, however, added that people need to be extra careful against the variant because of its high transmissibility.
The doctors said they have observed that the transmissibility of the variant is high, but its severity is less.
“We haven’t seen any (Omicron) patient with severe symptoms so far. No one has in fact required oxygen support. They have only mild symptoms like cold, sore throat, and cough. This has been the case even among the unvaccinated,” said Dr. M Malarvizhi, an assistant professor at the hospital.
Dr. Malarvizhi, however, said the speed of infection of the variant has been high as contacts of index cases have tested positive within a day after the index cases turn positive; this shows how infectious the variant is, she added.
Dr. K Narayanaswamy, Director of the hospital, who has been interacting with those confirmed with the variant and admitted at the hospital, advised everyone to not panic and rather follow Covid-19 appropriate behaviour to stay protected.
“Get vaccinated, wear face masks properly, wash hands frequently, maintain social distance, and avoid crowds. Only these things will protect one against Covid no matter what the variant may be. If people understand this, it will be a relief to us (doctors) and the government,” he added.
Dr. Malarvizhi also warned that if there is a rise in caseload, the severity of the disease might also increase as those with comorbidities and are immunocompromised will get affected.
This will, subsequently, increase the mortality rate, she added.
As on Sunday, the hospital has admitted 63 people with ‘S’-gene drop -- a marker for the variant. International travellers who test positive upon arrival in Chennai are also isolated at the hospital.
Dr. Vigneshwaran, a doctor at the hospital, said: “We make sure that those confirmed or suspected to be infected with Omicron do not mingle with other Covid patients. We segregate them as soon as they enter the hospital.”
It may be noted that in a letter to district collectors and other officials on Saturday, Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan had pointed out that data has shown that the spread of the variant has been significantly high among close contacts of those infected.