NewsX was recently joined by a power-packed panel of medical experts from across the country, including Dr S.K. Sarin, the director of ILBS, Dr Ashok Seth, the chairman of Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, Dr M.C. Mishra, former AIIMS director and VC at MG University, and Dr Romel Tickoo, Head, Internal Medicine at Max Hospital, to decode issues concerning the health scenario in the country and how protein is an integral part of a healthy diet.
Dr S.K. Sarin started by addressing the ongoing coronavirus crisis and sharing an update on the much-awaited vaccine. “The world today is like a village where we all live together. Whatever happens in India is reflected immediately overseas and whatever happens in the other countries is sensed by everyone across the country. The developments all over the world have been rather exceptionally fast: the UK has taken the step with the great wisdom of approving the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine, which is an MRNA-based vaccine, so I think it’s remarkable progress for us all,” he said.
Joining in, Dr Ashok Seth said, “There’s not going to be one vaccine which is best for India, because we have a 1.2 billion population. We will require a number of vaccines and that is the reason why the government has promoted research for a number of vaccines which are in various phases of studies. The crux of the matter is that it’s not just a variety of vaccines but it also has to be cost-effective, safe and meet the logistics of vaccinating a vast number of people.”
Giving a background of the discussion, Dr M.C. Mishra said, “About 240 vaccine candidates are in development, the protein sub-unit, i.e., the spike protein is being used by 76 of them and 14 are in the clinical trial, for viral vector-adenovirus, 52 in making, 8 are in clinical trials, DNA and RNA, 50 are in making, 11 are in clinical trials, inactivated virus which was the usual norm in the previous vaccine developments, 14 are in development, 6 in clinical trials, virus-like particles, 13 and 1. Then live attenuated, which again was very common in the yesteryears. So you can imagine why this technology has taken a significantly lesser time to develop if you look at the vaccine development timeline, which used to take 10 to 15 years.”
Dr Romel Tickoo said that India has done tremendously well, highlighting, “Look at the global scenario, look at the US, they are seeing more than 2 lakh cases a day even now, and look at what happened to Europe. But if we look at India, we have done pretty well and there’s a declining trend for sure. If you look at the last two weeks, numbers have definitely gone down. Look at our economic resources, our infrastructure, we can’t compare ourselves with the EU or the US, but we have done well. Whether it was the decision about the lockdown, our government was very decisive and quick, which all worked for us. At the same time, the government was very proactive, whether it was with the ramping up of the infrastructure, increasing ICU beds, manufacturing kits or involving more labs. We are still at number two and we have done pretty well. Look at the mortality rate, it is excellent!”
Touching upon the significance of building one’s immunity, Dr Sarin said, “I am a strong proponent of good hygiene, good health and regular exercise. I am not sure about any amount of food because, according to me, what you need is immunity for your neck and throat area. The nasal vaccines are very good. I would recommend vitamin C, vitamin D, immune modulator zinc and magnesium for immunity. But the biggest immunity is provided by your mask.”
Talking further on immunity, Dr Ashok Seth said, “There’s data to show that if you eat healthy, which means a lot of fruits and vegetables, it gives you good immunity. If you exercise regularly, that gives you good immunity too. You also have to have good mental wellbeing.”
He further said that less alcohol, more vegetables and nutritious products, good exercise, good mental wellbeing and being positive are ingredients to fight any disease. He said that protein is a very integral part of the diet, needed for ensuring wellbeing. “You can’t be drinking heavily every night and expect your immunity to be good,” said Dr Seth.
Highlighting the power of protein, Dr Tickoo said that any kind of protein will help build immunity. He added, “You can’t be banking on one diet and one advice. Don’t go for a fad diet, whether it’s keto or paleo. It leads to more complications. Immunity is not just about the diet, it’s a holistic thing, you have to work on your immunity through diet, exercise and good sleep. I would say people these days don’t get 8-9 hours of sleep which hampers immunity. Regular medical checks are also important but it doesn’t happen in India. The majority of the population in India is vegetarian, they lack vitamin B12 and vitamin D which are important. There has to be work-life balance, people are too stressed. So, it has to be holistic.”