Decrease in testing and ease in restrictions may aggravate Covid cases, warns Parliamentary Committee

Although the Covid cases have been on a slow rise, fear of transmission of a more virulent strain of SARS-CoV-2 still persists. The recent surge in cases reveals that Covid is here to stay and might turn into an endemic, a recent report by a Parliamentary Committee on Health and Family Welfare said.

New Delhi:At a time when India has been witnessing a decreasing trend in the number of active COVID-19 cases in the country, a Parliamentary Committee on Health and Family Welfare on Monday warned of a sharp spike in Covid cases in the coming days. The committee said it has based the prediction on the observation that several states have registered a considerable decrease in Covid testing.

"With trends of the pandemic witnessing a steady decrease, the government(s) has laid its guard down and failed to maintain the momentum of the management of Covid-19 cases attained during the first wave," the Parliamentary Committee headed by Rajya Sabha chairman Prof Ram Gopal Yadav said.

The committee expressed its disappointment over the lackadaisical approach of the government machinery towards testing of Covid cases and the further ease in restrictions across the country. "Both of these could be attributed to the tsunami of Covid cases which was followed by enormous fatalities during the second wave. The government agencies remained perplexed, and a mere witness to the deteriorating situation that went out of control," the committee said in its report which was submitted to Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankar recently.

Further stating that the spreading rate of the Omicron variant of Covid is higher than its previous delta variants, the committee said, "Omicron has led to a rise in the number of Covid cases in India particularly among the young population. However, the rate of hospitalization and the severity of infection remained low compared to the second wave that was fuelled by Delta variant."

The committee is of the opinion that since many cases were mild and asymptomatic, there are more chances of cases remaining undetected and not making it to the official registry. "With the uncertainty brewing around newer and more virulent strains of the virus, it is imperative to generate public awareness to wear a mask and follow all the Covid protocols," the committee said in its report. Providing large-scale testing facilities with faster results that correspond to the increased transmission rate of the virus should have also been a crucial part of Covid management policy, it noted.

Although the Covid cases have been on a slow rise, fear of transmission of a more virulent strain of SARS-CoV-2 still persists. The recent surge in cases reveals that Covid is here to stay and might turn into an endemic, the report said.

The committee strongly recommended the Health Ministry take note of any fresh surge in Covid cases and conduct sequencing of an adequate number of samples so that the new Variants of Interest (VoI) and Variants of Concern (VoC) can be identified at the earliest. "The Ministry must also ensure that an adequate number of samples are tested and that the active Covid cases are well reported and documented," the Committee said in its report. It further suggested that the Ministry must closely monitor the trajectory of Covid in the country so that the system is better prepared to manage future resurgence of the virus if any.

Talking to this correspondent, Dr Rajdeep Roy, a member of the Parliamentary Committee said that it is very crucial to increase the Covid testing and at the same time adhere to the Covid appropriate behavior. "The number of Covid cases may be decreasing but at the time it's necessary to maintain the Covid testing across the country," said Dr Roy. He also cautioned that it's imperative to maintain Covid appropriate behavior when the festive season is around the corner.

According to health ministry data, India reported around 5,000 cases in the last 24 hours. A total of 1,75,935 Covid 19 tests were also conducted in the last 24 hours.