CORONAVIRUS–‘COMPLACENCE CAN BE FATAL’-DR. SUNIL CHOPRA
Tears of anguish fill my eyes every morning while browsing the pages of my daily and learning about steep surge in Covid 19 cases across the world.
The total tally in India has crossed nine million. There was a day when we had only few thousand cases and we were pretty serious, it is a day when we have lacs of Corona patients but we are harboring a lackadaisical attitude.
Expecting miracles from governing bodies and experimenters is a sheer stupidity. No government can bring the desired results without the cooperation of public. Rest assured neither the vaccine is going to knock our doors within few days nor vaccinating one and all in a huge country like India is a child’s play. Also why forget that the efficacy of any vaccine can’t be one hundred percent?
Human memory is very short. Today we are just oblivious of the heavy casualties the world has suffered due to Covid 19 pandemic in past months. Only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches. Those who have lost their near and dear ones know the gravity of the situation. It is a no lie that we have had pretty tough time and urgently needed a respite.
The festive days of the season have made us complacent. Considering the gala days to be a bonanza of ecstasy, we threw to winds all the safety measures. Quite engrossed in celebrations we neglected the precautionary steps suggested to us by medical experts,ICMR and WHO. It just slipped from our minds that it’s not the right time to show utter disregard to the protective measures.
The impact of festive gatherings, pollution and winter is surfacing daily .Almost every day every Indian State is witnessing significant surge in Covid cases and the tragedy is that the full effect of the congregations is still to play out. It is high time to introspect and be extra cautious as far as the correct use of face masks, maintenance of physical distance of at least one meter and ritual of proper washing hands (at least for 20 seconds with clean water and soap) is concerned.
Universal masking will remain the mainstay of prevention of this deadly infection even if all of us get inoculated. Metaphorically speaking, a mask is no less than a vaccine for Covid 19 and may also be rightly called as a poor man’s vaccine. Whether the vaccine will reach every nook and corner of the country, is not sure shot. The authorities have also started saying that every Indian doesn’t require this.
A mask is easily available or even can be tailored at home, it will never let you down and rather play its role very diligently when we can’t stay physically distanced in crowded as well as poorly ventilated indoor settings. Absolutely correct use of face masks and the right technique of hands washing/sanitizing must be learnt by everyone at the earliest to get desired results.
Accurate disposal of masks and compulsorily sanitizing the hands after doing the same is also of great importance. The significance of other precautionary measures shouldn’t also be undermined at any cost. The spitting, sneezing and coughing etiquette too have their own relevance and usefulness. The assemblies (meetings and parties) and rallies should be postponed for the time being in the larger interests of all.
We should also ensure that our rooms and offices are well ventilated to prevent the spread of this infection. The Importance of nutritious diet and exercising as a ritual to boost our immunity can never be overemphasized.
‘NO COMPLACENCE, PLEASE’– IS MY SLOGAN TO KEEP CORONA AT BAY.
DR.SUNIL CHOPRA