Don't let fear dominate precautions

Ongole: The chairman of the Indian Red Cross Society Prakasam district unit, P Prakash said that there is a difference between fear and precautions and people should not allow fear to dominate their minds.

As part of the service programs on behalf of the Indian Red Cross Society, Prakash and his team took-up free distribution of food, masks, sanitisers and other essential commodities to hundreds of needy people every day during the lockdown last year. On one of such days, Prakash said that he felt shivering while bathing and observed his body temperature increase. He said that he is already prepared for the contraction by Coronavirus, due to his activities in the last few days. Following which he confined himself to home isolation for 15 days, without stepping out of the bedroom at least once, just to make sure no one gets infected by him. He said that he followed the advice of the doctors, took the basic medicines and consumed healthy food and recovered completely.

Prakash said that as a psychologist, he knows the difference between fear and precaution. He said that coronavirus is causing the illness but more than 90 per cent of the deaths of Covid patients are due to depression and fear. Though confined himself in a tiny world for more than two weeks, he said that he kept himself focussed on the changes in health, observed the temperature, heart rate, BP and oxygen saturation levels and helped himself in following all protocols to beat COVID confidently.

The psychologist said that if any people suspect that they are infected with Coronavirus to consult the doctor first, agree to a stay in home isolation of COVID Care Centre, strictly follow the COVID protocols. He observed that due to the influence of media and social media, every person is becoming tensed and starting their own treatment. He said that besides hoarding Remdesivir injections, the people themselves are referring for oxygen and ventilator support and advising the doctors to immediately join them in ICU to start treatment. He advised the people to take precautions like using double masks, maintaining physical distance, taking medicines as per the prescription, noting values of temperature, SPO2, breathing and BP in regular intervals, but not the fear take control of their mind so that it reduces the immunity, SPO2 levels and cause death by difficulty in breathing.

The IRCS Prakasam district chairman announced that apart from the regular blood donation camps and medical camps, they are opening Svantana, a tele-counselling centre for the people in depression due to COVID. He said that they are using the services of Dr Vimala Devi, HoD of Psychology in Acharya Nagarjuna University and psychologist Sankar to comfort the people with their counselling. He said that they are also opening a Generic Medical Shop in front of the district collectorate, to help the public in reducing the medicines bill to a considerable extent, and donate about 15 oxygen concentrators to GGH Ongole with the help from NRIs very soon.