According to pulmonologist and former director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Dr. Randeep Guleria, the first two weeks of January would be crucial for COVID-19’s taking hold in India.
First Fortnight of January will be crucial the way COVID-19 takes hold in India
Following the recent increase in the BF.7 Omicron variant in China, there has been rising concern about a potential new coronavirus outbreak in India. According to Dr. Guleria, “the first 14 days of January will be essential for us to watch out for COVID-19, as people travel and return back.”
Dr.Guleria stated that “As people travel and return, and then you have an incubation period, which may be five to seven days, you will come to know whether there is a jump in the number of cases as far as travel-related transmission of infection is concerned.”
Genesis of COVID-19 : It started spreading during Chinese New Year and a lot of people from Wuhan travelling to Italy and Europe and carrying with them the infection there
He used the 2019 events that led to worldwide chaos in order to emphasise the importance of attentively monitoring COVID-19 instances throughout the course of the following month. “It all started over the Chinese New Year when many people from Wuhan travelled to Italy and other parts of Europe and brought the infection with them. And after that, Europe, particularly Italy, experienced this enormous spike in cases. Therefore, that has repercussions for several weeks and months, he stated.
The previous spike in instances occurred immediately following the holiday season when many people travelled and airports saw significant crowds. As long as they are immunised and behave in a COVID-appropriate manner, people are able to travel indefinitely, according to Dr. Guleria.
Also Read: China Surge Infecting 37 Million People A Day
Those who have not taken the third shot, should come forward and take it
Dr. Guleria advised those who hadn’t received the booster dose, or the third shot, to do so right away. Bivalent vaccinations (covering SARS-CoV and Omicron) are being administered in the US and Europe, he continued, but their use in India should be carefully monitored as the evidence supporting their efficacy is still not “strong.”
The latest variant’s symptoms are substantially the same as those of the older variants. “Some people have overactive airways, we also discover. The airways become more sensitive, and even a small amount of dust or a temperature change might cause a cough spasm.
Further he notes that the virus can, in rare instances, cause those who are genetically prone to increased irritation of the airways and throat to experience a chronic spasmodic cough that lasts for several weeks. And in order for it to calm down in some of these individuals, we’ve had to administer inhalers. But over the next two to three months, it does get better.
Also insisted that COVID-19 testing be done for everyone who has a fever, sore throat, running or clogged nose, headache, body aches, or chronic cough that is typically dry but may contain a small amount of sputum.
Dr. Gulleria emphasised the importance of performing the RT-PCR test by stating that the information gathered from tests might be used to create policy. “The sample can be assessed for genome sequencing, and we will learn what mutation caused the infection. Is it the previous version? Is the lineage different? Or is it something else, BF.7?”
Further issued a warning against stockpiling medications, noting that nearly no new patients are currently being admitted who need antiviral medications like Remdesivir, steroids, or medications like Tocilizumab.
The majority of our patients who test positive for COVID receive paracetamol as symptomatic treatment, along with other cold and cough medications like antihistamines and stimulants, as well as supportive care like multivitamins and hydration maintenance. Most of these patients recover in about five to seven days.
Because the current strain we’ve seen, despite being more infectious and having a higher chance of causing infection, is not causing severe infection, not resulting in hospitalisations, and not resulting in deaths as far as our population is concerned, he explained, “if you are vaccinated, if you are having some degree of immunity.”
In China Zero COVID policy had become “counterproductive” as large part of their population which had been exposed to the virus in its milder form, and could not build immunity against it
He claimed that China’s Zero COVID policy had turned out to be “counterproductive” because a significant portion of their population, who had never been exposed to the virus in its milder form and could not develop immunity against it, were now easily contracting the disease.
Further stated that the Sinovac vaccine’s effectiveness is under question and that China has had a poor immunisation uptake rate. The effectiveness of them against the new varieties is actually unknown, but it appears that they are ineffective in terms of the new version.
Also claimed that the Zero COVID policy, poor vaccination rates, and a lack of information regarding the effectiveness of vaccinations in China, in addition to the BF.7 strain, are to blame for the widespread illness and hospitalizations in China. He also attributed India’s BF.7 trend to its luck in obtaining the new strain. “If you have immunity to the Omicron variety, you may still contract the infection, but because your immune system is prepared and has antibodies against this virus, it will prevent you from becoming seriously unwell, requiring hospitalisation, and putting you at risk of death. We are witnessing that at the moment.
Those above the age of 80 to be careful, since morbidity and mortality increase with rising age
He advised persons over the age of 80 to take extra precautions, noting that as mortality and morbidity rise with age, people must take extra care to wear their masks properly and avoid crowded situations. Additionally, people who are immunosuppressed, receiving chemotherapy, or who have a low immunity should exercise caution. “If these people have not taken their booster shots, then they should come forward and do it,” recommended Dr. Guleria, “since many people now feel that COVID-19 is more or less gone in India and they don’t need to take the booster shot.”Dr. Guleria encouraged parents to immunise their children against COVID-19. Parents immunise their children against a variety of illnesses, such as diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus. In a same vein, they ought also vaccinate them against COVID-19 as well.
Also Read: Centre On ‘Alert Mode’ After Rise In Covid Cases
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, Dr. Randeep Guleria, the first two weeks of January would be crucial for COVID-19's taking hold in India.){kind=link}