India is not under the risk following covid outbreak in China

The surge in Covid-19 cases in China has alerted the administrations across the world, to control the situation in advance. Countries like India, United States, Canada, Britain, France, and Australia have imposed restrictions on travellers from China and are asking for negative RTPCR report at the airport. Omicron sub variants BA.5.2 and BF.7 have created havoc in Beijing which are together responsible for 97.5 percentage of total infections and is killing thousands of people. According to the reports, World Health Organization along with India and other neighboring countries are asking Chinese authorities to deliver data concerning hospitalization and deaths in the country. This comes right after China’s National Health Commission stopped publishing any kind of information regarding it.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during media briefing said, ‘We continue to ask China for more rapid regular, reliable data on hospitalizations and deaths, as well as more comprehensive, real time viral sequencing. WHO is concerned about the risk to life in China and has reiterated the importance of vaccination including booster doses to protect against hospitalization, severe disease and death’. Information says, Chinese center for disease control and prevention established the domination of Omicron sub variants BA.5.2 and BF.7 after the analysis of more than 2000 genomes.

Meanwhile, India has started taking precautions considering the proximity of virus outbreak. From making mask mandatory at public places again to random conducting test at airports, Indian administration is not taking any chance. Dr. Bhandari is a pediatrician at a public hospital in Dehradun and is trying to keep a track on the number of cases in his region. He said, ‘With daily number of cases, I am trying to get an average of the situation. At the hospital we are getting 10 or 15 active corona cases, in a day from last 6 months. I am talking about the hospital where I work. The present situation is under control, people should not panic instead should keep their eyes and ear open.’ At present, weekly covid cases are coming under 1500 and average daily deaths are recorded 3, in India which is not so problematic situation to deal with, according to experts.

Dr. Malhotra appreciated administration’s instant action towards the risk of pandemic and said, ‘we have done several mistakes in past regarding travel policies that is one of the major precautions to be considered by any country from the very beginning. The frequency of spreading a virus tells about the severity and should be treated accordingly. This time imposing travel restrictions quickly on travellers coming from such countries has contributed hugely in not making the situation worse.’ As per the experts, India is in a very comfortable situation and has already said goodbye to the pandemic. However, Dr. Malhotra shared his concern with EAT news, ‘Yes, looking at the health data, India is no longer under risk of pandemic. When countries like China (BF.7) US and UK (BQ.1 BQ.1.1) with upgraded health facilities are going through the upsurge of new variants and are in horrendous state, India is standing strong with its sufficient health resources. And it all happened because of responsible actions displayed by each and everybody here. But that doesn’t mean we won’t be facing similar circumstances like of 2^nd wave because with every new variant it becomes a possibility of new severe variant could be developed’.

 India has been praised immensely for staying in a safer position since second wave of covid and Dr. Malhotra has shared one of the significant reasons. ‘India along with stricter isolation policies and precautions also had highest coverage of vaccinating people. Unlike other countries, the campaign and awareness around vaccination in India motivated millions of people to get vaccinated without it being a mandatory by administration. It actually helped, and people of all age group participated in these drives actively’, he said.

By the end of 2022, 2.19 billion doses have been given to Indians including first, second and precautionary. According to the information, our vaccine hesitancy was lowest globally and was accepted too worldwide including WHO. With 90 percent of Indian population being vaccinated, Dr. Malhotra explained it has become normal flu in India because immunity of a vaccinated person is stronger than others, comparatively. Report says, 88 million people may have virus infection in the Henan province, China told top local official. It is third most populous region in the country. Recent visuals of deaths, hospitalizations and forced isolation from China disturbed the viewers and convinced world that condition is not under control. However, China refused all the criticism and are said to be acting hideous after blamed for not disclosing exact health data. Dr. Malhotra said that India for now is not facing surge in corona cases but there is nothing wrong in following precautions, including face mask in crowded places and hand sanitizing.