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Third Wave In India? Mask On, Get Vaccinated To Control The Spread Of Omicron, Experts Opine

Third Wave In India? Mask On, Get Vaccinated To Control The Spread Of Omicron, Experts Opine

Omicron, the South African variant, has unnerved scientists over a possible surge in COVID cases across the world. Read on to know what experts suggest you should do to control the surge.

Written by Arushi Bidhuri |Updated : November 29, 2021 12:27 PM IST

Scientists all over the world are racing to track the concerning rise of a new variant of COVID-19 that is believed to be highly transmissible. Moreover, the strain is believed to harbour many mutations found in other variants, including Delta. First identified in Botswana this month, the South African variant has spread to many other countries. Scientists are also trying to figure out whether the variant can avoid immune responses elicited by vaccines and whether it causes severe diseases than other variants.

In a situation where we are on the verge of experiencing a third wave of the pandemic, our best option is to adhere to precautionary measures to curb the spread of the disease.

Get Vaccinated To Control The Surge Of Omicron COVID Variant

Reports have suggested that the newly detected COVID variant Omicron might affect those severely who have not been vaccinated yet. Vaccination appears to be the greatest available strategy right now, according to specialists, and it might be a game-changer in the fight against the new Covid type.

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In a statement to IANS, Ravi Shekhar Jha, Additional Director Pulmonology, Fortis Escorts Hospital, Faridabad said, "So far, it appears that those who are not vaccinated are at very high risk of getting affected by the severe disease. Therefore, vaccination is the best available option at present which can be a game-changer."

Keep Following The Necessary Precautions

Animesh Arya, Senior Consultant in Respiratory Medicine, Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute, New Delhi told IANS, "The new variant of Covid Omicron has several mutations from previous Covid-19 strains. People need to understand that Covid appropriate behaviour and vaccination are the only ways to stay safe from this variant. Do not lower our guards and restart taking full precautions as before including social distancing."

Testing Should Be Increased

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote in a letter to all states and union territories' additional chief secretary/principal secretary/secretary (Health) that, in addition to screening passengers from "at-risk" countries and imposing a 14-day quarantine, they should continue to monitor "hotspots," or areas where clusters of positive cases have recently emerged. More testing and sharing of RT-PCR tests should be prioritised to aid in the early detection of Covid-19 patients. Bhushan emphasised that states should strive for a positivity rate of less than 5%.

Will This Lead To The Third Wave Of COVID In India?

The scientific community is concerned about the new variation discovered in South Africa, as it fears that it will drive epidemics in multiple nations and damage health systems once more.

Meanwhile, Indian health experts believe it's too early to predict whether the third wave is on its way. However, given the negligence shown in India in recent months, the omicron may have a negative impact if it enters the country.

Experts believe that the new version contains much more mutations than scientists expected, according to South African health officials, especially following a catastrophic wave caused by the Delta form. Many of the alterations are immune evasion and transmissibility concerns. It has many mutations in its spike protein, which is important for the virus's entry into human cells. The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that determining the impact of the new variation will take a few weeks.

(with inputs from agencies)