Vij remains in intensive care; condition stable on oxygen support, says health dept

Haryana health minister Anil Vij, who is currently undergoing treatment at Medanta Hospital for Covid-19, continued to remain in the intensive care unit (ICU) on

Haryana health minister Anil Vij, who is currently undergoing treatment at Medanta Hospital for Covid-19, continued to remain in the intensive care unit (ICU) on Wednesday. According to a health bulletin issued by the state health department and the hospital, Vij has been maintaining vital parameters on high flow oxygen support.

HT Image

Vij, who is also the Haryana home minister, was admitted to the ICU of Medanta Hospital around 9pm on Tuesday with Covid-19 pneumonia. “Relevant investigations, including a CT scan, have been done and the results are satisfactory. His condition is stable and he is maintaining vital parameters on high flow nasal cannula on oxygen support,” the bulletin read.

Senior health officials said that the next health update would be issued on Thursday morning.

“The next 48-72 hours are crucial in treating Vij as his lungs have been impacted by the infection. The health minister has multiple co-morbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, thyroid and heart disease,” said a senior doctor with the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Rohtak, who is privy to the matter.

A team of doctors, including Dr Deepak Govil, director, critical care, and Dr Sushila Kataria, senior director, internal medicine, of Medanta, along with Dr Virender Yadav, Gurugram’s chief medical officer, are monitoring his condition.

Vij, 67, had tested positive for Covid-19 on December 5 and was admitted to the Civil Hospital in Ambala. On December 12, he was shifted to PGIMS, Rohtak, where he was diagnosed with moderate Covid-19 bilateral pneumonia, leading to infection in lungs. He was put on convalescent plasma therapy. After three days of treatment, Vij was shifted to Medanta.

In November, a fortnight before he tested positive, the minister had received one shot of a Covid-19 vaccine candidate, which was part of a two-dose trial. It was a fortnight before he tested positive for the infection.