Express News Service Advising people to not venture out of their homes unless absolutely necessary, doctors have stated that decreasing temperatures have increased the risk of people falling prey to coronavirus as well other respiratory problems. For a COVID patient, it means a rise in complications — even a slight exposure to air pollutants can turn fatal for them, they say. As it is winters sees a substantial increase in the risk of diseases like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and even lung cancer. “The onset of the winters has made matters worse. We need to look for sustainable solutions and be more aggressive in controlling air pollution as we have been seeing a surge in the number of respiratory tract disease cases in our OPDs since November,” says Dr Arunesh Kumar, Senior Consultant and Head of Respiratory Medicine and Pulmonology, Paras Hospitals, Gurugram. “With air pollution and COVID-19, rise in non-communicable diseases is going to become a huge burden,” he adds.