Dr Ramji Mehrotra | Best Cardiovascular Surgeon & Heart Specialist Doctor in India

  The common understanding among laymen is that COVID-19 is just a lung disease. However, this view is not accurate. The SARS-CoV-2 virus affects the cardiovascular system also and people with high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes are prone to severe forms of COVID-19. Major risk factors Hypertension or high blood pressure is the greatest risk factor, specifically causing 2.5 times greater risk of mortality due to COVID-19 in people over 60. High blood glucose levels, high cholesterol, and obesity are the other risk factors. Short term effect of COVID-19 on the heart During the first few weeks after a person is infected, COVID-19 can affect the heart with problems such as inflammation of the heart muscle and inflammation of the membrane around the heart. According to medical research, one in four people hospitalized with COVID-19 suffer heart damage. SARS-COV-2 virus binds to the body's ACE2 receptors which help in regulating processes such as inflammation and blood

 What is the Delta variant of Covid-19? The highly transmissible COVID-19 delta variant, also known as B1617.2, originated in India in December 2020. According to experts, the Delta strain caused the second wave of COVID-19 in the country which infected millions and led to thousands of deaths.  The World Health Organization has named it as the fourth global ‘variant of concern’, along with the those identified in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil. A variant of concern is a virus with changed characteristics such as increased transmissibility and is detrimental to identified safety measures and diagnostics.  Fast Spreading Variant The delta variant is spreading fast and has reached over 85 countries within 6 months after discovery. Studies in the UK have found that the delta variant is around 60% more transmissible and more virulent than the alpha variant which was the first variant to be discovered.  According to researchers, delta variant is more transmissible than other va