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Fresh Covid wave unlikely in India, experts say

In a joint statement on the Covid pandemic, a Covid joint task force comprised of eminent public health specialists drawn from various medical organisations in the country stated that India will not experience another wave driven by the Omicron sub-variants and advised that persons who were already naturally infected by Covid will not gain any additional protection from Covid booster shots.

In their recommendations to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, a panel of experts from the Indian Public Health Association (IPHA) and the Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine (IAPSM) stated that the use of masks was also not relevant at this time.

“There is no relevance of the mandate for population-wide use of masks, sanitizers or social distancing at the current level of endemicity. Individuals who have experienced natural infection due to SARS CoV-2, may not gain any additional benefits with either two primary doses or precautionary/ booster dose or any additional doses,” the public health specialists have advised.

In their recommendations, they said, “Based on the current epidemiological understanding and prevailing situation, it is likely that India will not experience another wave driven by the current Omicron sub-variants of Covid-19 that can result in a significant increase in hospitalisation and complicated cases and/or deaths. This scientific evidence needs to be extensively disseminated to educate the masses.”

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The next wave in India with significant public health implications may occur only in the unlikely event of major virus mutations with unanticipated levels of immune-escape properties capable of overwhelming naturally acquired immunity. At the moment, there is a need to expand genomic sequencing and make relevant information available to the public in order to boost community confidence.

Those with co-morbidities or who have never had Covid should be vaccinated. Unnecessary and irrational use of Covid vaccination will divert resources and attention away from more pressing public health issues, they added.

Meanwhile, the researchers from IIT-Hyderabad and IIT Kanpur who developed the SUTRA model for pandemic forecasting, including Dr Manindra Agrawal from IIT-Kanpur and Dr M Vidyasagar from IIT-Hyderabad, termed the recommendations from the public health as voice of sanity.

 

 

 

 

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