There is need to distinguish between RT-PCR positives and clinical cases of Covid-19

Insisting on the need to distinguish between RT-PCR positives and clinical cases of Covid-19, an open letter by 20 doctors and medical professionals:

***

Firstly the virus has gone through the Indian population enough and is now well established as an endemic infection which shall keep causing flu like illness in only few people as most will not even develop severe symptoms.
The ICMR had already called for the suspension of testing anyone not having any symptoms (Jan 2022).
Children have been shown to tackle the virus much easier than adults. Children also do not pass Covid infection to others that easily as adults do to children. Schools have opened and no single outbreak or incidences of severe disease have been documented.
Therefore healthy children must not be tested for Covid anymore unless the treating doctor in hospitalised cases requires it.
Calling people (children or adults) with RT-PCR positive report as “cases” is faulty. A “case” is a person who has disease and presents with clinical symptoms and on subsequent testing is diagnosed as a clinical case of Covid. Please do not call all RT-PCR positives as “cases”. In fact, the term Covid-19 is defined as illness/disease, and it cannot be applied to someone who has no symptoms/illness, merely on the basis of some test.
The public should be given complete and relevant information. How many tested positive for RT-PCR is not relevant. Report instead on hospitalization, and include information on comorbidities and age. Reporting should also give equal weightage to other major killer diseases such as tuberculosis, cancer, etc.
Giving an incomplete picture amounts to misinformation and fear mongering. If the true and complete picture is presented, the public will not get into fear or panic, and we will be able to take rational decisions.
It is responsible media reporting that can keep the public rightly informed rather than misinformed or ill-informed.

The undersigned (each in individual capacity),

1. Dr. Amitav Banerjee, MD, Clinical Epidemiologist, Prof & Head, Community Medicine, Dr DY Patil Medical College, Pune
2. Dr. Praveen K Saxena, MBBS, DMRD, FCMT, Hyderabad
3. Dr. Veena Raghava, MBBS, DA, Clinical Nutrition (NIN), Bengaluru
4. Dr. Vijay Raghava, MBBS (Family Physician), Bengaluru
5. Dr. Arvind Singh Kushwaha, MD, Nagpur
6. Dr. Maya Valecha, MD, DGO, Vadodara, Gujarat
7. Dr. Megha Consul, MD, DNB Paediatrics, Clinical Fellow (University of Western Ontario), Gurugram
8. Dr. Abhay Chheda, BHMS, CCAH, FCAH (Director, Centre For Cosmic Homoeopathy), Mumbai
9. Dr. Firuzi Mehta BHMS (Mum.) HMD (Lon.) IACH DIHom (Gr.) - Homeopathic physician, Mumbai
10. Dr. Mufassil Dingankar, BHMS, ADND, MSc, Consultant Physician & Medical Researcher, Thane
11. Dr. Srinivas Kakkilaya, MBBS, MD, Physician, Mangaluru
12. Dr. Gayatri Panditrao, BHMS, PGDEMS, Homoeopathic Physician, Pune
13. Dr. Susan Raj - B.Sc. Nurse; MSW (M&P) Behavior Specialist; Doctorate-Humanities; Certified Mineral Therapist; Director Sustainable Arogya Awas Foundation, Dist. Rajnandgaon State Chhattisgarh
14. Dr. Lalit Kumar Anande, MBBS, Ex Medical Superintendent Group of TB Hospitals
(Mumbai), Special Interest in treatment of Drug Resistance TB and it's Complications + Anti Oxidant Therapies
15. Dr. K Arul, MBBS, FMMC, Integrative Physician, Chennai
16. Dr Sudhir Jagtap, MD (Medicine) Consultant Physician, Nutrition and Wellness Advisor, Pune
17. Dr. Gautam Das, MBBS, Kolkata
18. Dr. Manigreeva Krishnatreya, MBBS, DLO, MHA (P), Physician and cancer researcher, Guwahati
19. Dr. Geraldine Sanjay, B.Sc, MBBS, DFM, MD, Assistant Professor, SABVMCRI, Bengaluru
20. Dr. N. K. Sharma, ND, Ph.D., Founder Chairman Reiki Healing Foundation, Delhi

Comments

Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan raises concerns over Jharkhand Adivasis' plight in Assam, BJP policies

By Our Representative The Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan (Save Democracy Campaign) has issued a pressing call to protect Adivasi rights in Jharkhand, highlighting serious concerns over the treatment of Jharkhandi Adivasis in Assam. During a press conference in Ranchi on November 9, representatives from Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh criticized the current approach of BJP-led governments in these states, arguing it has exacerbated Adivasi struggles for rights, land, and cultural preservation.

