A recent survey conducted on 176 doctors in Mumbai who contracted COVID-19 revealed that in 66 per cent of the total positive cases, the source of the infection could not be traced, whereas, 30% of the cases were due to the negligence on the patient’s part for not following the guidelines including wearing a mask.

The survey was conducted by the Association of Medical Consultants (AMC) in July, where it asked infected doctors to voluntarily fill the survey forms. At least 176 agreed, among whom 40 per cent belonged to the age group of 36 to 50 years. Also, the majority of the infected were men, reported The Indian Express.

Concerns were raised when 66 per cent of them were unable to report the source of infection, which directly hints over the surge in the spread of the coronavirus. The study also indicated that in most cases, these doctors may have come in touch with asymptomatic carriers.

Of the total, 17 per cent complained of breathlessness, while other common symptoms like cough, fever, body ache were found in the majority of the cases. The survey further stated that 76 per cent of the doctors had taken Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) but still contracted the virus, indicating the inefficacy of anti-malaria drugs.

So far, 230 doctors practising allopathy have succumbed to the infection across India, of which 45 are from Maharashtra, the media quoted Indian Medical Association (IMA) report. Of the 1,000 members of IMA who have COVID-19, 450 of them are from Maharashtra.

‘These figures comprise only our members registered with IMA. The actual count of infected homoeopathy, ayurvedic, and allopathy doctors may be much higher,’ Dr Avinash Bhondwe, President of IMA Maharashtra as quoted.

The survey also revealed that doctors who sought treatment at private hospitals, fees were a major concern. On average, they paid ₹1.75 lakh for hospitalization. Around 11 per cent required intensive care unit admission.

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