HYDERABAD: Experts are advising people to pull up the masks and start following social distancing rules again as previous experience shows there definitely would be a spread of Covid-19. They suggest that even though the situation is not yet alarming, there is a need to be alert against new and emerging strains of Covid-19.
“Since Covid vaccination rate in India is high, we have reached herd immunity. We may be spared of extreme consequences, but it is necessary to be ready with all precautionary measures,” said Dr Subodh Kandamuthan, Director, Dr Kakarla Subbarao Centre for Health Care Management.
In view of the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in some countries across the world such as China, Japan, United States, South Korea and France, Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting to review the Covid-19 situation in India and preparedness of public health system. He noted that a new and highly transmissible BF.7 strain of the Omicron variant was found to be behind a wider surge of infections in China. India reported its first case of this variant on Wednesday evening in a woman who recently travelled from the US to Vadodara in Gujarat.
“Till now, Omicron variant is prevalent in Telangana. We need to trace the new variants through genome sequencing first to decide whether the spread is going to be serious or not,” said Dr M Rajeev, a pulmanologist at MR Chest Hospital, Suryapet.
Dr Rajeev explained that, “even though we have taken vaccines against the existing variants, it will still take a few more days to know whether it will work on the new variant. Until then, we need to be very cautious to reduce the cases by following Covid appropriate behaviour”.
Telangana on Wednesday recorded six new cases of Covid-19, five in Hyderabad and one in Nagarkurnool. A total of 4,367 samples were tested out of which results of 254 are still awaited. The graph of active cases in the State has been stable in the last few months. On December 16, the State had reported zero cases. Even though there is a slight surge, the number of active cases has not crossed 10 for many days.
Masks up, travel down
“On the policy point of view, putting restrictions on travel, especially on international flights coming from China and other Covid affected counties, and genome sequencing to trace the new variant, is essential,” Dr Subodh said. The central government has already given instructions to all States and UTs to send all positive samples, on a daily basis, to the designated INSACOG Genome Sequencing Laboratories (lGSLs). However, the instructions have to be put into action properly, he added.
So far, administration at the airport has received no instructions from the government, informed Ravi Kishan Murari, Corporate Communication at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here.Highlighting the need of the third booster dose, Dr Subodh said that vaccination has helped us in the second and third wave. The inoculation of the third booster dose is voluntary. But the government needs to make an effort to increase the number, he added.
On the other hand, citizens also need to wear masks and follow all the Covid-19 protocols. Social distancing should be followed at least at crowded places. “People need to change the ‘nothing will happen’ mindset. The spread of the virus will not be restricted to China. Covid-19 is going to become the new normal,” Dr Subodh warned.