THE INCREASE in coronavirus (Covid-19) cases calls for cautiousness, not fear, say Bahrain medics, urging infected people to be sensible about self-care while isolating themselves.
They reminded everyone that Omicron is highly contagious and that they should keep a ‘strict’ social distance and wear a face mask ‘all the time’.
The call comes as January has already registered 79,960 cases, the highest monthly total ever and a massive increase from 4,372 cases in December.
The first two weeks of January saw 20,810 cases, while the fortnight following witnessed a nearly 180 per cent increase – 59,150 cases.
From January 1 to 14, the daily average of 1,486 cases increased to 4,200 from January 15 to 29.
“Omicron is highly infectious, and regardless of how mild the symptoms are, we must maintain strict social distancing and wear masks, even at home,” American Mission Hospital chief executive Dr George Cheriyan told the GDN.
“Both the infected and others must be cautious, as this is the only way to limit the spread.”
He emphasised that the mortality rate remains low due to the kingdom’s high vaccination rates and mostly mild infections. Only the vulnerable, often with existing health issues, have ended up in hospital or needing critical care treatment.
Seven deaths occurred in the last two weeks, bringing the total for the month (as of January 29) to 10. Since July, when 32 people died, fatalities have been on the decline, with none last month. There were four deaths in August, one in September, four in October, and one in November. Tragically, the total number of deaths has reached 1,404, which includes the 352 deaths in 2020.
The number of active cases is also rapidly increasing, reaching 39,672 on January 29 from 3,782 on the first day of the month. Cases in the hospital also surpassed 100 on Saturday (109) while those in the intensive care unit (ICU) reached 13, a figure that had been below 10 since January 16.
Royal Bahrain Hospital internist Dr Sunil Rao also attributed the mild symptoms, low rates of hospitalisations, intensive care and deaths – despite the increasing daily cases – to the high level of vaccinations in the population.
For those testing positive to Covid-19, he offered simple advice. “Wear a mask if in close confines, try to stay at least six feet away from family members. Stay in a separate room if possible, use your own utensils and rest,” he said.
“Family members who are close contacts will need to get tested and, remember, face masks must be worn indoors.”
AMH General Physician Dr Babu Ramachandran urged people to be alert while isolating. “If symptoms remain mild then self-care is permissible but it should be approached with caution,” he advised.
Dr Ramachandran
“It is acceptable to treat symptoms at home. However, if symptoms are aggravated my advice is to please seek medical advice and don’t take any risks.
“If one member in a household tests positive that person should be self-isolated even if the accommodation is small. The remaining members should wear a mask and observe regular hand hygiene.”
A Bahraini family physician, who requested anonymity, pointed out that compared to previous variants, the Omicron variant appears to be producing mild, flu-like symptoms.
“So, in my opinion, people should not panic, but rather be cautious and make sure they are fully vaccinated – both the young and the old.”
Among the other parameters, test positivity increased from 10.4 to 24.7 – the highest level ever – in the last two weeks, after ranging from 2.8 to 9.29 in the first two weeks. The previous high of 15.32pc was set on January 19, surpassing the high of 11.8pc set in June of last year.
The test positivity rate, also known as the Covid-19 positive rate, is the percentage of positive cases from daily tests performed in a country/state. It denotes the possibility of an individual contracting the infection from his or her community. The rate was of significance, when the four-tier traffic-light mechanism to assess virus spread was based on daily Covid-19 cases.
The National Taskforce to Combat Covid-19 revised its protocols in November to base the levels on ICU cases. Currently Bahrain is on a ‘precautionary’ yellow level until February 14.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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