THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Attukal pongala, one of the largest spiritual gatherings hosted by the state capital, and assembly elections may add to the challenges ahead of the health department. Experts opine that the state government should put large gatherings on hold for at least six months. According to reports, though vaccination drives are on, it is going to take a few more months for the public to actually benefit from it.
However, many feel that with elections around the corner, it’s highly unlikely that the state government would speak against the conduct of Attukal pongala. An average of 25 lakh people take part in the annual festival held near Attukal temple.
An official at the DMO said the state government giving permission for festivals is a primary reason for the spike in the number of cases. “The Beemapally Uroos festival happened, so we don’t expect the authorities to do anything about Attukal Pongala,” said the official.
S S Santhosh Kumar, Deputy Superintendent, Emergency Medicine, Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital, said it would be ideal if the state government doesn’t encourage any large gatherings for at least the next six months.
“Even the vaccine is not completely foolproof and it can give only up to 70 per cent protection. Even after vaccination, the people should continue to use protection gear like masks,” said Santhosh. He said false positives are rampant during antigen tests and could be one of the reason for the increase in the test positivity rate.