Not yet time to lower guard

Last week, India crossed the grim milestone of five lakh official deaths due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the toll is still increasing, though at a slower pace. The country has recorded the third highest number of deaths in the world, after the US and Brazil. There are credible estimates that the actual toll is many times more than the official figure. The country is considered to be on the waning side of the third wave, but infections continue and deaths are happening. There are also some pockets in the country, like Kerala and Mizoram, where the virus is still raging. But there is the consensual view that the Omicron-driven third wave is milder than the Delta-driven second wave.

It will be unwise to lower the guard, and old warnings need to be repeated in the light of past experience and the guidance being given by experts. The World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Ghebreyesus recently noted that 90 million cases of coronavirus have been reported since the Omicron variant was first detected about 10 weeks ago. He has warned that the sudden and total lifting of restrictions across the world is a wrong response and could lead to fresh spurts. He has also noted that in four out of six WHO regions, infections and deaths are increasing. Large numbers of people in many countries are yet to be vaccinated. There are chances of the virus evolving into newer variants whose nature cannot be predicted now. BA.2, a new variant that has attracted much notice, is more transmissible than Omicron and needs to be watched for its virulence. Only about half of the world is vaccinated, and that has raised the risk of the virus spreading further and taking more lives.

What is true about the world is true about India, too. More than 75% of the eligible population is fully vaccinated but that still leaves many millions of people, equivalent to the combined populations of many countries, vulnerable. The campaign to vaccinate the entire population and to expedite the coverage of the second dose should be stepped up. Priority sections should also get the booster dose. The approval given for more vaccines will hopefully make this easier. The pandemic fatigue and a cavalier attitude, which seems to be spreading, can yet lead to trouble. The reopening of the economy and the easing of restrictions should be done with care and caution, and Covid protocol should be strictly followed.