Minutes after PM Modi's appreciation, "Kashmir's Virus Warrior" goes back to patients [details]

Suffixed with the title of 'Kashmir's Virus Warrior', Dr. Naveed Nazeer Shah, head of pulmonary medicine at Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar and head clinician for Covid-19, restarted his daily routine of treating Coronavirus positive patients after interacting with Prime Minister, Narendra Modi during the 'Mann Ki Baat' programme.

On Sunday Prime Minister lauded Dr. Naveed Shah who has cured a large number of Covid patients. "Dr. Naveed is a professor at a Government Medical College in Srinagar. Naveed Ji has cured many a Corona patient under his supervision. In this holy month of Ramzan, Dr. Naveed is performing his duty and has also taken out time to talk to us. Come, let's speak to him", says the Prime Minister, in the 'Mann Ki Baat' programme. The Prime Minister then asked Dr. Naveed to share his experience of how to deal with panic management.

"Dr. Sahib is examining positive patients in the wards", one of his staff members told The International Business Times, adding, "within minutes after his interaction with Prime Minister, Dr. Naveed has restarted his routine".

Virus Warrior's views on fighting Corona

"From the time since the COVID infection has surfaced before us, till today, we don't have any effective treatment available…we can fight this disease with only two things -one is protective measures … and we have already been saying that if we get some effective vaccine we can overcome this disease", Dr. Naveed said.

Removes misconceptions about vaccine

"Our country presently has two vaccines available Covaxin and Covishield which have been made here itself. Other companies too who have done their trials have found that its efficacy is more than 60%. And if we talk of Jammu Kashmir, till now, 15 to 16 lakh people have taken the vaccine. Yes, quite a few misconceptions or myths about this have come up on social media enumerating the side effects … till now, in our place, no side effects have been found in vaccines that have been administered.

"Only things that are routinely associated with every vaccine – someone getting a fever, ache in the entire body, or getting pain locally where the injection is applied- we have seen such side effects in all patients; we have not seen any gross adverse effect. And yes, secondly, some people had the apprehension that after vaccination, that is on getting the vaccine, some people got positive. In this, companies themselves have given guidelines that if someone is vaccinated, they may have an infection, they can get positive. But the severity of the disease, that is its intensity in such patients will not be so much, that is, they may get positive but the disease cannot prove to be fatal in them. So we should remove from our mind such misconception about the vaccine", said Dr. Naveed.

"Whosoever's turn comes…Because from 1st May, vaccine administration programme for all those above 18 years in the entire country will begin, it is an appeal to the people that come and get vaccinated and protect yourselves and overall, our society and our community will be protected from Covid 19 infection," he appealed.

Dr. Naveed was himself tested positive during the first wave

Despite adopting measures, Dr. Naveed was himself tested positive in the month of June 2020 as he was treating positive patients round the clock. He, however, stated that a positive report did not come as a surprise for him. "This is a risk that every healthcare worker knows and accepts while coming to work," he had stated at that time.

Already awarded with a meritorious public service award

Dr. Naveed Nazi, was awarded for the meritorious public services by J&K Government on this year's Republic Day.

Besides Nazir, who remained at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 in Jammu and Kashmir, four others conferred the award for meritorious public services. All the awardees barring the one for lifetime achievements were awarded a cash award of Rs 51,000, a medal, and a citation. Award for lifetime achievements carries a cash award of Rs 1 lakh, a medal, and a citation.

Two months ago Dr. Nazeer warned against deadly second wave

In the month of February this year, Dr. Nazeer Shah had warned against the deadly second wave of Coronavirus. "Beware and cautious ... Indications of second wave beginning to come.. Maharashtra/Kerala starting to heat up again ... Take vaccine whosoever get an opportunity and take precautions", Shah had warned on February 18 this year.