Don’t let your guard down against Covid, says expert

VISAKHAPATNAM:  Covid is not over yet and the threat of a new variant — Omicron — looms large over the world. One should not drop the guard and continue following panchsheel rules — wearing of mask, sanitisation, vaccination, maintaining physical distance and avoiding crowd — to keep the virus at bay, AMC principal and Covid special officer PV Sudhakar said here on Wednesday. 

Speaking to TNIE, Dr Sudhakar said the variant is known as B 1.1.529. It is an offshoot and lineage of the beta virus. There were multiple mutations in the virus in its spike protein. Its transmissibility is five times more than the delta variant, he said. However, its virulence is not yet known, he added.

“It started in African countries and the predominant reasons for a fresh breakout is the presence of many unvaccinated people in those countries and a high rate of immune deficiency diseases. People who were immunodeficient harboured the virus and paved the path for further mutations in those countries. This has already been transmitted to Canada, Australia, and the UK,” the Covid special officer said.

Following Covid-appropriate behaviour is the need of the hour, he said. Covid vaccines which are available throughout the world are also effective against the new variant. If there are many breakthrough infections the vaccine could be modified. However, at the present juncture, the need for modification of the vaccine has not arisen. “We should concentrate on completing both the vaccine doses to all. The government should think about giving booster doses to healthcare workers, senior citizens who are above 65 years of age and all those who are immunosuppressed,” Dr Sudhakar said.

Referring to the reports of the fourth and fifth waves in the US, he said it is possible due to vaccine hesitancy. As long as there are people who are hesitant to take vaccines which, he said, vaccine hesitancy, infections will occur and it will be severe among people who are not fully vaccinated.

The positive rate across the State was below one per cent. In Visakhapatnam district it was still between 1 and 2 per cent, he said. The situation can be called normal if only the positivity rate touches 0.1 per cent that is 1 in 1000, Dr Sudhakar said. Most of the fresh cases are reported among unvaccinated people and immune-deficient people, he said. Positivity rate can not be zero and it is negligible if the rate is between 0.1 and 0.2 per cent, he said. Some of the people who are not vaccinated and are immune-deficient are quite likely to get infected, he warned.

Sudhakar stresses on need for vaccination
Most of the fresh cases are reported among unvaccinated people and immune-deficient people, he said. Positivity rate can not be zero and it is negligible if the rate is between 0.1 and 0.2 per cent, he said. Some of the people who are not vaccinated and are immune-deficient are quite likely to get infected, he warned