MANGALURU: Enforcing lockdown is economically suicidal as only the rich can manage in life, said Dr M K Sudarshan, Chairman, Karnataka Covid-19 Technical Advisory Committee (
TAC).
He was delivering the first Dr B S Sajjan Endowment Oration on the theme ‘Public Health Leadership in Covid-19 Pandemic’ organised by the department of community medicine of
Kasturba Medical College (KMC) on Saturday.
He said that there is no need for lockdown if people follow the Covid-19 guidelines properly.
“Though lockdown has helped in the clinical management of Covid-19 effectively, it is the last measure that the government should think about in case of the second wave of the pandemic. People should wear masks even after getting the
vaccine doses. Covishield and Covaxin are being administered under an emergency use authorisation. Data is being compiled on the efficacy of both vaccines,” Dr Sudarshan said.
On possibilities of a second wave of Covid-19, Dr Sudarshan said that the situation may not be the same in all the states.
On technical issues related to Co-WIN Vaccinator App, he said the government also has made provisions for the people to walk-in to get vaccinated.
“The app’s technical issues include delay in the delivery of response messages, erroneous messages and lack of proper scheduling. We have made several recommendations to the government and most of them have been implemented. However, there is still a gap between what we recommend and the implementation. Meanwhile, there is an overzealous response to the guidelines related to sanitisation. We have seen people setting up
disinfectant tunnels to make people walkthrough and get themselves sanitised. Such overzealous measures have less to do with science and more to do with sensation. Many are not following the guidelines of the TAC while using sanitisers, disinfectants, gloves, masks, face shields and PPE kits,” he said.
Karnataka State Vision Group member Dr Giridhara R Babu said despite poor preparedness India has done well in the fight against Covid-19. “Early intervention, proactive lockdown, prevention of foreign travels, effective quarantine measures, presence of younger population and the opportunity the nation got to learn about the pandemic from foreign countries are favourable factors for India despite low preparedness.
Further, the nation has good leadership and political will that no country in the world could so exponentially increase the testing capacities,” he added.
The KMC felicitated
Dakshina Kannada district health and family welfare officer Dr
Ramachandra Bairy on the occasion. Dr Bairy said the district has several threats since it has an airport, seaport, road connectivity to
Kerala and Maharashtra, where the disease has not been controlled yet. “Home isolation was the best decision of the government. Though more than 25,000 people have been treated in home isolation in the district, only one person with comorbidities died,” he said.