We should only go by the number of patients admitted in hospital. One lakh people or 50,000 people getting positive does not mean anything," Shetty said.
Amid fresh COVID-19 concerns in different parts of the country and apprehensions about a possible fourth wave of the pandemic, renowned cardiac surgeon Dr Devi Prasad Shetty on Monday said, there is no need to fear or have panic reactions and the concentration should be on number of hospitalisations and not the positivity.
He advised people to continue to wear masks and maintain social distance. "Third wave was not that serious, so there is no need to fear or have panic reactions. We should only go by the number of patients admitted in hospital. One lakh people or 50,000 people getting positive does not mean anything," Shetty said.
Speaking to reporters here, he further said, "The whole country may be positive, but if there are no COVID patients in hospital, it doesn't make any difference. So concentration should be on the number of patients in the hospital, not the positivity." The founder-chairman of Narayana Health advised people to continue wearing masks and practice social distancing and consult doctors if there are any health issues.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is holding a review meeting with senior Ministers, officials and health experts today regarding the current COVID situation in the state. Amid concerns about a possible fourth wave, Health Minister K Sudhakar had recently said such a situation does not exist in the state as of now, but the government was taking all the required precautionary measures and monitoring rise in cases in other states and countries. Karnataka recorded 60 fresh COVID-19 cases and zero fatalities on Sunday, taking the total infections in the state to 39,46,934, and death toll to 40,057.
(With PTI inputs)