Even though the World Health Organization (WHO) recently stated that it was considering declaring the end of the public health emergency that was declared as soon as COVID-19 was labelled as a pandemic, the ground situation suggests otherwise and emphasizes the importance of remaining vigilant and taking the necessary precautions. If the number of cases in India continues to climb, the country could be in the clutches of another COVID-19 wave; however, this is too soon to tell because various other factors must be considered.
As the PM emphasized the importance of increasing genome sequencing, there is also a need to increase testing. Furthermore, an increase in genome sequencing will be achievable only if more tests are performed, emphasizing the importance of random testing as well as aggressive surveillance of positive individuals and their contacts. At the same time, the process of administering the third precautionary dose of the COVID-19 vaccine needs to be accelerated because it has slowed over time and a large portion of the population has not received the dose, particularly the elderly population living with underlying medical conditions.
While we hope that the country does not experience another COVID-19 wave, there is a need to do an extensive audit of the hospital infrastructure and professional staff to handle the demand in the event of an emergency. It is extremely unlikely that the country will experience another pandemic wave, given that the majority of the population has been vaccinated and that immunity against the COVID-19 infection has improved significantly since the pandemic began.
What is more critical here is to keep track of the positive cases and do more sequencing to keep an eye on the virus’s evolving characteristics. The evolving virus could be a stumbling block, and if it remains elusive, it could pose a severe challenge to the country’s healthcare system. The early efforts done by the government under PM Modi’s leadership are laudable, however, there is a need to focus more on details. People must also follow COVID Appropriate Behaviour—a group effort is required.
