COVID-19 not only a respiratory disease, but affects other organs including the heart

Sept. 27: While addressing his weekly programme ‘Sunday Samvad’, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan addressed various issues on Sunday. Answering a question from a social media user who asked about Centre’s action plan to deal with the impact of Coronavirus on life expectancy and on general public health, the Union minister said, “We are well aware that there is recent emerging evidence that Covid-19 may not be just an acute respiratory disease. It not only impacts our lungs, but also cardiovascular and renal systems. We have urged our institutions like ICMR to actively study these issues.”

Health Minister explained about the cases of re-infection across the world, which have emerged as a serious worry amid the pandemic. “There are several cases of re-infection from across the world, not just in India. At the moment, the subject is still under serious investigation and doesn’t appear to be a serious issue. However, in the health ministry, each and every aspect of COVID-19 that is emerging is being studied,” Dr Harsh Vardhan said.

On the rampant use of remdesivir and plasma therapy in the treatment of Covid-19, the minister said, “State governments and private hospitals have been discouraged from regular use of remdesivir and plasma therapy.”