Complacency risk

The Covid-19 situation has considerably improved in Jammu and Kashmir. On Monday, for the first time in the ongoing second wave, J&K recorded a single digit death toll even as the number of daily infections also remained below 1,000. The Union Health Ministry on Tuesday said that an 85 per cent decline in daily Covid-19 cases has been noted since the highest reported peak on May 7. India on Tuesday reported 60,471 new Covid-19 cases, the lowest in 75 days, and 2,726 deaths in the last 24 hours. As many as 25,90,44,072 people have been vaccinated, according to the Union Health Ministry. The data shows that the worst of this wave is behind us. However, as encouraging these numbers are, they must also not be a reason for complacency as we now undoubtedly know how this disease goes into shell before coming back with ferocity we are hardly able to control. We must remember that the behavioural pattern of putting masks on and off intermittently, improper wearing of masks and not following Covid-appropriate behaviour contributed to the second wave of the viral disease. The administration is in the process of unlock 2.0 allowing traders and transporters to resume business with certain conditions. At the same time, people at large have to keep in mind their responsibility in the fight against this deadly virus. We cannot give up on life-saving practices of wearing a mask, ensuring that we strictly adhere to social distancing norms, and most of all get ourselves fully vaccinated to save our and others lives in the process. While everyone is talking about the possibility and severity of a third Covid-19 wave, doctors say any such wave can be prevented or at least suppressed by ensuring that all are vaccinated. Everything about the emergence of third Covid-19 wave, its severity and impact on children has been talked about on social media but there is an equal possibility of preventing or suppressing it, by ensuring cent percent vaccination of the entire population, say doctors who are in the middle of the fight against the virus. According to them, the strategy of vaccination of the entire population must be implemented properly without leaving behind any eligible individual. This they say will increase the defence mechanism against new infection in the body and nullify chances of catching virus again. If all the adults in a family get vaccinated, the chances of children getting infected is highly unlikely as vaccinated parents become a shield for children. Health experts also warn that infodemics need to be curbed since they induce fear and Covid vaccination phobia among the people. People are advised to cross check the source of news from Google to ascertain veracity of content of news which will help them not to fall for fake stories. Research regarding Covid vaccination for children is being conducted in many countries and if vaccination for children is allowed in near future then the process shall be taken on priority basis.