The pulmonology ward at Amrita Hospital, Faridabad is seeing a wave of unnecessary panic. OPD appointments are rising. People are rushing to the emergency room, convinced that their cold, cough or sore throat is COVID and needs urgent treatment.

Dr Arjun Khanna, the young HOD of the department, is baffled. “People are panicking. Every single case we’ve seen so far has been mild. In fact, we are asking people not to get tested, it just causes unnecessary fear and confusion,” he says.

Dr Khanna blames misleading media coverage. “TV channels are showing those old COVID videos from China again, why? What’s the point of scaring people with that footage now? We are seeing a needless load in OPD because people are scared to death. Even deaths that are being attributed to COVID aren’t actually due to it. One patient had terminal cancer, they didn’t die of COVID.”

He says simple respiratory illnesses like influenza and the common flu are far more common, serious, and under-discussed. “People get hospitalised, go on ventilators, even die from influenza and we barely talk about it. That’s completely vaccine-preventable, and we’ve had an effective vaccine for years. That’s where our energy should be focused.”

Dr Khanna says international colleagues are shocked at how India is responding. “My friends in Singapore and Hong Kong — all respiratory specialists — are making fun of our media reports. We’re acting like those countries are drowning in COVID chaos. They were laughing!”

He says the irony is stark. “People get tested, find out they are COVID positive, and then sit outside the OPD with 20 others without a mask. If you are so educated and aware, shouldn’t wearing a mask be basic common sense? The thing is we need to learn to live with it.”

Dr Khanna points to the recent surge in influenza and mycoplasma cases — far more serious, in his view.

“We saw a massive wave of respiratory infections post-COVID, and no one was talking about it. This panic is uncalled for. It’s time to calm down and learn to live with this virus.”

“The COVID virus has changed. It’s not the same threat anymore.”

Dr Khanna explains that COVID has followed a classic viral pattern. “Viruses that spread rapidly tend to weaken over time. That’s their natural cycle. HIV, for instance, is slow. COVID spreads fast, so it loses its virulence faster too.” He says he hasn’t written a single COVID test in recent times, and any positive cases have been incidental. “One family came in, very educated, very worried. Got tested and turned out positive. But they were fine. And still, the panic was intense.”

What irks him more than the fear is the lack of basic civic sense. “An educated guy from the US, his mother’s an IPS officer comes to my OPD, knowing he’s COVID-positive. Doesn’t tell me. No mask. Sitting with others. That’s just irresponsible. It’s not just panic, it’s panic without responsibility.”

“Right now? Not at all,” says Dr Khanna. “We don’t even know the vaccine’s current status. The ones available may be old stock. Whether they’re effective against current strains is unknown. Honestly, I wouldn’t prescribe it or take it myself. It’s not like the flu or pneumonia vaccines, which are decades old and proven to be safe.” He adds that while initial vaccine drives were done with good intentions, the narrative has changed. “We thought we were doing the right thing by promoting vaccines. But with so much negative press and lack of clear answers, I would say wait. Let government bodies stabilise and give clear guidelines before rushing to take anything.”

His final word? "Prepare. Don’t panic. And stop watching COVID horror clips from 2020. We are in a different world now.”