The season of festivals is around the corner and so is the chance of a possible festival induced surge of COVID-19 cases. Kartik is the month of festivals in India with Dussehra, Karva Chauth, Diwali and Chhath Puja celebrated back to back in various parts of the subcontinent. And for every festive celebration to be successful there needs to be people. But given the times, people signify mass gathering and that means spread of coronavirus infection. Like last year, we cannot let our guard down completely and we must celebrate cautiously.
As the second wave is yet to recede completely, one piece of good news is that more than 75% of India’s adult population has received the first jab and more than 31% has got both doses. Although this puts people out of danger in terms of a severe infection, it doesn’t make you completely immune to the risk of infection in spite of getting both your doses. In the month of August 14,421 persons contracted COVID-19 in spite of being fully vaccinated.
Given the circumstances, it is only responsible on our part if we understand the scenario and continue to follow COVID appropriate behaviour for the safety of one and all.
Covid 19 mainly spreads airborne by droplets. The droplets from coughing or sneezing can travel upto 3 feet when protective masks are worn and without them they can travel 22 ft in a closed environment. Hence social distancing along with masking is necessary to prevent the spread of covid 19 in festive season where large gatherings are there and the disease can easily spread.
Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD
The SUTRA model is an acronym that stands for Susceptible, Undetected, Tested (Positive) and Removed Approach. It is a model based on mathematics and used by experts to predict the COVID graph in India. As per its initial findings, the model reported that India had well ‘past its peak’ in October 2020, meaning that India had achieved herd immunity. However, in April this year, experts found a number of flaws in the model:
All in all, the SUTRA model is blamed for being instrumental in the idea that India was safe from a possible second wave.
However, with fresh COVID cases being reported in the states of West Bengal, Orissa and Assam post, it is only practical to follow all COVID appropriate behaviour.
Crowds are a source of transmission in the COVID-19 spread. Contention and mitigation measures have focused on reducing people’s mass gatherings, the impact of small-scale (less than 100 people) gathering events on the spread of COVID-19 in the city is also not to be underestimated as even a single case of covid might be sufficient to cause the spread.
Dr. Ashish Bajaj – M.B.B.S, M.D.
As COVID is very much present among us, we need to follow some important tips to ensure that our enjoyment is maximum and so are the safety measures.
Times are still very much uncertain as we do not know how the virus might behave. Getting vaccinated does not make you invincible but only lowers the risk of a severe infection. Follow all COVID-19 protocols to ensure safety and happiness throughout this festive season.
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With winter about to set in, the discussion over air pollution is back. In recent years, unmitigated levels of pollution in northern India, especially the National Capital Territory have been a cause of concern for healthcare specialists. Day-long smogs and haziness have become a regularity in Delhi during the last quarter of every year. The menace is back again and you should be very worried. This year, a lot more is at stake. This year, the danger is more acute. Let us get to the bottom of this yearly hazard.
Indian cities are some of the most polluted in the world because of our over-reliance on fossil fuels and inadequate filtering measures adopted by our factories. This is a common problem among all developing nations because they are reluctant to switch to clean and renewable energy as this will supposedly slow down production rates.
But Delhi’s pollution levels are worse than the rest of India’s during the October, November and December periods. And the primary reason behind that is –
The farmers of UP, Haryana, and Punjab, Delhi’s neighbours, set fire to the rice stubbles in the fields after the crops have been harvested. For them, this is a fast and cheap method of clearing away the fields and preparing them for the next planting season. But the stubble burning (estimated 35 million tonnes) continues for days and spews toxins and pollutants into the air. The winter wind currents blow the pollutants straight into Delhi.
Winter air usually locks in pollutants and dust particles, which is why pollution levels are naturally high in winters. So the particles blowing in from Delhi’s neighbouring states get trapped in Delhi’s air and every new day adds more to the pollution level.
Delhi has more registered vehicles in India than any other city. The exhaust emitted by the hundreds of thousands of vehicles makes the situation worse.
Adding to the woes is the complete disregard for the Supreme Court ban on most types of fireworks. Diwali usually coincides with the crop-burning and this causes irreparable damage to the air quality.
Delhi is grappling with a severe air pollution crisis that is resulting in a staggering reduction of life expectancy by 11.9 years, as revealed by a recent study. The findings based on PM2.5 levels.
Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD
Since October this year, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) is firmly in the ‘very poor’ zone. The PM10 level has been hovering around 370 and the level for PM2.5 has been around 229. Experts fear that this is going to worsen very soon, especially around the time of Diwali.
The Delhi Government has announced pollution to be a health emergency in Delhi because it has affected the health of more than 20 million people in the NCT. Surveys by reputed organizations revealed that 10,000-30,000 people in Delhi die because of health complications caused by air pollution.
This year the problem is more grave. Pollutants weaken our respiratory system. This makes a person more susceptible to deadly COVID infections. It also increases the risk of post-COVID complications such as lung damage.
The Union Government has effected a new pollution law and has created a new commission that will research methods to scale down air pollution. The government is looking for ways to enhance inter-sectional and inter-state collaboration so that the problems can be jointly tacked.
In the meantime, we, the common folks can do our part by avoiding fireworks. We should avail of public transport instead of traveling by private cars. Farmers too need to wake up to the fact that they may be ruining the environment. Agriculturists have urged the government to provide farmers with Waste Decomposers which will speedily convert stubble into manure.
Air pollution is a severe problem in India and it is time when we all became aware. Without active participation from citizens, there will be no solution to this hazard!
