Weekend curbs on, virus still spreading
Frequent spikes will keep coming in monsoon and the solution lies in increased testing and expansion of health services
LUCKNOW : Covid-19 infection cases in Uttar Pradesh continue to rise despite the weekend closure imposed in the state. Experts feel the solution lies in increased testing and expansion of health services for treatment.
As per the data from the health department, the cases maintained a slightly upward trend even after the weekend restrictions as it was during the previous month. The present case positivity ratio in Uttar Pradesh is at 3.97.
If the data for the month of July and August (the first 10 days) is compared, the rise in the number of fresh cases is gradual in July. The pace is even more in August. “The trend shall rise further during the monsoon due to the fact that droplet infection spreads fast with high levels of moisture in the air. Hence, frequent spikes will keep coming and we have to prepare ourselves for that by increasing the treatment capacity,” said Prof TN Dhol, former head of the department of microbiology at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS).
“Restrictions give time to set things right and be prepared for the worst. So, when the cases are spreading, the need in Uttar Pradesh is to develop hospitals in every locality,” said Prof Dhol.
Dr PK Gupta, former president of Indian Medical Association, Lucknow, said, “We could not get the expected results from the weekend closures. Perhaps, the time for this has gone and now new strategies are required.”
The new strategies would include making testing and treatment more liberal by involving the private sector more in the fight against Covid-19, he said.
The weekend closure began from 10pm on July 10. It is being done every weekend ever since.
In Agra, the statistics indicate that the weekend closure has led to an improvement in the situation as the positivity rate has gone down there. It is also true that a fall in cases was being recorded there even prior to the weekend closure.
In Varanasi, despite several efforts and the two-day weekly closure, the number of coronavirus cases is on the rise.