New Delhi: The cases of Covid-19 are under control in Delhi, but the rate at which corona cases have been increasing in China, is generating fear among people in the capital. The current infection rate in Delhi is only 0.26 per cent, but till now more than 20 lakh Delhiites have been infected by this virus. Thousands of people died during the second wave of Corona in 2021, hence the devastation in China is raising concerns for the people in the capital.
Currently, there are no restrictions regarding the predetermined guidelines to prevent the spread of the Corona Virus infection in Delhi. The previous order of issuing a fine for people not wearing a mask has also been removed. In the last few months, during the celebration of festivals like Navratri, Diwali, and Chhath Puja, no instructions were provided by the administration regarding the protocols to be followed due to Corona, therefore people celebrated the festivals without any restrictions.
Due to no significant increase in the infection rate, the people of Delhi, like other states of the country, almost assumed that the Corona Virus has now become weak, and will not cause any further harm. But, due to the sudden situations in countries like China, Japan and America, people have started to become anxious again. However, experts say that instead of panicking, people should adopt caution.
In an exclusive conversation with ETV Bharat, Dr. Ram. S. Upadhyay, former scientist of the British Medical Council and scientist at Harvard Medical School, Boston, advised people that there is no need to panic due to the situation in China, rather, people should be alert. Sublinear variant 'BF.7', of the Omicron virus in China, has a reproduction factor of 'R18', which helps the infection to spread faster and cannot be stopped easily.
During the first wave and detection of Corona Virus, the reproduction factor of the Alpha variant was 'R2'. There was panic among the people when they started getting infected with the Alpha variant in 2020, and later the Delta variant, with a reproduction factor of 5-6, wreaked havoc in many countries during the second wave in 2021.
Currently, the sublinear variant in China, whose reproduction factor is 18, is causing the infection to spread rapidly. As there is a need to be cautious because this sublinear variant virus might prove to be testing at times for people. Apparently, the effect of the virus is currently only limited to the respiratory tract of people and can only be fatal if someone's immune system is weak.
Dr. Upadhyay says that the administration is responsible for the kind of situation prevailing in China. He said that, due to the 'Zero-Tolerance' policy, the infection did not spread much there, simultaneously, reports show that the vaccine given there was not effective. In China, only those aged 19 to 60 years were given the preference for administering the vaccine.
Also read: Rising COVID cases news from China is concerning: SII CEO Adar Poonawala, urges people not to panic
Only 40 per cent of people above 60 years of age got the vaccine and there is a lot of population above 80 years of age in China. Corona-infected patients, whose death is being reported there, were either smokers, had many other diseases due to obesity or were pregnant women. Their death rate is considered high.
There is also a 'Trace and Treatment' policy in China. The medicines that are being given there are mainly Antipyretic (fever reducer) or painkillers. Dr. Ram. S. Upadhyay believes that there is no need to give painkiller medicine to Corona-infected people. In China, Corona patients complain of fever, sore throat, loss of taste, diarrhea and vomiting. They say that the situation worsened in China because the government issued a 'Zero-Tolerance' policy there. The immediate lockdown on detection of the cases was unable to build natural immunity among the people.
On the other hand, a very successful strategy was made to deal with Covid in India. Emphasis was placed on vaccination, 90 per cent of the people have been vaccinated in the country. Apart from this, the lockdown was not imposed for a very long time, due to which, natural immunity was developed in the people and the virus became weak. He said that along with being cautious, taking a supplementary diet which includes vitamin D, A, E, K, zinc, and vitamin C and a plant-based diet to sustain immunity is also necessary.
At the same time, Adar Poonawalla, Chief Executive Officer of Serum Institute of India, who manufactured the Covid-19 vaccine 'Covishield', also wrote in a post on Twitter, "The news of rising COVID cases coming out of China is concerning, we need not panic given our excellent vaccination coverage and track record. We must continue to trust and follow the guidelines set by the Government of India and @MoHFW_INDIA."
Current statistics of Delhi regarding Corona Virus infections:
- Current infection rate - 0.26 per cent.
- Number of patients admitted to the hospital - 3
- Infected patients in home isolation - 21
- Total number of people infected with Corona till December 20th – 20,07,097
- Death due to corona till December 20th – 26,519
- Total number of tests conducted so far in Delhi - 4.05 crore
- Number of people who took the first dose of vaccine for protection - 1,82,89,998
- Number of people taking the second dose of the vaccine - 1,57,03,660
- Number of people who have taken booster doses - 33,52,269
Note: All the above figures are based on the report provided by the Health Department of the Delhi Government.
