GUWAHATI, Dec 23 - Though COVID-19 positivity rate in Assam has come down, the risk of another spurt of the disease cannot be ruled out and the risk factor will increase during the winter months, warned noted epidemiologist Dr UC Sarma.
Talking to The Assam Tribune, Dr Sarma, a former vice chancellor of the Srimanta Sankardeva University of Health Sciences, said that some states of the country have already witnessed another spurt of the disease, while, some other countries have faced second wave of the disease. Under the circumstances, the people of the State as well as the Government should not lower their guards, he warned.
Dr Sarma pointed out that the winter months provide a conducive atmosphere to all respiratory viruses, while, community and outdoor activities of people also increase during the winter, which increase the threat of COVID-19. People must use face masks while going out of home, maintain social distance and hand hygiene as far as possible, at least for some months to come. The enforcement agencies of the Government should maintain strict vigil on the situation and take prompt action against persons violating COVID protocols, he added.
Dr Sarma said that people should be encouraged to try their best to improve immunity and take immunity boosting food, which are high in antioxidants.
He suggested that as far as possible, meetings should be held virtually to reduce person to person contact. �Since we now have the technology to hold meetings virtually, optimum use of the same should be ensured to minimize the risk of spreading of the virus,� he added.
Dr Sarma admitted that even when vaccines are available, it would not be an easy task to vaccinate all citizens of India within a short time because of the huge population. He suggested that the Government should start chalking out a detailed plan on vaccination. He admitted that the Government would have to vaccinate people in a phased manner and for that, the categories of people to be vaccinated in different phases should be identified. He said that the health care workers including doctors should get first priority as they are exposed by treating patients. Old persons are more vulnerable and they should be given priority, while, people having co-morbidities should also be included in the priority list.
It may be mentioned here that the daily positivity rate of COVID-19 in Assam, which increased to around nine per cent when the spread of the disease was at its peak, has come down to below one per cent. The recovery rate, which is around 97.89 percent, is among the best in the country, while, death rate, which is around 0.47 per cent, is among the lowest among all the states of the country.
