Covid-19 in some way will be with us forever: Dr Ashish K Jha
5 min read . Updated: 08 Nov 2022, 08:05 PM IST
Premium- Covid is not fully over... in some ways it will be with us forever and we have to manage it: Dr Jha said at an event
United States government's Covid-19 response co-ordinator Dr Ashish K Jha on Tuesday said that the worst of the Covid Pandemic should be behind the world. Jha was speaking on Day 1 of the 20th edition of the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit.
At the summit, Jha further said that owing to the higher immunity levels in masses of the population, owing to vaccination drive and prior infection, “even if we see surges even if we see new variants. the worst of this pandemic should be behind us".
"Covid is not fully over... in some ways it will be with us forever and we have to manage it. But if the question is, 'are the worst days of covid behind us', then my answer is 'absolutely'," Jha said.
Here are a few highlights from Jha's statements
Covid variants
"Right now, I would say variants are a concern. We are seeing very rapid evolution... the speed at which SARS-CoV 2 is evolving is remarkable."
"There are a variety of reasons. The primary is - we have so much immunity between vaccinations and prior infections that it is putting evolutionary pressure on the virus to find a way around that immunity," he explained.
"We are seeing immune-evasive versions. The good news is that we can do things... like update vaccines... that can get us ahead of the virus."
Recurring Covid infection waves
"... there will come a time when it is more seasonal. It is already now… even if we are still seeing surges. That is because of rapid evolution... you get new immune-evasive variants and they cause mini-waves. But there is so much immunity in the population that it limits how big the wave can be," he said.
Jha further added that he hopes the virus would become less lethal over time, however, he also added a note of caution that 'viruses can surprise'.
Covid Vaccines
"... if you think about how India turned its situation around after the Delta wave, this ramp-up of vaccine production and a phenomenal vaccination campaign (helped). I will say it was one of the most impressive," he said.
Dr Jha also said the second generation of vaccines were already proving more effective because they were targeted towards the Omicron variant.
Effective communication
Dr Jha underlined the importance of scientists and political leadership communicating with the public, particularly since the major focus in the initial months was to change public behaviour; for example, encouraging social distancing and hand hygiene.
"Covid taught us the importance of investment in public health. It also taught us the importance of data, and the need for public health and political leaders to communicate openly and clearly with people."
"An information vacuum - where the public is not told about aspects of the virus - is fertile ground for misinformation. And this was a problem because scientists are (generally) cautious... this is good but we shouldn't leave a vacuum."
"If you don't know all the facts, tell the public what you do know. Say something. Say 'this is what we know... this is what we don't... this is what we're going to find out..." he said.
Long Covid
"Post-viral syndromes are widely known... so this is common. That said, it does seem to be more of a problem with SARS Covid. We are learning but there are fundamental issues on which we need more information," he said.
Dr Jha stressed, though, Long Covid is not one condition. "For some people it is immunological, for others it is something else. What we need to do is separate those as individual problems and work on targeted therapies," he clarified.
He also touched on the increased risk of heart attacks and strokes in Covid-infected people, something on which there are an increasing number of studies.
"We know Covid can cause vascular damage (damage to blood vessels). This is important because we know this can trigger heart attack or stroke. Clinically or physiologically it makes sense some people are at greater risk... the issue is we need more studies, bigger studies, to fully understand the problem."
Re-opening schools
The debate - should children attend in-person classes - split scientists and policy-makers. In India there was opposition, particularly since those below 18 were the last major age group to be vaccinated.
Dr Jha seemed to be on the side of allowing children to continue going to school.
"I think all of us would agree education of children and making sure schools are open must be amongst our highest priorities. The good thing is that now - 2.5 years into managing the virus - we know how to keep schools safe, and we've done this in the United States, in Europe and in India," he said.
"Schools should be the last to close and first to reopen. In the context of where we are, I see nothing to suggest schools have to shut ever again," he added.
Zero Covid- a possibility?
"... could have been a case for 'zero Covid' in the early days but, at this point, it doesn't make sense. When you don't vaccines, treatments, tests... being aggressive makes sense. But that is not where we are. We are at a point where vaccines are available... in that context 'zero Covid' doesn't make sense to me."
"At this point it is about managing the virus to make sure it doesn't kill a lot of people... it is going to be around forever and so I don't fully understand how sustainable 'zero Covid' is..."
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