Covid-19: The Guard Cannot Be Lowered Yet
By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2020-08-20 08:06:57
About the Author
As all states in India have started testing for Covid-19 with urgency, fresh cases are scaling new peaks every day. The country recorded the highest single-day spike of 70101 new cases on Wednesday. With this, the total number of cases crossed the 28 lakh mark. The good news is that the recovery rate now stands at 73.8 percent with 2090923 patients having recovered. The total number of active cases stands at 688162. Maharashtra continues to be the problem state and recorded the highest number of 13165 cases on Wednesday. Other states, more particularly Kerala and UP, continue to be a cause of worry because they had initially controlled the spread admirably. The fresh surge in these states is a worrisome factor. With 978 deaths, the death tally neared the 54000 mark.
August has seen huge additions to fresh cases, confirming the opinion of health experts that by the end of September, India is likely to see more than 50 lakh Covid-19 cases. But, as reported in an earlier article on this website, the decline in growth percentage is a silver lining. Another report that said that nearly 15 to 20 percent of Indian may have already developed Covid anti-bodies also raises hopes that fresh cases might reach the plateau and though new cases will continue to be reported for a long time from now, the percentage will keep on falling, reducing the stress on health facilities.
But this is not the time for complacency. One false move or lowering of the guard might result in rapid community transmission across the country and the limited gains will be washed away in a flash. The health infrastructure in India is not capable of looking after the huge stream of patients who will be forced to seek medical attention in the case of community transmission. Hence, public discipline needs to be maintained and restrictions need to be in place for another two months till the end of October. Metro rail, suburban trains, educational institutions and amusement parks should remain closed until then. Public gatherings may be allowed only with severe restrictions. With newer and stronger strains of the Covid-19 virus getting reported, it remains to be seen whether the much-touted vaccines that are being developed would be effective in providing immunity.
pic credit: delhi.apollohospitals.com
