“We need to develop a strategy where we can reach people,” said Dr. Randeep Guleria.
New Delhi:
The rise of Covid in the country is due to a new strain and the situation is exactly the same as in the UK when the virus underwent a mutation at Christmas, said Dr Randeep Guleria, head of the Institute of Medical Sciences of India Delhi.
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The country is experiencing an increase in Holi “because the same type of situation is repeating itself,” Dr. Guleria told NDTV. “It is likely that there is a variant that is causing the virus to be more infectious and this is part of what we usually see,” he added.
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While the high numbers should be linked to epidemiological data, “just because the data is not there does not mean it is not happening,” he said. So far, the government has maintained that there is no evidence that the increase is related to a mutation of the coronavirus.
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“It is likely that logically, if there is a sudden increase in cases, something is happening that is making the virus more infectious,” added Dr. Guleria, who is also a senior member of the Center’s Covid Working Group.
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The AIIMS chief also said that it is necessary to “reach the people” with the vaccine, another possibility that the government has denied. “We need to develop a strategy where we can reach people and give them the vaccine, but do it in a way where we are confident that we can deal with any adverse effects that occur,” Dr. Guleria told NDTV.
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Dr. Guleria also said that both AstraZeneca / Serum Institute, which makes Covishield, and Bharat Biotech, the maker of Covaxin, are looking for a dose that is appropriate for children.
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“If we really need to control the pandemic and get children back to school and feel comfortable with that, we will have to look for vaccines that are for children,” he said.
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The Union Health Ministry had cited possible adverse events after receiving a vaccine as one of the main reasons why door-to-door vaccination is not an option for now. “There may be adverse events after vaccination, so it is necessary to keep a person under surveillance for 30 minutes,” the health secretary had said Tuesday.
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On Tuesday, the government had said that the Covid situation is going from “bad to worse in recent weeks” and “any complacency at this stage, and at any level, will have high costs.”
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Underlining the need for saturation vaccination in districts with a high case load, the Center has written to the Chief Secretaries. This, the government said, should be done within two weeks, for the priority age group 45 and older.
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At Delhi airport, passengers arriving from states witnessing an increase in Covid will be randomly tested and “those who test positive will be placed in mandatory quarantine,” the government said. The measure will then be followed at the train and bus stations.
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