Dr. Satwant Singh Rissam
After COVID-19 variants BA.2.10 and BA.2.12 being found in many states of India, now some people in Pune have tested positive for the BA.4 and BA.5 sub variant of the Omicron strain of corona virus. The experts have already warned of such mutations of this virus. Moreover, the WHO has said that the decline in number of cases is due to a drop in testing. Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) has clearly stated that Geneva is now rapidly becoming the epicenter of COVID-19. Some countries in the world again have entered into the post-emergency phase as constantly rising cases in countries like Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Netherland are being noted since the beginning of March this year. North Korea too is grappling with this virus without access to anti-virus vaccine. Although COVID pandemic has been here for a long time and everyone is tired mentally with it, still we need to be very cautious especially after having survived the previous three waves because the pandemic is not ready to vanish yet.
Perhaps with such new variants found in different Indian states and in the midst of the trend of isolated increased cases of infection in some Indian states, COVID can revive anytime. Interestingly, low restrictions are visible in public places of Jammu city and that indicates that the open threat prevails here too. Till now under the joint efforts by the J&K administration and the central government we have been provided guidance and the surveillance was high but suddenly the entire social system appears to behave as if COVID-19 is gone. All activities have resumed like in the pre-pandemic period and this is going to result in a spike in COVID cases. We can find similarities in Jammu to the WHO statement as Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) drive by local administration for COVID-19 testing too has dropped significantly. Such a situation is adding to the misinformation brewing around corona virus numbers because with such a pattern being followed, we are turning blind to the pattern of transmission and evolution of this deadly virus.
It is a fact that people in Jammu and Kashmir cannot face another wave very soon. Otherwise we will have to face many repercussions which will come along with another wave. Still the sufferings of the common man aren't over and the impact caused by earlier COVID waves on our life is visible. The reality remains that we aren't out of this pandemic even after the vaccination drives going continuously in India to fight against COVID-19. Vaccination plans have been expanded with precaution dose and teenage vaccine drives started across the country. But by now we have also learnt that vaccines aren't the ultimate cover and we should not let our guard down. In addition, we shouldn't increase our confidence with the low number of cases being reported in J&K. After seeing the casualties caused by this virus around us in Jammu, let's not forget that COVID is still changing and still killing every day.
Amid the pandemic, all the sensible and responsible decisions of the J&K UT administration taken in the past should continue. Masks should be made compulsory, social distancing be monitored and supervised by imposing penalties. And the public must follow all the health protocols if we want to curb the fourth wave. Already Jammu-Kashmir suffers from poor health infrastructure and the last COVID wave brought all residents, irrespective of their financial and social standing, to their knees. So if the need arises for handling mass casualty emergencies we may not be able to meet the demand for healthcare facilities. That said, we cannot rush to the conclusion with the daily corona virus infections data coming out and precautions are needed to prevent another wave to arrive on our doorstep.
The author is an academician with BSL, LLB, LLM, PGDHRM, Ph.D.
