HYDERABAD: The litmus test for the people and Medical and Health Department to rein in Omicron would be after Sankranti in the middle of January. As about 40 lakh people would visit Andhra Pradesh through various modes of transport, it is quite likely that the Omicron could spread like wildfire.
In fact, Director of Public Health (DPH) Dr G Srinivasa Rao indicated that the third wave’s impact might be felt from New Year and then may peak post-Sankranti. New Year celebrations and Sankranti might turn out to be a deadly combination and people should be very careful about how they conduct themselves.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, he said that due to movement of people on a large scale across the two states during these festivals, especially during Sankranti, there is a possibility that Covid-19 cases will rise steeply. “Today, the US reported 4 lakh cases, whereas last week it saw 1 lakh odd cases. We are going to see a similar situation in no time,” he warned.
He explained what this could mean for Telangana. “Current numbers suggest that Omicron spreads five times faster than Delta. During Delta variant second wave, we had 10,000 cases at the peak so one can imagine that the number would be five times more with Omicron,” he said. The peak would come faster than it did in the case of Delta, he added but stressed that the wave would be brief and end soon.
Stating that the government will not impose any further restrictions, he said that night curfew will be of no use at this moment. The state has to ensure lives and livelihoods are saved. Small inconvenience of wearing a mask, taking two shots of vaccines and maintaining distance must be opted for instead of more restrictions. “Omicron is already in the community and everyone is vulnerable. One must wear masks as even vaccines are seeing breakthrough infections,” he said.