THIS year the world has witnessed a slow recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, paving way for the reopening of the economies and return of growth. The world economy is now more challenged by the ongoing war in Ukraine than the Covid contagion. However, in some countries such as China, the recurrent Covid outbreaks have forced temporary but strict closure of business activities. On a positive note, the number of cases around the world has marked a steep decline. In India, the cases now average between 2000 to 3000.
However, this is no reason to take things easy. These numbers are not alarming but the virus continues to be a matter of concern. Across the world, Covid-19 cases average around 5 lakh daily. On average, over 1,500 Covid positive people die daily. Those who recover run the risk of long Covid symptoms,
What is more, the pandemic is returning with new virus strains – albeit not as deadly as their earlier versions which killed millions around the world, with India being one of the hardest-hit countries. India was swamped by an avalanche of cases, more so during the second wave that broke out in January and February 2021. The third wave began in January-February 2022. But thankfully, the wave soon subsided. Ever since there have been sporadic outbreaks but none of them were as fatal or virulent as the first three waves. The number of mortalities has also progressively gone down. But that is no reason to let our guard down. We have to gear up to face and defeat the new variants.
With the abating of the Omicron wave which broke out early this year, there was a temporary sense of relief across the world. The economies started re-opening in most parts of the world. But fresh surges in some countries, especially in China, should be a warning that the virus is here to stay for some more time. In fact, it has already become endemic now.
So far, Covid-19 has turned out to be a very stubborn virus. Despite full vaccination by a large mass of people across the globe, the outbreaks have not stopped. Here’s hoping that the new Covid variants become milder so that people can live with them. But meanwhile, the governments and the people can’t afford to take the fresh strains lightly. There is a need to continue to follow Covid precautions in public. Our best defence against the pandemic remains vaccination, physical distancing and mask-wearing.
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