Fresh worries over new COVID variants

Detection of 'Indian double mutant' or B.1.617 variant and UK variant of COVID-19 in Assam calls for extra precautions. Timely isolation of the persons infected with new variants will prevent the overwhelming of the health system in the state. Seven-day mandatory home quarantine irrespective of negative RT-PCR of all passengers arriving from outside the state by air and trains is a prudent step in that direction. However, official reports of about 300 air passengers escaping the mandatory COVID tests at Silchar airport has revealed gaps in the surveillance system. Irresponsible act of the erring air passengers cannot be condoned as tests are being carried out for the benefit of them as well as preventing the spread of the virus. The fact that six persons among 189 passengers who took the tests at the airport tested positive gives rise to the apprehension that there could be more positive cases among those who did not take the tests. Those passengers must be tracked and tested at the earliest to rule out the presence of infected persons among them before they spread it in the community. Airliners can also play a facilitator role in ensuring testing of all incoming passengers reminding them of the mandatory tests at Assam airports and quarantine rules before boarding, during flight and before disembarking. Ramping up testing for bus passengers and truck drivers entering the state through the Assam-West Bengal border and quarantining the infected need equal attention but apparently, some gaps delayed testing of people coming from outside the state through this inter-state border. India recording over 3 lakh daily positive cases and over 2000 daily deaths due to COVID-19 is a wake-up call to every single state to rise above political differences and make united efforts to flatten the pandemic curve. Active caseloads surpassing the 10,000 marks in the state in three weeks on April 22 rising from just 537 active cases on April 1 indicate the ferocity of infection in the current second wave of the pandemic. The situation is grim in Kamrup (Metropolitan) district with the number of active cases surpassing the 4,000 marks. Home isolation of infected has not helped to bring down the active caseloads in the second wave as new variants are infecting almost all members of the family which have led the scientific community to draw the inference of new variants being airborne. Health authorities providing adequate advice on care and monitoring of health condition of infected individuals needed during home isolation will make hospital beds available for patients requiring oxygen or ICU support. Convening the all-party meeting by the State government to appraise all political parties on the precautionary measures and seek their help in encouraging and promoting COVID-appropriate behaviour is a timely and laudable step. Detection of double mutants and UK variants in the state requires the administration to draw lessons from worst-affected states and make adequate preparation on the availability of hospital beds and oxygen. The infection caused by these variants spread at an alarming speed for which worst-hit states were caught unprepared. The sudden surge of patients requiring high flow oxygen not only led to a shortage of hospital beds with oxygen and beds in intensive care units but also a critical shortage of oxygen supplies. Making the right projection of the requirement of oxygen and hospital beds in anticipation of the possible spread of COVID-19 infections is a challenging task but must not be ignored by the State Health and Family Welfare Department. The State Health Department placing orders for procurement of two crore doses of vaccines to meet the requirement of vaccination of all above 18 years from May 1 can be expected to meet the shortages in the supply chains down to the vaccination centres. Some vaccination centres in Guwahati could not carry out vaccination for two consecutive days while several private hospitals could not give new first doses for non-availability of the vaccines which reflected the gaps in delivery. Demands going up for vaccination is also a good sign of vaccine hesitancy gradually going away in the state, but shortages may give rise to anxiety among people and avoidable rush at the vaccination centres. Plans to set up vaccination camps in educational institutions to facilitate college and university students eligible for vaccinations is a welcome move. Ramping up testing and contact tracing requires opening up more testing centres in the state so that treatment can be provided in time to the needy to prevent fatalities. Deteriorating situations in Delhi, Maharashtra and other worst-affected states have sounded the alarm bell that there is no room for complacency over low percentages of infection when absolute numbers are quite high. Any delay in taking emergency decisions, which may be required to prevent health systems from being overwhelmed, on grounds of the State being in a transition period till the formation of a new government will be catastrophic.