New Delhi: The cases of Covid-19 are under control in Delhi, but the rate at which corona cases have been increasing in China, is generating fear among people in the capital. The current infection rate in Delhi is only 0.26 per cent, but till now more than 20 lakh Delhiites have been infected by this virus. Thousands of people died during the second wave of Corona in 2021, hence the devastation in China is raising concerns for the people in the capital.
Currently, there are no restrictions regarding the predetermined guidelines to prevent the spread of the Corona Virus infection in Delhi. The previous order of issuing a fine for people not wearing a mask has also been removed. In the last few months, during the celebration of festivals like Navratri, Diwali, and Chhath Puja, no instructions were provided by the administration regarding the protocols to be followed due to Corona, therefore people celebrated the festivals without any restrictions.
Due to no significant increase in the infection rate, the people of Delhi, like other states of the country, almost assumed that the Corona Virus has now become weak, and will not cause any further harm. But, due to the sudden situations in countries like China, Japan and America, people have started to become anxious again. However, experts say that instead of panicking, people should adopt caution.
In an exclusive conversation with ETV Bharat, Dr. Ram. S. Upadhyay, former scientist of the British Medical Council and scientist at Harvard Medical School, Boston, advised people that there is no need to panic due to the situation in China, rather, people should be alert. Sublinear variant 'BF.7', of the Omicron virus in China, has a reproduction factor of 'R18', which helps the infection to spread faster and cannot be stopped easily.
During the first wave and detection of Corona Virus, the reproduction factor of the Alpha variant was 'R2'. There was panic among the people when they started getting infected with the Alpha variant in 2020, and later the Delta variant, with a reproduction factor of 5-6, wreaked havoc in many countries during the second wave in 2021.
Currently, the sublinear variant in China, whose reproduction factor is 18, is causing the infection to spread rapidly. As there is a need to be cautious because this sublinear variant virus might prove to be testing at times for people. Apparently, the effect of the virus is currently only limited to the respiratory tract of people and can only be fatal if someone's immune system is weak.
Dr. Upadhyay says that the administration is responsible for the kind of situation prevailing in China. He said that, due to the 'Zero-Tolerance' policy, the infection did not spread much there, simultaneously, reports show that the vaccine given there was not effective. In China, only those aged 19 to 60 years were given the preference for administering the vaccine.