All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director Dr Randeep Guleria issued a warning on Monday and expressed concern over the fact that the people of India are failing to follow Covid-19 protocols due to which the current situation is spiralling out of control. He said that the new variant of the virus is highly transmissible and infectious. “If people fail to adhere to the guidelines, our healthcare system will soon be overwhelmed with the number of cases storming in”, said the AIIMS chief.
Recklessness and disregard for the Covid-19 norms have further fueled the spread of the pandemic. Dr Guleria said that the spread of the pandemic had slowed down in February, due to which, the people’s attitude towards Covid-19 appropriate behaviour became lax. People started thinking that the virus had become ineffective and was venturing out to different places which resulted in overcrowding. Soon, the spread of the virus gained speed and the pandemic, is now again, at an all-time high.
According to statistics, earlier, a sick person was able to infect around 30 per cent of his/her contacts. However, in the case of the new strain, it is believed that a sick person can infect a larger number of people, said Dr Guleria.
It has been confirmed by the government that several new strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including the ones from Brazil, the UK and South Africa have entered the country and they have been deemed as super-spreaders.
Dr Guleria has warned people not to venture out unless it is absolutely important. He has also urged people to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Stricter enforcement of Covid-19 norms should be ensured.
It is important to note that even though inoculation helps in generating antibodies against the virus, it does not fully prevent the person from getting infected. It is important to adhere to Covid-19 appropriate behaviour at all times.
If the present situation is not brought under control, the extent of the spread of the pandemic will burden our healthcare system. Inoculation has averted the disease’s progression to a severe form which has resulted in the reduction of the mortality rate.
