Kerala Health Minister Veena George cautions people about the rapid spread of COVID-19
Thiruvananthapuram:
Kerala Health Minister Veena George has cautioned people against the rapid spread of COVID-19 in the state during the third wave and said that both delta and omicron forms of the virus are contributing to the ongoing unprecedented surge in daily cases. Huh.
Although its severity is less, the Omicron variant has a disease transmission potential of 5-6 times higher than the delta variant and therefore should not be taken lightly. He told reporters that everyone should strictly follow the COVID protocol to keep the pandemic under control.
Ms George also warned of strict action against those spreading false propaganda about the pandemic and vaccination through social media platforms.
Stating that a section of people were spreading lies like Omicron is a “natural vaccine” and therefore contracting the infection was not dangerous, she said such campaigns were baseless.
The minister said that whatever the type, the basic characteristics of the novel coronavirus were the same and people should take extra care to keep the disease at bay.
“Delta (variant) was the cause of more cases during the second wave. This happened before the third wave was completely over. Now, both Delta and Omicron are contributing to the increase in COVID cases,” said Ms. George.
Clarifying that the contagion was very high these days, he said that compared to the second wave, five per cent more cases were expected during the third wave.
Emphasizing on the need to follow health protocols without fail in the present situation, the Minister said that vaccination is the prevention of infection, so everyone should pay attention to it at the earliest.
The officers should take special precautions to avoid cluster formation in their respective institutions.
Urging people to avoid unnecessary hospital visits, he said that older people and those with co-morbidities should take more care.
Dismissing reports of shortage of essential medicines in the state, he said the health department was fully prepared to deal with the situation and the slight rush witnessed by the hospitals recently was natural.
There are 3,107 ICU beds in government hospitals across the state while 7,468 are in private sector health facilities. He said there are 2,293 ventilator beds in government hospitals and 2,432 in private hospitals.
The minister also urged everyone’s support, cutting across political lines and other differences, to tackle the situation and control the disease effectively.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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