Covid-infected doctors in Vizag kept treating patients online

Visakhapatnam: Some Covid19-infected doctors suffering from the infection are dutifully performing their Covid duties via online platforms like WhatsApp and telecommunication.

Deccan Chronicle spoke to some of these doctors who have done exceptional services during the pandemic period in both the first and second waves.

Dr Vijay Kumar, civil assistant surgeon, Visakha Institute of Medical College (VIMS), was infected with the virus on April 27. His wife, a doctor at Gitam hospital, had suffered from the disease in the first wave.

“Covid infected me and my family including my mother and daughter. It was the severe peak stage of the second wave. I daily used to take Clexane injections against blood clots and go to the hospital to treat patients. My house is at KGH while the hospital is Hanumanthawaka, more than 10km away,” Dr. Vijay told DC.

Pulmonologist Dr. Gayatri Devi at the Government Chest Hospital, said, “I got admitted to the hospital where I worked. I used to attend to the patients over the phone from my hospital bed. Whatever I followed as a Covid patient, I recommended to the patients.”

Dr. Ram Kumar at Akkayyapalem said, “I got the infection in the first wave and went into the ICU for four days. I came back to my clinic and started attending to the patients via online.”

Andhra Medical College principal Dr. PV Sudhakar said many doctors and the medical teams dedicated their lives and services to the cause of treating C-patients during the pandemic. “Nearly 30 per cent of the medical team was infected with the disease. We lost eminent AMC professors Dr. Pusushottam and Dr. Venugopal.”

Former AP state Covid19 nodal officer Dr Prabhakara Reddy from Kurnool said, “Such loss of doctors and medical staff happened in the Covid19 pandemic period only. I had never seen such a huge loss of  medical staff since Independence.”

Visakhapatnam district medical and health officer Dr Suryanarayana said a total of seven medical teams including two doctors at KGH died of Covid.

Meanwhile, the Visakhapatnam district Covid control centre geared itself up for the third wave following reports of rising cases in Kerala and Maharashtra.

Visakhapatnam collector  Mallikarjuna Yadav has stressed the need to vaccinate all the eligible people at the earliest in order to prevent a further spread of the disease. “This apart, the people's support to the government in terms of thoroughly adhering to the protocols plays a key role in the effective Covid19 management,” the collector told media persons soon after taking charge.

The Visakhapatnam district medical and health officer Dr. Suryanarayana said more than 80 per cent of the eligible people were covered with the first dose of vaccine in the city and rural areas. The total number of eligible people will be 27 lakh in the district. Of them, 21 lakh people were administered the first dose, six lakh were jabbed the second dose.

Facts & figures

- 7 medical staff including KGH doctors succumbed to Covid19.

- First wave doctor deaths were 4, while 3 deaths in the second wave.

- Nearly 30 per cent of the 10,000 medical staff were infected.

- Nearly 10-15 per cent of the infected doctors served patients online even as they were suffering from the disease.

- Total 1,52,353 positive cases reported in Vizag district since March 2020.