Iconoclastic wipe out “THE CORONA”

Human behavior is the major factor. State and local governments, as well as individual people, differ in their response to the pandemic. Some follow COVID-19 precautions, such as physical distancing, hand-washing and mask-wearing. Others are not as prescriptive in requiring these measures or in restricting certain high risk activities. In some cities, towns and communities, public places are closed or practicing limitations (such as how many people are allowed inside at one time); others are operating normally. Some government and community leaders encourage or even mandate mask wearing and physical distancing in public areas. Others say it is a matter of personal choice. However, the relationship between those precautions and cases of COVID-19 is clear: In areas where fewer people are wearing masks and more are gathering indoors to eat, drink, observe religious practices, celebrate and socialize, even with family, cases are on the rise. Also, places where people live or work closely together (multigenerational households, long term care facilities, prisons and some types of businesses) have also tended to see more spread of the coronavirus. Coronavirus outbreaks at nursing homes and “super spreader” events — gatherings of people where one infected person or more transmits the virus to many others — continue to occur.
As communities began to reopen bars, restaurants and stores during the spring and summer of 2020, people were understandably eager to be able to go out and resume some of their regular activities. But the number of people infected with the coronavirus was still high in many areas, and transmission of the virus was easily rekindled once people increased their activities and contact with each other.
Medical experts urged reopening communities to continue diligent COVID-19 precautions, including physical distancing, hand-washing and mask-wearing, and monitoring for symptoms. Unfortunately, the combination of reopening and lapses in these infection prevention efforts has caused the number of coronavirus infections to rise again. There is a delay between a policy change such as reopening businesses or relaxing occupancy limits in a community and when the effects of this change show up in the COVID-19 data. An increase in the number of COVID-19 cases or hospitalizations will not be seen a week or even two weeks later. It seems to take much longer, perhaps as many as six to eight weeks, for effects of a policy or widespread behavior change to appear in the population-level data. When a person is exposed to the coronavirus, it can take up to two weeks before they become sick enough to go to the doctor, get tested and have their case counted in the data. It takes even more time for additional people to become ill after being exposed to that person, and so on. Several cycles of infection must occur before a noticeable increase shows in the data that public health officials use to track the pandemic. So when an area relaxes precautions, the effects of that change will take a month or more to be seen. Of course, surges also depend on the behaviors of people when they start moving around more. If everyone continues to wear masks, wash their hands and practice social distancing, reopening will have a much lower impact on transmission of the virus than in communities where people do not continue these safety precautions on a widespread basis. Doctors, clinics and hospitals recognize that more COVID-19 surges are likely to occur. They are working with manufacturers to stock up on equipment, and they are continuing their policies for protecting patients and staff members.
Here’s what you can do now: Continue to practice COVID-19 precautions, such as physical distancing, hand-washing and mask-wearing.
Stay in touch with local health authorities, who can provide information if COVID-19 cases begin to increase in your city or town. Make sure your household maintains two weeks’ worth of food, prescription medicines and supplies.
Work with your doctor to ensure that everyone in your household, especially children, is up to date on vaccines, including this year’s flu shot. Majority of the patients in this second wave are asymptomatic. Earlier, the symptoms were visible in the patients and it was easy to identify and quarantine them. But identification of patients with no symptoms is difficult without a test. Such a patient is not even aware of his own infection. Now as we all know that all aspects of life are suffering a lot but under the major damage of corona virus comes the education system. Here in Jammu and Kashmir schools had been closed temporarily for 7 to 14 days, unfortunately it’s the student who remains at back foot. In order to fulfill the leaning gaps online mode of education should be restarted, as something is always better than nothing.
( The author is a teacher by profession. Views are his own)
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