Lungs are one of the most important organs that get affected continuously by their exposure to environmental agents. With winter conditions setting in, there is a significant spike in people reporting respiratory problems, stated Dr Prashant Chhajed, director, Institute of Pulmonology Medical Research & Development (IPMRD), ``Adding to their existing concerns, Covid-19 continues to be a risk for people with pre-existing respiratory conditions, autoimmune disease and other chronic conditions. Hence, people should be cautiously following Covid protocols.", stated

He was speaking at the Satellite symposium organised by IPMRD. It recently conducted a closed-door symposium in Mumbai with leading medical experts across geographies, some of them who had joined virtually. The agenda was to discuss the importance of 'Early management of COVID-19 to reduce mortality rate and avoid hospitalization'.

An international expert Prof. Myron Cohen, Director & Professor at the University of North Carolina, USA shared his perspective about the spectrum of tools for the early management of Covid-19. Eminent Indian experts and clinicians who participated in the symposium were Dr. Randeep Guleria (Director, AIIMS, New Delhi), Dr. Deepak Talwar (Pulmonologist, Noida), Dr. S. Balamurugan (Pulmonologist, Chennai) & Dr. Vasant Nagvekar (Infectious Disease Specialist, Mumbai).

At the event, Dr Prashant Chhajed said, "Covid-19 has changed the way medical experts and countries usually dealt with their health issues. The global impact of the pandemic has in some way touched upon every person's life, be it in the form of illness, mental distress or even death. Over the period of time, there are emerging treatment options for the management of Covid-19. Often there is a discussion about a possible third wave and for this, the experts are calling for preparedness. Hence we thought it is necessary as a medical fraternity to discuss the importance of early management of Covid-19 and strengthen our understanding of treatment choices for the management of Covid-19."

Other key discussion points included the importance of mass vaccination, usage & cost component of monoclonal antibodies. Further, the conversation also focused upon antibody cocktails, inhaled Budesonide and the benefits of upcoming oral anti-viral agent that could potentially change the outcome of Covid-19 pandemic waves. Notably amongst this, molnupiravir, a molecule that recently gained emergency use authorization (EUA) from UK MHRA and has shown to be effective in the early management of Covid-19 when administered for 5 days. There was also a discussion on the potential of the use of these molecules against the new variant among the participating medical fraternity.

The session ended with a conclusion that Covid appropriate behaviour like the use of masks, vaccination and judicious use of available resources is warranted to win over the pandemic.