New Covid variant

DAYS after senior medical officers of the country like the AIIMS Director and the ICMR chief were quoted as saying that a third wave of Covid-19 comparable to the magnitude of the first and second waves was unlikely in the country and that no booster dose of the vaccine was required as of now, reports of a new strain of the coronavirus being detected in some African countries has triggered a fresh alarm, with the Union Health Ministry asking the states to screen and test travellers coming from the countries in which the presence of the variant had been confirmed. The report also came on a day when the Delhi High Court asked the government to clear its stand on booster doses and also referred to the conflicting debate on inoculating children.

Countries in Europe, like Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Russia, have already reported a fresh outbreak of Covid-19 because of factors like waning immunity and vaccine hesitancy, even as India has sought to resolve the row over the international acceptability of its vaccines and validity of vaccination proof while stepping up the inoculation drive. But with a substantial number yet to be covered fully, the possibility of a resurgence remains. With fully vaccinated cases also contracting the new strain, the importance of testing and tracking, along with precautionary measures, cannot be underestimated.

The apprehension also arises at a time when the country has decided to normalise international travel by mid-December. The European Union and Britain have announced curbs on air travel to countries reporting a large number of cases, prompting early and pre-emptive action. Further disruption is bound to have an adverse effect on economic activities. What the emergence of the new variant confirms is also what the country’s medical experts had pointed out, that Covid, like swine flu (H1N1), would become endemic and cyclically affect the vulnerable population. Avoid letting down the guard to keep the disease at bay.