Govt warns public against lowering guard during festivals
Amidst a sharp surge in daily coronavirus cases — 47,092 new Covid-19 cases —the biggest single-day rise in two months — and 509 death in 24 hours, the Government on Thursday warned the public against lowering the guard against coronavirus disease ahead of festive season.
Union Health Ministry officials at a presser said people should celebrate festivals at home, follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and get vaccinated as and when their turn comes.
A string of festivals like Navratra, Ganesh Chaturthi, Eid, Diwali have prompted the Government to keep its finger crossed amidst fear of an impending third wave in the same period.
Dr VK Paul, Niti Aayog member, said mass gatherings have to be discouraged and full vaccination should be a prerequisite if attending a gathering is essential.
“Even as we accelerate vaccination, there is a need to take precautions. If the virus mutates we will have no control. So adopt covid appropriate behavior including vaccination and use of mask,” Dr Paul said.
The Niti Aayog member’s advisory comes in the backdrop of reports of the emergence of a new variant of Covid from South Africa coupled with a large-scale study investigating Covid-19 breakthrough infections published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal which said people who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus) after one or two vaccine doses had significantly lower odds of severe disease or hospitalisation than unvaccinated people.
Researchers also found that the odds of experiencing long Covid (illness lasting 28 days or more after a positive test) were cut in half for people fully vaccinated with two doses
At the same time, as a precautionary measure, the Union Health Ministry said, a negative RT-PCR result not older than 72 hours has been made mandatory for passengers travelling to India from seven more countries, including China and South Africa. The move comes after the discovery of a new Covid variant — C.1.2 — which could be more infectious and has shown signs of evading protection provided by vaccines.
While earlier this rule was only applicable for arrivals from the UK, Europe and West Asia, seven more countries — South Africa, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe — have been added to the list today, according to a latest guideline, said Rajesh Bhushan, Union Health Secretary.