DNA Exclusive: Don't take COVID-19 lightly, it may hit your pocket, health hard; here's why

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (October 20) appealed to people to follow COVID-19 guidelines and said this is not the time to be careless as the virus is still around and even a small negligence can dampen their festive spirit.

In his seventh address to the nation following the coronavirus outbreak, PM Modi cited the examples of the US and several European countries to note that the COVID-19 cases there have witnessed a sudden rise after witnessing a fall, and cautioned citizens against any laxity until an effective cure is found.

Despite the Prime Minister's warning, politicians in the country are least bothered and the glaring examples can be seen in the ongoing poll campaign for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. In Paliganj today, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav held a big rally where thousands of people took part, flouting COVID-19 guidelines. 

Similarly, violation of the COVID-19 norms was also witnessed in the election meeting of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Jehanabad, where thousands of people were least bothered about social distancing. In another political rally in Kaimur district of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addressed people and the situation here too was similar.

Amid this scenario, significant news came especially for those who have been cured of coronavirus infection. If they are relaxed thinking that there is no need to fear them anymore, they must worry because new research has suggested that even after recovering from COVID-19, people are facing the problems like breathing trouble, fatigue, anxiety, and depression. Thus, they won't be able to lead a normal healthy life again.

According to an Oxford University research, 6 out of every 10 patients had trouble breathing even after recovering from the COVID-19 infection. 

During the investigation, it was found that the lungs of 60 percent of COVID-19 patients, kidneys of 29 percent, the heart of 26 percent, and the liver of 10 percent of the patients were not working properly. Some patients had problems with more than one organ and even after several months of recovery, they confronted problems like inflammation and irritation.

Five out of every 10 patients had fatigue problems, while many patients had symptoms of anxiety and depression. In the UK, these symptoms were visible among patients even 2 to 3 months after being infected with the coronavirus. 

Experts in Britain have named these symptoms as 'Long Covid' after witnessing coronavirus symptoms for a longer period. The study was conducted on 50 patients in the UK.

This study is very useful for the 67 lakh Indian people who have recovered from the deadly virus. Doctors opine that the COVID-19 infection takes 14 days to heal. You may be discharged from the hospital after your infection is cured, but some symptoms of coronavirus will remain present in your body.

It may be noted here that this deadly virus infection not only affects your body but will also break your family financially. According to a report, 200 million families in the country are not able to afford the expensive COVID-19 treatment. 

According to a survey, 80 percent of Delhi's households spend less than Rs 25,000 per month, while Delhi is number one in the whole country in terms of spending this amount every month. If there are 5 people in a family in Delhi, then the average expenditure on each person is Rs 5,000. If one person in the family gets infected with COVID-19, then the family's back would be broken only by the cost of that treatment. 

Notably, the treatment cost of COVID-19 in Delhi is fixed. The cost of ICU for a patient in Delhi hospitals for 10 days is around Rs 1.50 lakh. If the ventilator is used in the ICU for 10 days, the same expenditure will be up to a maximum of Rs 1.80 lakh. The average cost of COVID-19 treatment for 10 days ranges from Rs 1.50 lakh to Rs 1.80 lakh. This bill of treatment is 5 to 7 times more than the monthly expenses of the 80 percent of families of Delhi. 

If you spend 10 days in ICU for COVID-19 treatment at a private hospital in Delhi, the cost would be around Rs 7 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. If these expenses are so much for the families in Delhi, then what will happen to the rest of the states in the country. 

More than 67 lakh people in the country have successfully defeated the coronavirus disease, but there are many who continue to return to hospitals citing health issues.