New Delhi: It seems people in the country are taking COVID-19 spread lightly. People in various parts of the country are seen venturing out without masks with social distancing on toss. With condition becoming serious again, health experts have warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, especially in view of the evolving new strains and chances of reinfection.
India in past few months reported a decline in the spread of infection but however, from few weeks back, the COVID-19 graph is seen climbing in multiple states. "It is quite clear that the pandemic hasn't ended and that we need to continue following the safety measures," Manoj Goel, Director, pulmonology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram was quoted as saying by IANS. He added, “Social distancing, wearing of masks and using sanitisers are being ignored on the pretext that the pandemic has ended. This is not the case and vigilance needs to be practiced.”
On Sunday, the number of Covid-19 cases in India crossed 11 million. The rise in cases has especially become a cause for concern in states like Kerala and Maharashtra, which have imposed fresh restrictions.
There are around 58,000 active cases in Kerala while Karnataka is also taking new measures as active cases in the state crossed the 6,000-mark again, with 413 persons testing positive in a day, according to the state health bulletin on Sunday. On the other side, Maharashtra is also witnessing a sudden spike in spread of contagion.
"There are two possibilities of rise in cases right now -- the cases can be that of the new strain and the cases of reinfection. Reinfection cases can be a prominent cause as the immunity from previous infection stays just for three months," said Parinita Kaur, Consultant, internal medicine, Aakash Healthcare, New Delhi.
"As far as Maharashtra and Kerala are concerned, cases have been rising there... Delhi has not seen such rise as of now, but we should be prepared for the various strains that have come up," Kaur added.
However, the doctors have stated that it is not clear if the recent surge has anything to do with the change in weather. "The change of season is always favourable for any kind of virus and this is a new virus that has been mutating constantly," Kaur said. "We haven't seen any effect of winter season or summer season either on its virulence or mutation. When we talk about last year, the cases surged irrespective of the seasonal conditions," she added.
(With inputs from IANS)
