3 days ago
‘Covid needs more surveillance than common cold, cough'
Former director of the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology and ex-chair of the WHO technical advisory group for viral evolution, Dr Anurag Agarwal, says that India will be able to ride the current
Covid-19 surge without increased hospitalisation or deaths. Currently the Dean of BioSciences and Health Research at the Trivedi School of Biosciences, Ashoka University, and head of the Koita Centre for Digital Health, he spoke with Kavita Bajeli-Datt about the evolution and surveillance of Covid. Excerpts:
India is again experiencing a surge in Covid-19 cases. How do you view the latest surge, coming after a brief pause?
Globally, there have been many such surges since the initial Omicron wave. These have all been with descendants of Omicron, and no new variant of concern has emerged. The risk to public health has been low due to the change in the virus and, more importantly, sufficient immunity to protect against severe disease. I expect this surge to follow the same pattern as the rise in infections, with little change in hospitalisations or deaths. So, we should ride this wave, too.
Do we need to start wearing masks, especially those living in Kerala, Maharashtra and Delhi, which are the top contributors?
It is always good to avoid infections, and wearing masks in crowded places with poor ventilation is always a good idea, especially for high-risk individuals, such as the elderly. Whichever place tests more seems to be the highest contributor.
