New Delhi, April 18 (). Experts said here on Tuesday that the current rise in both Covid infections and deaths is no cause for concern. We have reached the endemism of Covid.
India recorded 7,633 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours on Tuesday, taking the number of active cases to 61,233, according to Union Health Ministry data.
Last week the country reported nearly 10,000 cases a day, compared to only 100 a day six weeks ago. The country saw a week-on-week increase of 79 per cent in the number of cases.
Speaking to , infectious disease specialist Dr Ishwar Gilada said that we may get more cases of Covid due to low immunity.
“The way the cases are increasing manifold now, by the end of May the number may go up to one lakh a day, (but) even then I would not call it a wave,” he said.
We need to do a lot of monitoring and reduce the fluctuations from time to time, Dr. Gilada said. It is part of the endemicity that we are already in. Since there hasn’t been a new edition in the past 16 months, we don’t need to worry that there will be a big wave.
Infectious disease specialist, Fortis Hospital, Mulund, Dr. Anita Mathew said, “It seems that COVID-19 has become endemic and like flu we may see ups and downs in the near future.”
Along with the infection, the death toll is also increasing.
The health ministry reported 11 deaths – Delhi (4), Haryana (1), Karnataka (1) and Punjab (1), while four deaths were tallied by Kerala.
According to Dr Gilada, around 70 per cent of deaths are seen in people aged 60 years and above and those with co-morbidities, uncontrolled diabetes, cancer patients with kidney problems, chemotherapy patients and tuberculosis patients.
There has been a rise in Covid cases, but most of them are mild and self-limiting, Dr Vasant Nagvekar, co-director of infectious diseases at the Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre, told . These are constantly increasing due to host and environmental factors.
The current increase in Covid cases also includes re-infection, which experts have noted, as immunity from both infection and vaccination is waning.
Dr Gilada said, the hybrid immunity which is infection plus vaccine..both are waning and hence, people who are already infected or vaccinated may still get the infection, but the better thing would be The infection will be mild, he will not need ICU or ventilator.
Vaccination and masking is the only way to limit the spread of the disease, we need to do this to protect high-risk populations, Dr Mathew told . We do not need to be worried, but be alert.
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