Promoting love or instilling hate and fear: Why is RSS seeking a meeting with Rahul Gandhi?

By Ram Puniyani* India's anti-colonial struggle was marked by a diverse range of social movements, one of the most significant being Hindu-Muslim unity and the emergence of a unified Indian identity among people of all religions. The nationalist, anti-colonial movement championed this unity, best embodied by Mahatma Gandhi, who ultimately gave his life for this cause. Gandhi once wrote, “The union that we want is not a patched-up thing but a union of hearts... Swaraj (self-rule) for India must be an impossible dream without an indissoluble union between the Hindus and Muslims of India. It must not be a mere truce... It must be a partnership between equals, each respecting the religion of the other.”

Right-arm fast bowler who helped West Indies shape arguably greatest Test team in cricket history

By Harsh Thakor* Malcolm Marshall redefined what it meant to be a right-arm fast bowler, challenging the traditional laws of biomechanics with his unique skill. As we remember his 25th death anniversary on November 4th, we reflect on the legacy he left behind after his untimely death from colon cancer. For a significant part of his career, Marshall was considered one of the fastest and most formidable bowlers in the world, helping to shape the West Indies into arguably the greatest Test team in cricket history.

Andhra team joins Gandhians to protest against 'bulldozer action' in Varanasi

By Rosamma Thomas* November 1 marked the 52nd day of the 100-day relay fast at the satyagraha site of Rajghat in Varanasi, seeking the restoration of the 12 acres of land to the Sarva Seva Sangh, the Gandhian organization that was evicted from the banks of the river. Twelve buildings were demolished as the site was abruptly taken over by the government after “bulldozer” action in August 2023, even as the matter was pending in court.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual.

Will Left victory in Sri Lanka deliver economic sovereignty plan, go beyond 'tired' IMF agenda?

By Atul Chandra, Vijay Prashad* On September 22, 2024, the Sri Lankan election authority announced that Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) alliance won the presidential election. Dissanayake, who has been the leader of the left-wing JVP since 2014, defeated 37 other candidates, including the incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP) and his closest challenger Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya.

Will Bangladesh go Egypt way, where military ruler is in power for a decade?

By Vijay Prashad* The day after former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka, I was on the phone with a friend who had spent some time on the streets that day. He told me about the atmosphere in Dhaka, how people with little previous political experience had joined in the large protests alongside the students—who seemed to be leading the agitation. I asked him about the political infrastructure of the students and about their political orientation. He said that the protests seemed well-organized and that the students had escalated their demands from an end to certain quotas for government jobs to an end to the government of Sheikh Hasina. Even hours before she left the country, it did not seem that this would be the outcome.

A Marxist intellectual who dwelt into complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape

By Harsh Thakor* Professor Manoranjan Mohanty has been a dedicated advocate for human rights over five decades. His work as a scholar and activist has supported revolutionary democratic movements, navigating complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape. His balanced, non-partisan approach to human rights and social justice has made his books essential resources for advocates of democracy.

Tributes paid to pioneer of Naxalism in Punjab, who 'dodged' police for 60 yrs

By Harsh Thakor* Jagjit Singh Sohal, known as Comrade Sharma, a pioneer of Naxalism in Punjab, passed away on October 20 at the age of 96. Committed to the Naxalite cause and a prominent Maoist leader, Sohal, who succeeded Charu Majumdar, played hide and seek with the police for almost six decades. He was cremated in Patiala.

Search This Blog