Immunity booster drug for Nahan, Paonta households

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, September 14

In a bid to boost immunity, the district administration of Sirmaur has initiated distribution of homoeopathic drug Arsenicum Album-30 to all households in the severally affected Paonta Sahib and Nahan subdivisions.

Ninety per cent of the Covid cases in Sirmaur district pertain to the two subdivisions. As many as 1,259 cases have been detected till now, and 946 patients have recovered.

Sirmaur has the third highest number of Covid cases after Solan and Kangra in the state. Five deaths have also taken place though as many fatalities have also occurred in patients referred to other places.

Notably, the drug has been administered in Gujarat and Kerala as prophylaxis. Its use was catching up as an immunity booster.

“About 50,000 tablets of the homeopathic drug, Arsenicum Album-30, have been manufactured from a Parwanoo-based manufacturer. In the first phase, which began today, all households in Paonta Sahib and Nahan are being given this drug by the anganwadi workers, people from Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and panchayat secretaries, in coordination with the officials of the Ayurveda Department,” said RK Pruthi, DC, Sirmaur.

“The SDMs have also been directed to ensure its distribution among government departments and households. About 4.8 lakh tablets will be distributed in the district,” he said.

In the next phase which will begin from September 14, the remaining subdivisions of Sangrah, Rajgarh, Pacchad and Shillai will be covered.

Pruthi said efforts had been made to boost the immunity of people by distribution of chyawanprash, Ayush kits and this homeopathic drug. He said, “The recovery rate of Covid patients has come down to 10 days and most of them tested negative in the first follow-up after 10 days. Earlier, patients tested negative after three tests. The recovery rate was slow only in cases where patients have comorbidities,” the DC said.

The recovery rate, which had touched about 80 per cent in the district, had been reduced to as low as 65 per cent in the last few weeks after an alarming spike in Covid cases. The recovery rate had improved to 75.81 per cent in the district, he added.