Omicron coming: Why is govt so slow to react?

Bengaluru: The government’s reluctant response to what is clearly an alarming situation is a matter of concern. If we have learned anything from the two waves, it’s that the government must remain sensitive and alert to any rise in the number of Covid cases in the state. Instead, the government has only woken up to the problem now that multiple clusters have spread across three cities in the state.

Now that the new Omicron variant has been declared a variant of concern, quick action to arrest the spread of the infection before it enters the mainland is the need of the hour. Slow actions from the state government, despite warnings from both Delhi and the international community, would put us in the same crisis we faced during the last two waves. A simple understanding of the coming danger should be enough to put the state government on high alert and combat the virus at the entry point.

The situation is becoming grim. Testing, quarantine and genome sequencing must be ramped up immediately. Authorities must test every passenger coming from abroad before he or she leaves the airport. Quarantine facilities must be available for those who test positive. Tracking the rest, even if they haven’t tested positive at the start is equally important. The slightest lapse in preparation and execution of preventive measures could result in the state paying a huge penalty.

Educational institutions must be kept under strict surveillance as the clusters are rising in colleges. Setting up swab-collection centres everywhere and keeping test labs under strict control is mandatory, not just to contain the spread of the infection by identifying clusters but also to ensure that every infected individual receives medical care as needed.

Quick decisions and flawless execution are imperative in our ministers and officials, if communities are to remain safe and healthy.

-Dr. Jagadish Hiremath, Chairman at Aasra Hospital