Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): In Madhya Pradesh, lack of booster shots and proper infection control protocols in hospitals for healthcare and frontline workers could have serious implications. Dr Naresh Purohit, advisor, National Immunisation Programme shared this concern with Free Press on Saturday.
Dr Purohit said that umpteen people who were fully vaccinated against Covid-19 have tested positive with the Omicron variant.
He cautioned that now the concern is with most frontline workers having received their first dose against Covid-19, the acquired immunity is likely lost, and they are all virtually defenceless to fight a new infection.
Dr Purohit maintained boosters are urgently needed for healthcare workers since the entire healthcare system could collapse in case of a third wave.
So far, the first to be infected were healthcare workers during the first and second wave of infection. If they all go into isolation then the rest may get overwhelmed with the workload. He apprehended that it would be worrisome in the event healthcare workers (HCW) are exposed to the virus because this would leave their patients infected and affected.
He pointed out that not only will the common public suffer from infections, they will also suffer because all HCWs too would be infected and quarantined, therefore booster dose of vaccines and newer infection control protocols are crucial.
“Control measures for Omicron can’t be the same as those of Delta and Alpha variants. Omicron variant spreads much faster and can infect many more and so there should be a mandate that all healthcare workers must wear an N95 mask and ensure it is correctly worn,” Dr Purohit said.
He added that weekly testing regimes should be reintroduced for staff in all hospitals to ensure any new infection is identified and isolated before it could infect others. Dr Purohit has emailed a note to the health minister in this regard in light of wave predicted for January
