New Delhi: Apart from the ICU, health workers do not need to wear PPE kits to look after the admitted patients. This information has been given by Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). He has said that a well-fitted N-95 mask and face shield is sufficient for protection. Many other experts are also calling the use of a PPE kit less necessary for the general care of Kovid.
According to the Times of India, Dr. Guleria says that gloves and gowns can be worn for extra protection, but PPE kits are not needed. He explained, ‘All available evidence suggests that the virus that causes Covid-19 is transmitted when a person breathes in air contaminated with droplets containing virus particles or airborne particles. The role of the surface in spreading the disease is negligible or negligible.
During the first and second waves of the corona epidemic, health workers used PPE kits on a large scale. However, now Dr. Guleria says that there are no orders for their use in the new international guidelines. He said, ‘While caring for a Covid-19 infected person in the ICU, it is still necessary for the person to wear a PPE kit because sometimes management involves aerosol preparation procedures.’
Dr. Shuchin Bajaj, Founder Director, Ujala Cygnus Group of Hospitals, says that for the first time PPE kits were seen in the first and second wave. “We don’t see an immediate need for it as the new variant is just emerging,” he said. It has been clearly shown in several studies that Covid-19 spreads when people breathe air contaminated with airborne particles or droplets laden with the virus. The role of fomites is not much.
Doctors said that PPE kits are expensive and were not easily available during the initial stages of the pandemic. In its use, health workers faced many problems like sweating and careful removal and wearing. Separating them may help to overcome the difficulties in patient management. However, Dr. Suresh Kumar of Lok Nayak Hospital said that some doctors have spoken of maximum precautions to prevent the spread of the disease.
