A virus that just refuses to go away

As the world grapples with fresh fears of another Covid wave just when people had started assuming that the pandemic was over the horizon and they could breathe easy, India too rushed to take preventive measures on Wednesday with screening of travellers at airports on the cards and citizens being asked to wear masks and ensure they are vaccinated in full. China is once against the epicentre of the pandemic where easing of Covid restrictions has led to an explosion of cases.

But a lot has happened in the three years after the virus first struck-at that time people hardly knew about its impact but this is no longer the scenario for the majority of Indians are now double vaccinated though only 28 per cent have taken the precaution dose. In the initial months of 2020, masks and sanitisers were in short supply and details about the ailment were scarce but not anymore.

And what is more reassuring is that the average daily cases in India in the week ending December 19, 2022 stands at a mere 158 which obviously means that the virus is well under control though it would be naïve to say that it has completely disappeared from the population.

China is our northern neighbour and so anxieties over a possible Covid wave cannot be dismissed lightly. And so how do we go about the task of nation building after those three disastrous years - when the economy was wrecked and millions lost their jobs - with the virus knocking at our doors? The obvious thing to do would be to ensure that the precaution dose is administered to everyone so that they are adequately protected against the virus.

The masks and sanitisers will have to return besides other precautionary measures like social distancing and regular screening at transport hubs so that the possibility of a serious outbreak is kept under check. An in-depth analysis will have to be done on whether the two-dose vaccination most Indians have received and the precaution dose, are enough of a safeguard against the virus. Or do we need another nationwide round of vaccinations so that every Indian is sufficiently protected and does not have anything to worry about his or her safety?

As we look back, there are enough reasons to assume that we do not have to be as worried as the Chinese for their immunity is waning. But there is no cause for complacency for memories of the second wave of the pandemic which struck in March-July, 2021 wreaking widespread havoc and snuffing out lakhs of lives, are still fresh in our minds.

Going by the emerging scenario at the global level, the only option for us is to be on a constant vigil and make sure the virus inflicted damage and loss of lives is kept to the minimum if another wave of infections occurs.

In the days and months ahead, we and our kids will have to learn to live with the troublesome bug making sure anyone seriously ill gets the deserved medical attention. This is one virus which is not going to vanish all too soon and so we will have to be on our guard against familiar illnesses like a cold, flu or high fever.

Citizens the world over now know that the virus can be conquered and there is no reason why we Indians should thing differently and more so when most of us have received the double jab of protection. But then as the saying goes, eternal vigilance is the price we have to pay for libertyIn this case from a virus which just refuses to go away.