Odisha: Despite rising infection, many flout Covid protocols

BHUBANESWAR: Rising Covid cases may be worrying health authorities, but residents seem to be reluctant to follow precautions. Even though cases have almost doubled from 69 to 113 in the last 24 hours, masks have mostly vanished while social distancing is a thing of the past even as doctors have been advising people to wear masks and keep distance during mass gatherings and festivals and in closed places like buses, autorickshaws, schools, offices and trains.
“Covid-19 being a highly transmissible disease, people should wear mask at crowded places.The real cases are much more than being detected as people are not undergoing tests. Besides, many infected with the virus are asymptomatic or showing symptoms like common cold and cough, which are not serious. So the real number of infected people cannot be ascertained,” said Dr Niraj Mishra, a senior physician.
He said wearing mask is advisable for elders, persons with co-morbidities and breathing issues, those who are travelling in public transport and during closed and indoor gatherings. In outdoor and open spaces, there is no need to wear a mask, he added.
Of the 113 cases detected in the last 24 hours, 65 are from Khurda district. Though the Omicron variant of the virus is more transmissible, but the severity is quite less, for which people are not taking the virus seriously and lowering their guard.
“The number of hospitalisations is almost zero so are the number of patients becoming serious. Among the new variants, BA5 is fast catching up and will be dominant in the coming days. Since the virus could be lethal for elders and persons with comorbidities, they must be vaccinated,” Mishra pointed out. “As per study, vaccines can reduce Covid death by one-third,” he added.
Doctors advising people to ensure that they have taken both doses of the vaccine and the booster.
“Many people have lost the habit of wearing masks as Covid cases have dropped significantly. People are not at all following Covid precautions nor are they washing their hands after coming from outside, unlike they used to do earlier. Some even laugh at me when I wear a mask,” said Manisha Das, a home-maker.
The sale of masks has also gone down substantially and the roadside stalls selling masks have also been missing for while.