LUCKNOW: If the overcrowding and negligence towards Covid protocols witnessed during Navratri and Dussehra would continue in the rest of the festival season, it may lead to surge in the infection rate post-Diwali, experts here have warned while drawing attention to the huge footfall in pandals and for Ravana dahan with utter disregard to safety protocols.
Experts advised people not to be complacent during the festival season because fresh cases are still being reported in the city and if it continues, there is a chance of mutation in the virus, which can spell trouble.
“People should understand that despite being vaccinated, the risk of catching Covid-19 is always there. Once the virus enters the body, it tries to defeat the vaccine induced antibodies through mutation. As the virus circulates from one person to another, the mutation becomes stronger, which in turn can give rise to a dominant variant. Such a variant can play havoc as we witnessed in the second wave in April and May this year,” explained Dr Amit Singh, epidemiologist and general secretary UP Provincial Medical Association, Lucknow.
“Vaccination is to prevent serious illness, but not a guarantee that a person will not get infected. A vaccinated person can not only contract the virus, but can also circulate it by infecting others. People with low immunity such as cancer, drug-resistant TB and transplant patients along with those who could not take Covid vaccine due to various health issues might be at greater risk,” Prof Virendra Atam, head of medicine department at King George’s Medical University (KGMU).
Former head of the department of microbiology department, Institute of Medical Sciences, BHU Prof Anil Kumar Gulati said that even though cases have reached a negligible level, citizens should not provide an opportunity to the novel coronavirus by ditching Covid protocols — masks, social distancing and hand hygiene.
“If the virus breaches the defence system of a vaccinated person, it means either the person hasn’t developed enough antibodies against it or she/he has been infected by a mutated version. The circulation of the mutated variant can be checked if only a limited number of people are infected. However, large gatherings without social distancing and masks can infect many persons at a time. This will create a situation like March when we saw cases surging from negligible levels to over 5,000 daily,” he added.
