Double dose of COVID-19 vaccine saves lives from Omicron, says LNJP Hospital MD Dr Suresh Kumar

With the surge in cases of Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the national capital, Dr Suresh Kumar, the MD of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital (LNJP) emphasised on people getting a double dose of vaccination.

Speaking to ANI, Dr Kumar said till now the hospital has admitted 34 patients of Omicron of which only two were not vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.

"Till now we have 34 confirmed cases of Omicron admitted from the first week of December till today and we have successfully discharged 18 patients. So, the majority of these patients report very well and right now we have 16 patients admitted at present. Only two patients were not vaccinated-- out of 34, 32 were vaccinated as they received both doses of vaccine and a few patients also received a booster dose," said Dr Kumar.

LNJP Hospital MD said that the patients who are fully vaccinated do not have a major complication and they do not require ICU admission and their oxygen level is also normal.

"In our hospital, we have seen that majority of patients have already received two doses of vaccination and they do not have a major complication. They do not require ICU admission and their oxygen level is also normal. This is possible because they are fully vaccinated. But if one is not vaccinated, then the complication and chances of death are much more. So vaccination saves life from the Omicron," he said.

He said that precautions need to be taken as the Omicron spreads three times faster than the other COVID variant.

"According to data so far, we have shown that Omicron spreads three times faster than the other COVID variant. So this rate of transmission is very fast, and the symptoms are mild. So we have to see that the clinical picture and with the limited experience we can tell that the clinical picture is a little bit different than the previous variant and major symptoms are weakness body ache, low-grade fever, pain in the throat and mild diarrhoea and majority of the patient do not have any symptoms," he said.

He further said that 80 per cent of Omicron patients do not have any symptoms.

"What we have observed in our ward and in our hospitals is that majority of the patients do not have any symptoms, they are asymptomatic, so 80 per cent of these patients do not have any symptoms, no fever, nobody ache, no fall in the oxygen saturation. And they are just admitted in the isolation ward, but only three patients out of 34 have mild minimal symptoms," he said.

Dr Kumar said that the minimal symptoms of Omicron are body ache, low-grade fever. One patient had only diarrhoea and weakness.

Further speaking on booster dose he said that professional bodies like doctors' associations and other professional organizations are demanding boosters for the frontline workers because frontline workers are at risk.

"Booster dose is being given in the Europe, UK, USA and many countries. But in our country, many professional bodies like doctors' associations and other professional organizations are demanding booster doses for the frontline workers because frontline workers are at risk. But that expert panel expert will definitely be said about the merits and demerits," he said.

Comparing the Omicron variant with the Delta variant, Dr Kumar said that if we compare both the variants then Omicron symptoms are just mild and most of these patients have recovered without any treatment.

"So if you compare the delta and this current Omicron then during Delta the oxygen saturation was falling very rapidly and there was a huge demand of ICU beds ventilator. Most of these patients had multi-organ failure and in delta, we have seen major mortality. But in Omicron most of these patients are stable. They don't require hospitalization. We have not seen a single death so far in India. The symptoms are just mild and most of these patients recover without any treatment," said the doctor.

He further said that the treatment of Coronavirus Omicron is the same as steroid antiviral drugs and oxygen therapy.

Dr Kumar said that the spike in COVId-19 cases in the national capital is because of large international travel.

"It is because of large-scale international travel. Delhi and Mumbai are big, busy airports and a lot of international travellers come from the affected countries. We see a large number of patients travelling from such countries and so far we have received more than 150 admissions in Lok Nayak Hospital and the majority of these patients are having different variants that is a delta and they are successfully discharged. So this time, we see that Omicron cases are there and the majority of these patients going home without any concern or any complications," he said.

He further said that there is a need to be more alert, vigilant and to prevent this spread of Omicron is a must-have two doses of vaccine.

"So we hope that the people are more alert, more vigilant and don't lower their guard. Because if we are careless, then definitely the chance of spread of Omicron is much more. To prevent this spread of Omicron one a must have two doses of vaccine and we must wear a mask and follow the COVID guidelines. This is very important critical because if we are careless, definitely it's going to spread," he added.

India has so far reported over 200 cases of the new variant, which was first detected in South Africa.

According to the Union Health Ministry's COVID bulletin issued earlier in the day, 213 cases of Omicron have been reported in the country so far. Out of this, Delhi topped the list with 57 confirmed cases followed by Maharashtra (54 cases) and Telangana (24 cases).

The new variant of COVID-19 was first reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) from South Africa on November 25.

WHO has classified Omicron as a variant of concern.

India reported the first case of Omicron on December 2.

( With inputs from ANI )

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