Medics question Kerala’s ‘unscientific’ lockdown policy

TRIVANDRUM: Doctors say the lockdown policy of Kerala, where the daily new COVID-19 cases being reported is the highest in India, was not helping containment of the virus spread.

On Tuesday, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) said that it was doing “more harm than any good” by allowing people to crowd at public places.

“The second wave of the pandemic has not receded yet. (But) there are unscientific approaches in disease prevention activities,” the IMA said.

“When you allow shops and other establishments to open during a particular time on certain days, the demand increases and large crowds form.”

The professional body of independent doctors slammed both the federal and state governments for their careless handling of the pandemic.

It said only 30 per cent of the population might have acquired immunity by the infection or vaccination and 70 per cent are at risk.

The group said the pandemic would continue for another one or two years and the authorities should formulate long-term strategies and plan accordingly to overcome it.

“There will be no end to the pandemic until at least 80 per cent of the population acquired immunity.” It said the government failed in mass vaccination by keeping away the private sector that accounts for 70 per cent of the state’s hospital beds and healthcare infrastructure.

“We’ll be able to finish the vaccination drive within the next four or five months only if we give at least 450,000 doses of vaccines every day,” it said.

“The private hospitals were ready to be part of the free vaccination drive without leaving any service charges. But the government rejected the offer.”

It urged the government to relax time restrictions and allow shops to keep open more time to reduce the rush.

The IMA also suggested the authorities change the testing policy by strengthening contract tracing as the home isolation has proven ineffective.

“When a patient shuts himself at home, they are transmiting the disease to all the family members. Each home becomes a cluster,” it said.

“We’ll be able to prevent the aggressive spread of the virus and cluster formation by opening more first-line treatment centres and community living centres for patients.”

The IMA said the authorities should consider the people’s social reality and daily needs and relax restrictions on economic activities.

In New Delhi, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said he had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow six million more doses of vaccine.