What expert says on whether Vegans are immune to COVID-19
Even Vegetarians have been affected because this is avirus which travels through droplet infection and enters thebody, he said.
However, people who are taking a lot of fruits andvegetables as part of their natural diet have better innateimmunity, and they may be able to fight the infection muchbetter, said Reddy, who formerly headed the Department ofCardiology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
It is always better for Vegetarians or non-Vegetarians tohave a lot of fresh fruit and vegetable to the extent we canto boost our innate immunity to provide better defence againstthe virus, he told .
Reddy, who has been involved in several majorinternational and national research studies, having beentrained in cardiology and epidemiology, said facial protectionto also cover eyes, not just mouth and nose, is mostimportant.
"What happens is that this virus mainly enters throughthe face which means the nose, mouth or eyes. We don't usuallytalk about eyes.
When the droplets drop on the face, it can also enter(the body) through the eye because eyes are also connected tothe nose. The virus can enter the eyes and then also go to thenose," he said.
One has to be careful about the protection of the eyesalso, said Reddy, who presently serves as an Adjunct Professorof Epidemiology at Harvard and is also an Adjunct Professor ofthe Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University andHonorary Professor of Medicine at the University of Sydney.
If you are wearing spectacles, it is fine, otherwise,what people are suggesting now is face sheets (plastic sheets)covering the entire face so that nothing falls on the eyesalso.
So, these are the additional precautions we have to getused to, he added.
Reddy also stressed the need to continue to takeprecautions such as having a good diet and trying to keep awayfrom polluted or smoky areas, which automatically reduceresistance in the lungs. RSROH ROH