Health experts have cautioned that any carelessness during the upcoming festivals could derail the gain India has made as Covid-19 is still present in the country and in many parts of the world and could become a reason for the third wave of infection. Moreover, as the cases of the AY.4.2 variant, a sub-lineage of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, have already been reported in several States of the country, the Covid-appropriate behaviour is integral in fighting the virus.
“People will venture out to shop, meet relatives during festivals. However, meeting people during a short span of time may lead to the spread of infection. Besides, during prayers or enjoying a meal together, people forget to wear a mask or don’t wear it correctly and many forget to maintain the physical distance. This complacency in behaviour could undo the country’s efforts to curb the pandemic,” pointed out Dr Ramji Singh, director, AIIMS, Kalyani, West Bengal.
Dr Gitanjali Batmanabane, director, AIIMS, Bhubaneswar agreed saying that when the infection spreads uncontrollably, it gives the virus an opportunity to mutate more. “These mutations can change its characteristics—it can become less or more transmissible or virulent. The only way to contain the virus’ spread is by following Covid Appropriate Behaviour particularly during festive celebration,”
Dr Nitin Nagarkar, director AIIMS, Raipur recalled that early this year, the cases had gone down early this year only to shoot up in April as people had let their guard down. “In February, the country was reporting around 8,000 cases, but as soon as individuals and communities became complacent, the cases surged alarmingly. I urge people to remain cautious and to follow Covid Appropriate Behaviour, no matter what. People should keep wearing a mask and avoid crowding even while celebrating festivities.”
Social gatherings of all kinds including during the festival seasons, cautions Dr Sarman Singh, director, AIIMS, Bhopal, could turn into a spreader event if precautions are ignored.
“People must be careful while participating in gatherings or while going to any crowded market areas. But that does not mean that you cannot celebrate the festivals together. Technology has empowered us to remain emotionally and socially connected through virtual mediums.”
Dr Saurabh Varshney, director, AIIMS Deogarh contended that unless people act responsibly, it is impossible to defeat the deadly SARS-Cov-2. “If we want to go back to normal in the near future, we need to impose self-restrictions, and the most important is to avoid socialising during festivals. If we can limit our social gathering for a few months till the time a large proportion of our population gets inoculated, we can successfully create a deterrent against spread of infection to a large extent,” he says.
“In case it is essential and unavoidable, one has to follow physical distance, wear a mask and maintain hand hygiene.”
The experts said that the vaccine provides over 95 percent protection against severe disease and hospitalization, which means post-vaccination, most cases of Covid would be mild or asymptomatic.
