People below 60 years of age with no comorbidities, infected by the Omicron variant of COVID-19, can begin their treatment with paracetamol, Dr Shashank Joshi, member of Maharashtra's COVID task force, said.

In the latest episode of the online show Health4All by Heal Foundation, Joshi, an endocrinologist at Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai, said that doctors are likely to prescribe antivirals like Molnupiravir if someone above the age of 50 has a consistent fever for two days alongside two or three comorbidities.

But "Omicron patients below 60 years with no comorbidities can start symptomatic treatment with paracetamol", he said. However, paracetamol should not be prescribed to children below the age of 18 years, to pregnant women, or to patients who require hospitalisation, he added.

Earlier, there were reports claiming that paracetamol 500 mg tablets were being given to children along with Covaxin, the only approved COVID vaccine for teenagers in India. Vaccine maker Bharat Biotech clarified that Paracetamol or painkillers are not recommended for teenagers after being vaccinated with Covaxin.

Further, Joshi recommended using paracetamol within 72 hours of the onset of symptoms "for patients in the high-risk population group, namely, hypertensives, diabetics, people on immunosuppressed medication, senior citizens, people with other ailments and likewise".

"Whenever we have a new disease which is constantly evolving, new treatment methods are also bound to come up. However, it is up to the doctors to identify the most vulnerable people and prescribe medication accordingly," he added.