Non-adherence to Covid norms could be behind surge: AIIMS chief

New Delhi, April 12: People not adhering to Covidappropriate behaviour and the circulation of highly infectious strains of SARSCOV-2 could be the primary reasons behind the surge in coronavirus infections in India, AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria said on Monday.

He also warned that if the situation is not reversed, then the galloping infection rate will eventually cause a huge strain on the country’s healthcare system. He sought stricter enforcement of Covidappropriate behaviour on the ground level by the administration and authorities.

“Around February, when cases started to decrease, people became lax towards following Covid-appropriate behaviour as they thought the virus had become ineffective.

“People are taking the disease lightly now. If you go out, you see that marketplaces, restaurants and shopping malls are crowded and full of people and these all are super-spreader events,” Guleria said.

Earlier, if one sick person was able to infect around 30 per cent of their contacts, this time those getting the disease are infecting a larger number of people, he said.

“So, the rate of spread of the infection is fast possibly due to the highly infectious and transmissible strains circulating,” he added.

Various strains of SARSCoV-2, including the UK, South Africa and Brazil variants, are circulating in India and have been termed as highly transmissible by experts. “We may lose the gains we have made so far if we do not pay heed now,” he said.