New strain more transmissible, no room for complacency: PGI Director

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 24

The new strain of coronavirus being observed in India is far more transmissible, leaving no room for any lackadaisical approach. This was stated by Prof Jagat Ram, Director, PGI, while addressing 400 healthcare workers who participated at an open house session held here today.

With the cases again surging in some states, including Punjab, an overall downward trend in the country does not necessarily guarantee a continued and consistent decline in cases.

The PGI Director said, “This clearly indicates that Covid-19 is very much here and has not gone away as is generally being presumed. So, the threat of getting infected is very much real even now, considering the vulnerability of the healthcare workers,” said Prof Ram as he stressed the urgency for the healthcare workers to go ahead with vaccination.

Prof AK Gupta, Medical Superintendent, said, “We work in a scientific institution and we trust the information that does not have any scientific evidence. It rather looks a little strange. So, let us believe in medical science and be safe ourselves and save others as well.”

Deliberating on the prevalent myths and misconceptions regarding the vaccine, Kumar Gaurav Dhawan, Deputy Director (Administration), said, “All of us have elder and ailing relatives and young children in our families, so why be a potential source of infection to those for whom we care the most.”

Prof Surinder S Pandav, chairman, Covid-19 vaccination committee, stated, “Rumours are being spread on the social media about the efficacy of vaccines. It seems that healthcare workers are hesitating to get inoculated as they might have been influenced by the social media.”

Pankaj Malhotra said of over 4,000 healthcare workers inoculated so far, only two became positive for the virus. They were already in the incubation period, he added.