As Covid cases dip in Bihar, experts seek extension of lockdown

PATNA: Favouring extension of the Covid-induced lockdown, several experts claim that the curbs imposed a fortnight back have controlled the rising graph of coronavirus cases and brought down the positivity rate. The situation has improved considerably with the number of positive cases declining from 14,836 on May 5 to 5,154 on Friday. The positivity rate dipped from 15.58% to 4.12% during the same period.
Former president of the Indian Medical Association’s state unit, Dr Bimal Kumar Karak, attributes the “healthy development” to the lockdown. He says, “Lockdown alone can bring down the number of Covid cases considerably. It should, therefore, continue for at least a month.”
Dr Karak advises the government to accelerate the vaccination drive in the meantime. “If all the people are vaccinated, Covid cases are likely to vanish soon,” he claims.
Dr Punam Raman, a gynaecologist, echoes similar views. “The Covid positivity rate has dipped significantly after the lockdown, as a result of which it should be extended. If the cases continue to decline, the restrictions can be relaxed,” she says, adding that a large number of people from both urban and rural areas can be vaccinated during the lockdown in order to check the transmission further.
Former superintendent of the Patna Medical College and Hospital, Dr Rajiv Ranjan Prasad, also claims that the chain of infections has been broken only due to the lockdown which should again be extended. He thanks the people for adopting Covid-appropriate behaviour and says, “If they cooperate with the authorities and do not step out of their houses unnecessarily, the situation will be normal soon.”
Hailing the lockdown, paediatrician Dr Arun Shah points out, “The B.1.617 Covid variant can infect as many as 500 people in 30 days. Hence, the lockdown should not be lifted without significant reduction in the infection rate.”
The principal of Government Ayurvedic College, Dr Dineshwar Prasad Singh, and former dean of Patna University’s social science faculty, Nawal Kishore Chaudhary, are also in favour of lockdown extension.
“The lockdown, which has shown positive results by reducing the number of cases within a fortnight, must continue. Curbs should also be imposed strictly in villages where a large number of migrants have returned from other states,” Dr Dineshwar Prasad Singh says.
Chaudhary, on the other hand, urges the government to “improve the state’s health infrastructure and get the maximum number of people vaccinated amid the lockdown”.