Covid dip in region

The all-round general improvement in the region’s pandemic situation has encouraged the governments to gradually ease various shutdowns imposed during the second wave’s devastating period from early April to early June. Lending cheer are such statistics as the Covid positivity rate across the area being lower than the national average of over 2 per cent and the recovery rate crossing the 98.62 per cent mark. Punjab’s weekly Covid test positivity rate is 0.42 per cent. It is a significant fall from the over 10 per cent rate in May. Haryana logged an impressive dip to touch 0.2 per cent. Chandigarh’s positivity rate is 1 per cent and this comparatively higher figure is attributed to the higher testing in the UT. Himachal Pradesh saw the percentage drop down to 1.14 last week.

With the number of Covid patients steadily declining, workplaces, shopping centres, cinemas, and even schools and colleges have reopened or are on the verge of reopening. This easing of the restrictions is necessary to keep the economy on an even keel. But it comes with a responsibility in view of the worrisome shadow of another wave looming large: that of a strict adherence to the Covid-appropriate masking-social distancing-sanitisation routine and going for vaccination. However, scenes of reckless people lowering the guard and crowds thronging public and tourist places present ominous tidings.

In fact, tell-tale signs of concern are already manifesting. The reproductive number (number of people being infected by an infected person) has shown an upward curve. The R number which had slid to 0.78 during May 15-June 26 has gone up to 0.88 (June 20-July 7). At the peak, the R number in Maharashtra, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh had soared to over 2.5. Compounding the problem is the dip in the rate of the slowing down of Covid cases. This disturbing trend portends a potential surge in coronavirus cases and if not nipped in the bud, it may hasten the onset of the third wave. We can’t afford to squander the gains made by the cumulative effect of lockdowns, vaccination and enforcement of the Covid protocol