KOLKATA: The complete disruption of lives caused by cyclone Amphan and efforts to restore normalcy seem to have broken down all social-distancing norms in the city and beyond, which are also in the grip of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Health experts fear a massive rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in the next few days, with a huge number of people converging on the streets, either to help the city get back on its feet or to protest against the lack of power and water supply.
Virologists pointed out that many among those gathering on the roads could be asymptomatic carriers of the virus. Even if there is a single super spreader among them, half of them could be infected.
“With the natural disaster forcing people to forego social-distancing norms, the pandemic could go from bad to worse in Bengal. We are bound to see a surge in the number of people getting infected in the next few days,” said virologist Amiya Hati, former director at School of Tropical Medicine. With 127 new Covid cases on Saturday, Bengal recorded 3,459 total cases; Kolkata has the highest number of patients (1,615).
Peerless Hospital microbiologist Bhaskar Narayan Chaudhury pointed out that social distancing and hand hygiene were the two most lethal weapons against the virus. “In the aftermath of Cyclone Amphan, thousands have been coming out on the streets, reversing the Covid-19 containment wheel,” he said.
Adopting multi-pronged measures, the government has ramped up testing, which has brought the positivity rate to 2.7%. But people seem to have forgotten about the virus threat, even as they fight for their basic needs. “Covid-19 has taken a back seat for people who are demanding their basic needs, such as water and electricity. One cannot even argue with them as they are genuinely aggrieved. At the same time, the government cannot restore everything overnight. Amphan has reversed the efforts to contain the spread of the virus that were quite successful over the past few weeks,” said internal medicine specialist Syamasis Bandyopadhyay.
“How can people maintain hand hygiene without water at home? How can protesters maintain social distancing? Amphan effect is also going to push up the number of infected people in South and North 24 Parganas, Midnapore and other districts, where many were put together in rescue camps,” added Chaudhury.
Besides rapid spread of Covid-19, virologists also fear the spread of other diseases, like dengue, malaria and chikungunia, owing to waterlogging.
Virologists pointed out that many among those gathering on the roads could be asymptomatic carriers of the virus. Even if there is a single super spreader among them, half of them could be infected.
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We will be fortunate if we do not see a second spike in the disease, thanks to the breakdown of all social-distancing norms because of Amphan. Some of what is happening may be unavoidable but we should all be conscious of the consequences and behave accordingly.
“With the natural disaster forcing people to forego social-distancing norms, the pandemic could go from bad to worse in Bengal. We are bound to see a surge in the number of people getting infected in the next few days,” said virologist Amiya Hati, former director at School of Tropical Medicine. With 127 new Covid cases on Saturday, Bengal recorded 3,459 total cases; Kolkata has the highest number of patients (1,615).
Peerless Hospital microbiologist Bhaskar Narayan Chaudhury pointed out that social distancing and hand hygiene were the two most lethal weapons against the virus. “In the aftermath of Cyclone Amphan, thousands have been coming out on the streets, reversing the Covid-19 containment wheel,” he said.
Adopting multi-pronged measures, the government has ramped up testing, which has brought the positivity rate to 2.7%. But people seem to have forgotten about the virus threat, even as they fight for their basic needs. “Covid-19 has taken a back seat for people who are demanding their basic needs, such as water and electricity. One cannot even argue with them as they are genuinely aggrieved. At the same time, the government cannot restore everything overnight. Amphan has reversed the efforts to contain the spread of the virus that were quite successful over the past few weeks,” said internal medicine specialist Syamasis Bandyopadhyay.
“How can people maintain hand hygiene without water at home? How can protesters maintain social distancing? Amphan effect is also going to push up the number of infected people in South and North 24 Parganas, Midnapore and other districts, where many were put together in rescue camps,” added Chaudhury.
Besides rapid spread of Covid-19, virologists also fear the spread of other diseases, like dengue, malaria and chikungunia, owing to waterlogging.
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