And for a Friday returning from Kerala amid reports of a Covid surge, some thoughts….. some musings…..
TV channels and Social Media like to dramatise, exaggerate and create frenzy to get viewership. Kerala by virtue of a well developed primary health care system at the Block and village level, with the high literacy and public awareness, every issue is promptly recorded and reported. Honestly, there is no need to panic or unnecessarily create self tension. Ofcourse one has to be careful, be vigilant and recognise that Kerala and Goa are the largest recipients of people coming from outside. WHO has declared the JN.1 sub variant as a “variant of interest”. It has clearly stated that it did not pose much threat to public health. There has been an increase in cases in USA, China and Singapore. While India has recorded 614 cases on Wednesday, most are mild cases not requiring any hospitalisation. Even the 79 year old woman reported from Kerala as India’s first case of JN.1 experienced only a mild illness.
All of us need to be careful. Normally Winter favours the spread of respiratory viruses. Cold air does not flow easily to disperse viral clouds. Cloudy days and no sunshine means less ultra violet rays. All factors combine to spread infection. So there is a strong case for caution. Karnataka Govt has advised wearing masks particularly for senior citizens and those with vulnerabilities. Avoid crowded closed spaces. Best to avoid outside food. Have healthy home food, fresh fruits and plenty of water. At the first signs of a throat irritation start sipping lots and lots of hot water, the best and safest remedy.
We have all experienced SARS and the nightmarish Covid of April/May 2020. Then it was a Black Swan Event. Now nothing should scare us. Let’s ofcourse be careful, the safety-first way, the knowledgeable way, the SEEGOS way.