Variation in daily cases no reason to celebrate
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: May 12, 2021 -

NUMBER of daily infections in the state may have dipped slightly for two consecutive days after the highest-ever single day infection of 600 on May 7 but the active caseload racing towards the 5000 mark coupled with 582 people contracting the infectious disease in the past 24 hours and 20 patients succumbing in the same period leave no room for complacency.

Rather it is desired that the government intensify the containment measures till the situation could be brought under complete control.

Regardless of the imposition of curfew in seven districts, which have been reporting continuous spike in daily infection cases, causing serious inconvenience to the public, the government’s decision to cease normal chores seems to be the most effective means to break the chain of transmission and prevent further aggravation of the crisis situation.

That curfew or lockdown remains the only option left to avert total collapse of the healthcare system could also be gauged from almost all the states of the country adopting similar measures resulting in India registering fewer numbers of daily infections after the record high of 4.14 lakh cases, a day before Manipur’s unenviable record.

However, similar to India seeing over 3 lakh daily infections for over a fortnight, Manipur too has been reporting 400-plus positive cases for five days in a week’s time, thereby indicating that the virus threat still looms large.

With official reports also stating that government hospitals are running out of the Covid beds and number of infected people recuperating at Community Home Isolation Centres or Covid Care Centres multiplying on a daily basis, it is imperative that authorities concerned continue to formulate strategies to prevent deterioration of the situation.

Under no circumstance should the slight dip in the rate of infection be construed as a sign of the virus dissipating as the state’s active caseload of 4604, which has been recorded in less than three months, breaching last year’s highest caseload of 4308 accumulated in a span of eight months, signify how devastating the second wave of the pandemic has been.

With healthcare experts and institutions studying the trend of the pandemic not ruling out the possibility of India facing the third wave, the government authorities here in the state need to deal with the present problem as well as chalk up plans to minimise impact of the third wave, if any.

Apart from prioritising speedy recovery of the patients so as to lessen the burden on the healthcare workers, the government should focus on spread of the contagion from hospital set-up and all other facilities housing the infected people.

While fall in the number of positive cases could be attributed to imposition of curfew in the seven worst-hit districts and restrictive measures in the remaining districts, testing and prompt isolation of Covid patients should be vigorously pursued as it needs no reminding that the state’s healthcare system wouldn’t be able to cope with additional caseload.

Without any iota of doubt, the depressing fatigue from curtailment of normal chores and the urge to resume trade, academic and recreational activities would make everybody to believe that the situation is returning to normalcy but the ground reality is that all have to learn to continue tolerating the hardships brought by the pandemic.