Pandemic not over yet, say experts

October 21, 2021 11:26

Train passengers wait to get tested for Covid

Even as India reached the landmark of 100 crore COVID-19 vaccinations on Thursday, experts urged caution and said that the pandemic is far from over.

Former Director-General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Nirmal Ganguly said the threat of COVID-19 will exist until most states in India record less than 10 cases in a day.

Speaking to ANI on the phone, Ganguly said, "As per reports, only 25 per cent of the Indian population has received both the doses of COVID-19 vaccines. There is enough data that a single dose does not protect us from the infection. The inoculation of both doses of vaccine prevents hospitalisation and the death rate remains low. So double dose of vaccination is important."

The former ICMR DG stated: "The eight-month follow-up of Pfizer has confirmed that the COVID anti-bodies drop after six months of inoculation. So, many people are still vulnerable to the infection."

"In initial days, China recorded only five cases but eventually it spread around the globe. India is still recording nearly 20,000 cases per day. So the danger of COVID-19 prevails until most places in India record less than 10 cases per day," he said.

Stating that we need to keep wearing masks for at least one more year, the former ICMR DG cautioned about more mutants of COVID-19 which can appear.

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