The Union health ministry emphasised on Thursday that all large meetings should be avoided in the run-up to the country’s forthcoming festive season, adding that if attendance is absolutely necessary for someone, complete immunisation should be considered as a must.
Senior officials from the health ministry cautioned on Thursday that the second Covid-19 wave is ‘not yet over’ in the nation, adding that a rise in cases is typically seen as soon as the Christmas season ends.
While the national positivity rate has been dropping since the week ending May 10, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan noted during the government’s Covid-19 news conference that many districts still have very high positivity rates. In the previous week, 39 districts reported a positivity percentage of above 10%, while another 38 districts recorded a positivity rate of 5-10%, he noted.
In the following weeks, government specialists advised individuals to receive their vaccination jab as soon as possible and to adopt Covid-appropriate behaviour.
According to official figures, nearly 700 million doses of the vaccine were delivered to 514.6 million individuals on Thursday night, with 155.2 million people receiving complete vaccinations and 359.4 million people receiving only one shot. When compared to India’s estimated adult population of 940 million (according to the National Commission on Population of the Census of India), this indicates that while 54.7 percent of adults in India have had vaccinations, only 16.5 percent of those over the age of 18 are completely vaccinated.
In the next 8-10 weeks, several festivals from virtually all faiths, including Ganesh Chaturthi, Dussehra, Eid Milad un-Nabi, and Diwali, as well as holidays like Gandhi Jayanti, are scheduled. In Kerala, covid infections have increased dramatically in the last two weeks, a condition experts ascribe to the Onam festival’s permissive limits on social movement.
‘The key message we wish to convey to everyone is that we must be careful particularly in the context of the festive season. Therefore, we make a very strong plea even as we accelerate the vaccination programme… our precautions must continue. The time has not yet come to live life without wearing a mask. Like last year, this year also festivals need to be celebrated in a modified way. We will have to wait for celebrating festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Navratri, Eid etc. with great fervour,’ VK Paul, member (health), Niti Aayog said.
‘It is best to celebrate within [your] family, and avoid crowding at places and stepping out unnecessarily. Shopping at marketplaces must be done very carefully without overcrowding. The wave seems to be stabilising even though it is not over yet… virus mutations can still turn this tide against us,’ Paul added.
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Apart from rejoicing at home, prominent government officials emphasised the need for individuals to continue being cautious about Covid- appropriate behaviour. They also advised individuals to embrace immunisation because the number of available doses is growing.
Balram Bhargava, director-general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), emphasised the need of wearing masks even after vaccination, avoiding crowds and becoming completely vaccinated to prevent future Covid-19 outbreaks.
‘I have a few points to make: it is absolutely essential to wear a mask even after vaccination; mass gatherings should be discouraged, particularly in the upcoming festival season because we still have few districts which are having the problem; and full vaccination should be a prerequisite if it is absolutely essential or it becomes critical to have a gathering of some people,’ he said.
While providing statistics, Bhushan also cautioned individuals not to relax their vigilance because the second wave was not yet over. According to him, 42 regions throughout the nation are still reporting at least 100 new Covid-19 cases every day.
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