New Virus Strains More Dangerous, Require People To Be More Cautious: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister

Dharamshala: The new coronavirus strains are more dangerous, requiring people to follow anti-COVID precautions more strictly, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has warned. Thakur cautioned people while taking stock of the COVID-19 spread in the state in a meeting at Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College, Tanda, near Dharamsala. “The health experts have observed that new coronavirus variants leave no symptoms of cough or fever and patients just complain of joint pains, weakness and loss of appetite and COVID-19 pneumonia,” said the chief minister.

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It takes much less time to aggravate compared to the old variant and at times, there are no symptoms at all. Therefore, it is better to be more careful than staying unguarded and putting ourselves, family and the society in danger, he said.

Mr. Thakur asked the health authorities, local administration and local Panchayati Raj representatives to monitor patients in isolation and encourage people to take precautionary measures more strictly. He asked officials to ensure that no one ventures out of his home without wearing masks and breach social distancing norms without which, he said, it will not be possible to beat the pandemic.

Mr. Thakur also directed health authorities to enhance testing for coronavirus infection to stop its community spread. He said the new strains do not stay in the human body’s nasopharyngeal region and directly affect the lungs, which means the “window period” for the aggravation of the infection has been shortened.

The chief minister also asked the Health Department authorities to encourage people to take anti-COVID vaccines at the earliest so that they are less prone to infection. He also urged people to be careful and avoid crowded places as far as possible and wear face mask all the time while being at public places and transport. Urging people to adhere to the practice of frequent hand-washing, Mr. Thakur said the peoples’ negligence will lead to a spurt in the infection and put the society in peril.

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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. 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 highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. 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 become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.