NEW DELHI: The issue of post-COVID complications came up before the Delhi High Court which was informed on Monday that due to the new variant, patients are dying after recovering and discharge from hospitals and there was a need for an expert committee to examine it.
The high court was told that in the first wave, the variant was not so lethal as it is this time and people are being attacked by 'Happy hypoxia' in which the oxygen level, pulse rate and blood pressure dips immediately and the patient dies of heart attack.
The advocate, who was arguing the matter, said there is only around 10 minutes time left after the attack which is very less to get medical help and urged the court to direct an expert committee to examine such post-COVID complications.
He urged the court to direct the government and Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) to prepare standard operating procedure (SOP) for those suffering from post COVID complications.
A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh, which was informed that an expert committee was earlier constituted to examine the issue, said the panel should also look into this now.
The bench said if there is no expert committee now, it will pass directions in this regard.
The advocate orally raised the issue of post COVID complications and said because of this new variant, people are dying even after recovery and getting discharged from the hospital.
Advocate Rakesh Malhotra referred to a December 23, 2020 order passed by the court in the petition, in which the high court had asked the expert committee already constituted by the Delhi government to examine the aspect of post COVID complications and come up with a SOP which will be given wide publicity.
He had then stated that Delhi Government may be called upon to address the issue by preparing a standard operating procedure (SOP) for those suffering from post COVID complications relating to the lungs and other vital organs.
The high court, on its own, has revived a disposed of petition filed by advocate Malhotra related to COVID-19 testings and infrastructure, noting that the virus has raised its ugly head once again and the pandemic is raging with much greater intensity and "it is evident that the healthcare infrastructure is at the stage of imminent collapse".