Covid-19: ‘Cases may rise soon, but no need to panic’, say health experts

Health experts have said the Omicron cases would rise but people must not panic if they are fully vaccinated wear a mask and avoid enclosed AC places Dr Subhash Salunkhe epidemiologist said the data from South Africa on Omicron infection has many positives but one negativemdashits high transmissibility Dr Subhash Salunkhe epidemiologist said the data from South Africa on Omicron infection has many positives but one negative mdash its high transmissibilityDr Subhash SalunkheldquoFortunately at this juncture the data that is available from South Africa clearly indicates that Omicron infection is mild The course of illness is neither critical nor severe Moreover the line of treatment is the same as with the Delta variant If diagnosed early the full recovery will be much fasterrdquo said Dr Salunkhe who is also the adviser to the state government on COVID19 managementOne Omicron case in cityIndia at present has 21 confirmed cases of Omicron mdash one each in Delhi and Jamnagar city of Gujarat two in Karnatakarsquos capital Bengaluru eight in Maharashtra and nine in RajasthanA woman gets a COVID vaccine shot at Nair hospital File picThe figure is going to increase further said Dr Salunkhe ldquoOne should not get surprised and worried as and when Omicron numbers rise in the country The South Africa data shows that Omicron is mostly affecting people who are not vaccinated or are partially vaccinated It is unlikely that a fully vaccinated person will get the severe form of infection from the new variantrdquo he explainedHowever the negative side of Omicron is its ability to spread faster than the other variants of Coronavirus that causes COVID19 Dr Salunkhe said ldquoSince it spreads faster a conglomeration or a gathering of a large number of unvaccinated people might lead to focal outbreaksrdquo he saidHybrid immunityHybrid immunity may protect us in a large way said Dr Rajesh Karyakarte the state coordinator for genome sequencing and head of Microbiology department at BJ Government Medical College and Sassoon HospitalldquoIn the first COVID19 wave many got infected with the Wuhan strain of novel Coronavirus Then we started the vaccination drive that ran concurrently with the second wave dominated by the Delta variant During the second wave many partially vaccinated people were infected while there were others who took the vaccine after recovering from COVID19 There were different combinations that induced immunity in people We can call it hybrid immunityrdquo he explainedDr Karyakarte said that with the injected COVID19 vaccine we develop antibodies of the IgG and IgM classes ldquoWe have seen that vaccinated people do not suffer from severe infection as the IgG and IgM antibodies donrsquot let the virus enter deeper in the body The COVID19 death rate in vaccinated people is less With many individuals having clinical and subclinical natural infection there are chances that people have also developed IgA antibodies in the nasopharyngeal area toordquo he said Dr Karyakarte said our bodyrsquos immune system is very intelligent ldquoIt tries to protect the areas from where the pathogen arrives The Coronavirus generally enters our body through the nose and nasopharynx The IgA antibody protects the nasopharyngeal areardquolsquoViruses are unpredictablersquoHe added that viruses tend to become less virulent but more transmissible as new variants keep coming ldquoMaking any prediction with the Coronavirus is like walking on a mine field It is unpredictable But the basic things donrsquot change that is vaccination and masking uprdquo On the growing demand to ban the entry of passengers from affected nations he said a strict quarantine policy should be enough rather than prohibiting such people from entering the countryWhile the government is doing its best to keep the Omicron cases under control health experts said it is going to be our responsibility too to ensure there is no third wave in the country Dr Salunkhe said that following COVID19 appropriate behaviour and getting vaccinated is all one needs instead of being afraid of new variants ldquoPlaces with poor air circulation airconditioned restaurants malls etc should be avoided especially by senior citizens and people with comorbidities or those who are immunocompromisedrdquoThe Indian Medical Associationrsquos IMA Maharashtra branch said it is keeping a strict watch on the evolving situation with Omicron ldquoWe appeal to people to strictly abide by the COVID protocols Use a mask maintain hygiene and avoid crowding At IMA we request people to complete both their doses of vaccinesrdquo said Dr Suhas Pingle its president Dr Mangesh Pate secretary IMAMaharashtra said they are prepared if cases surge ldquoWe will collaborate with the government in whichever way possiblerdquo he said