New Delhi: The Covid surge has raised concerns as the coronavirus is “constantly mutating” and we cannot let the infection run “unchecked”, Co-chairman of National Indian Medical Association Covid-19 task force Dr Rajeev Jayadevan. “The Covid infection cannot remain unchecked as virus is constantly mutating. We can’t let this infection run unchecked, however, we do not know if the virus will change more or will it change the main infection,” Dr Jayadevan told ANI on Tuesday (July 12).
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Citing the example of Delta variant, he said,
There are concerns whether the older Delta version would come back. Nobody knows the future for sure. So, we must be really guarded. When we say everything is fine, it is true that everything is fine from one angle– that is the number of people dying per 1000 infections is lower. In other words, if 1,000 infections happened, the number of people dying is lower than it was two years ago. But it would be a wonder if we could prevent it as well.
“During the second wave, a large number of people were infected causing huge loss of productivity as people got sick. The other concern that has come, as of now is — Reinfections,” Dr Jayadevan said.
As per the NIA co-chairman, reinfection is when a person gets infected again and again. Instead of being affected once-a-year, reinfection is when people are getting affected in time less than a month, he added.
Further explaining, he mentioned,
Not everyone (can be affected again and again) but it is quite possible. So, we must take extra care and take some basic precautions when we go out daily, which doesn’t mean shutting down the country. As the air contains virus, we must take some basic precautions. We can’t just shut our eyes and say no, it’s gone. That’s the wrong way
Stating that the virus is “constantly trying to outsmart us”, he said, “we need to stay on the top of the genomic sequencing, look for new variants when they happen and if something new and unusual happens, we must stay on top of it and upgrade our instructions.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
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