As the unprecedented rise in the no of coronavirus positive cases is intensifying the battle against the fresh wave of COVID-19 pandemic spread across Jammu & Kashmir and more so in Kashmir valley day after day, the government’s decision to declare covid tests mandatory at the entry points in Kathua district is a right decision taken at a very right time in view of unprecedented rises in cases of new variant covid-19 pandemic called Omicron in other parts of the country. Having already declared covid tests mandatory for international travelers arriving Srinagar Airport, human wisdom demands that covid tests for travelers reaching Srinagar and Jammu airports from other parts of the country are also asked to undergo covid tests as such a preventive measure would further reduce the intensity of the ongoing rise in covid-19 pandemic spread both in Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division. Worth mentioning is the fact that emphasis of heath specialists on institutional collaboration and coordination between the government run hospitals and private nursing homes would by all probabilities increase the testing rate and consequently reduce the intensity of the fresh pandemic spread in Jammu & Kashmir. Though health and medical education department is yet to take a decision on institutional collaboration and coordination between the government run hospitals and the private nursing homes for the purposes of increasing the testing rate but people expect implementation of such a decision at the earliest in view of the improvement witnessed in covid situation due to implementation of this decision during last year’s high intensity wave of covid-19 pandemic in both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division. Upgrading the infrastructural arrangements in government run hospitals in both Kashmir valley and Jammu division is yet another strong covid containment measure the health and medical education department has recently taken recently at places where unprecedented surge in the pandemic cases has been witnessed during last two months.
Since the expert medical opinions also stress for overwhelming response to the ongoing vaccination drives without showing any hesitancy as they believe that double vaccination is full protection against even Omicron the new variant of covid-19 pandemic, it is for the people to supplement the efforts of the government for reducing the ongoing increasing intensity of the pandemic in Jammu & Kashmir.
For breaking the community infection chains the health and medical education department has though announced fresh covid vaccination drives but ultimately the onus for making the covid vaccination a big success lies only on the response of the people who unfortunately show hesitancy in responding to the ongoing fresh vaccination drives in both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division. Moreover onus lies on people this time when government has announced the launch of covid vaccination drives for children in the age group of 15-18 years across the country from January 3 of New Year just after few days. Since the expert medical opinions also stress for overwhelming response to the ongoing vaccination drives without showing any hesitancy as they believe that double vaccination is full protection against even Omicron the new variant of covid-19 pandemic, it is for the people to supplement the efforts of the government for reducing the ongoing increasing intensity of the pandemic in Jammu & Kashmir.
