People Will Have To Change Their Attitude Now
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
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By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2022-01-01 05:51:41
About the Author
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
View all posts by this Author
2022 is starting on a note of concern - the Omicron threat looms large with experts, including WHO, predicting a 'tsunami' of Covid infections. Although all indicators point to the fact that Omicron infection is not life-threatening, but if lakhs of people get infected - as they are in Europe and the US - then India's medical infrastructure will be overwhelmed. States are taking precautions and short of imposing complete - economically debilitating - lockdowns, are putting in place multiple restrictions to prevent a wave. But in the end, it is going to be the attitude of the people that will count. If people do not care about their own health and well-being and that of the entire community, they will continue to cause harm by not following Covid protocols. The first thing that the people must do in this New Year is to religiously follow Covid protocols and venture out of the house if it is extremely urgent and unavoidable.
With fresh cases rising by almost 50% everyday, India is witnessing a surge that is likely to get worse as Omicron spreads 5 to 6 times faster than Delta. The old routine of testing, contact tracing and treatment will once again have to be taken up in all seriousness. As India is still short of fully vaccinating its adult population - in fact, the first dose has also not been fully administered - it needs to focus on that too, apart from giving doses to those in the 15-18 age group and booster dose to 60+, frontline and healthcare workers. Although Omicron is said to breach the vaccine shield in some cases, vaccines still remain the best defence against the virus. Also, going forward, India will have to take a decision on mixing vaccines and the best mix for the booster dose as medical experts have warned that giving the booster dose with the same vaccine is unlikely to provide the best results. With the third wave predicted to peak in the first week of February, the next two months are going to be crucial for the nation.
