People with symptoms should get tested immediately and seek medical advice which is better than living in fear of being infected, according to Dr.Dinesh.
Coimbatore: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Practitioner, Adolescent Counsellor, Dr. Dinesh Periyasamy in an interview with SimpliCity opined that with Covid-19 infections sweeping across the globe for more than a year now, frontline staff as well as common folk are fighting the 'Pandemic Fatigue' with no light at the end of the tunnel yet.
“In such a critical time, it is necessary for people to pay more attention not only to their physical health but also to their mental health. There is great fear among the people especially when infections are spiking, day by day. To get rid of the Pandemic Fatigue, you should watch other news besides watching only news about the infection. The authenticity of the messages being shared must also be explored. We must first know whether they are true. Do not believe everything blindly. Do not share without knowing the authenticity.
Do not believe the rumours circulating about the Covid-19 vaccine. People who have any doubts about the vaccine should go to their doctor and ask for an explanation for their doubts about the vaccine. Vaccination is essential to protect against the spread of the disease.That is the only weapon we have, to fight the deadly virus. Even after taking the vaccine, it is advised to properly follow all guidelines provided by the Department of Health, including wearing face masks, adhering to social distancing and frequent hand-washing.
Right now, people are paranoid. To end this, the Government should continue to raise awareness among the people about the various measures taken to control and treat the spread of the disease, and the medical facilities available. Thus, the present fear among people will disappear.
People with symptoms should get tested immediately and seek medical advice which is better than living in fear of being infected. People with an early stage of infection can easily recover from the infection if they seek immediate medical attention and treatment right away.
There is nothing to be afraid of. So planning is very important. For example, what to do immediately in the event of an outbreak of an infection, especially knowing emergency numbers, the details of the nearest hospital and doctors, and taking all precautionary measures, including the best place to leave children and elders before rushing for treatment.
One can also get advice from a nearby Primary Health Centre. We will definitely recover from the effects of the second wave the same way we overcame the first wave. One must practice financial management for that, for this brings stress.
It is necessary to take precautionary measures to tide over the next two months without financial burden. People need to understand and act keeping in mind the the workload that front field workers are bearing in the current crisis situation.
Similarly, former employees should realize and act on the fact that people are disgusted by the fear they have due to the current situation. Everyone should love and help each other in unity.
It is essential that the family pays more attention to adolescents during this pandemic time. The current environment is particularly stressful for their future, including their education and employment. So adolescents should be handled very carefully by those in the family. Give them warmth and hope.
For example, there is a difference between learning in the classroom and learning online. So a few will perform better in an online class and a few will not perform. So the family should not cause more stress for adolescents who will interpret any kind of discrimination at this time as success and failure. The current crisis is not about competition, it is about survival. Adults should understand this and help adolescents to happily go through this period,” advised Dr.Dinesh.