Covid like a Test match, not ODI: AIIMS taskforce chief

Chairperson of the COVID Task Force for All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Dr Naveet Wig on Thursday said that the COVID-19 crisis is 'a dynamic situation' and to prevent a third wave of the pandemic, there is a need to keep changing strategies.

Wig told ANI in an interview said, "The COVID crisis is like a Test match, it is not a One-Day match. We have to keep changing our strategies all the time. It is such a dynamic situation that no one formula will take care of this."

"Public support is important. People have to understand this disease, how it happens. Until and unless people participate, we will not be able to prevent it," Wig said.

Speaking about the recommendations of the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC), the Chairman of the COVID Task Force for All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) said that these keep changing as new data becomes available.

NEGVAC on Wednesday recommended that the COVID vaccination should be deferred by three months after clinical recovery of the illness.

"The recommendation is good. Ideally, if a person has already been infected with COVID that means he has already been vaccinated once. And then he takes a vaccine shot after eight months or three weeks of getting infected, this will be his second shot," Wig said.

He further said that wearing masks will prevent the spread of the disease, which is transmitted through air.

"COVID appropriate behaviour is a must. We lacked COVID appropriate behaviour after the first wave. That behavioural change led to the second wave. We have to wear the mask all the time, whether we are vaccinated or not," he added.

The government today issued guidelines to stop the spread of Covid-19. According to the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India aerosols, one of the key transmission mode of the SARS-CoV-2, can travel in the air up to 10 meters.

Wig also said that social vaccination is the most important concept.

Wig, over the COVID vaccination for the children, said, "The safety data for children is there for Pfizer. Some countries are going to vaccinate the children, but they are smaller countries. We cannot be lagging behind for children protection."

"We do not have to let the third wave come in the way the second wave came in. We need to keep the positivity rate in districts less than 5 per cent and less than 1 per cent in the village," he said.

"As soon as the vaccination production ramps up, we will start vaccination on a priority basis. The schools are still closed in India," he added.

The Union Health Ministry had earlier cautioned about the third wave of COVID-19.

India reported 2,76,070 new Covid-19 cases and 3,874 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's data on Thursday.

As many as 3,69,077 discharges have been made in the last 24 hours, which is more than the daily cases reported.

The cumulative caseload stands at 2,57,72,400, including 2,23,55,440 recoveries, 31,29,878 active cases and 2,87,122 deaths.