Imlisanen Jamir
While the cases of COVID-19 are decreasing in Nagaland, they are on the rise again in other parts of the world. In parts of the world, the fourth wave of the pandemic is already in full swing, showcasing that the fight is far from over.
Having gone through two waves already, Nagaland must have learned lessons by now. With the onset of the festive season, events abound across the State. While pointing fingers and panicking do not help, what can be done now is listen to the experts and health authorities.
The Health Department has stated that though daily reported cases have declined in the state, we still see an average of 27 new COVID-19 hospital admissions and 4 deaths every week in the past month which indicates that COVID-19 transmission is continuing in the community.
COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations are mostly happening in unvaccinated people and low coverage pockets across the world, and it is now ‘The Pandemic of the Unvaccinated’. In Nagaland, COVID-19 deaths are being observed mostly among the unvaccinated. 87% of COVID-19 deaths in the second wave did not receive even a single dose and less than 2% of deaths are fully vaccinated.
The delta variant brought a rude wake-up call this summer about the insidious ability of SARS-CoV-2 to cause new problems. Now the omicron variant is raising fears of a more contagious and potentially more dangerous virus strain.
The importance of the precautionary principle has been proved over and again in this pandemic. With a virus that spreads so rapidly, less restriction action sooner can prevent the need for more restrictive action for longer later. Data shows that the vaccination programme has been successful in bringing down fatalities and severe cases, and means that unless we see another more vaccine-resistant variants, whether that is Omicron or another, we should be able to avoid the sorts of invasive lockdowns that were required in the first and second waves.
All the expert bodies have stressed that vaccination remains critical, especially to protect groups at high risk of hospitalisation and death. Real-time data has shown that high vaccination rates also significantly reduce the strain on health systems. The emergence of Omicron shows that the pandemic is far from over and that Covid-appropriate behaviour is still critical for breaking the transmission chain.
The decision to get vaccinated is as much about protecting the community as it is about protecting oneself. The only way to get the virus under control and to stop the emergence of virus variants is to increase vaccinations. Those who have not yet rolled up their sleeves need to do so.
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