New Delhi: The new deadly coronavirus infecting people in China has no cure at present. No vaccine exists either to prevent the disease.
India, therefore, is on alert to prevent the spread of the infection here from China, where it originated.
In case it does spread, top doctors say, the hospitals are well-equipped to handle the situation.
The virus causes flu-like symptoms, for example cold, chills and respiratory distress.
Dr Randeep Guleria, the director of AIIMS, told that evidence so far suggests mortality rates of the virus aren’t very high.
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“The government has already put in thermal scanners at airports to detect possible cases. So far, there have been none.
But even if such cases are found, we have enough infrastructure and expertise to contain the spread of the disease,” he said.
AIIMS, Dr Guleria said, has a cubicle where six to seven patients can be isolated for treatment.
“Depending on the requirement, we can increase the capacity of isolation wards 100% or more,” he said.
(RML) and Safdarjunghospitals, too, have infrastructure in place to create isolation wards at short notice. Infected people may be required to be separated from other patients and the general population.
