Rising COVID-19 cases, here are four ways to control surging cases

People wait in a line outside a vaccination centre to receive a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Mumbai, India on March 2, 2021. (Image: Reuters/Francis Mascarenhas)

The government should enforce COVID-19 appropriate behaviour like wearing masks, hand hygiene and social distance. May be due to fatigue of pandemic or complacency, most people have become lax in adherence to COVID-19 appropriate behaviour. Enforcing may have challenges. The easing of restrictions on public transport, educational institutions, business establishments, entertainment places, in addition the local and state elections in several states, and upcoming mega religious events like Maha Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, all will pose tough challenge and potential risk of super spreader events if the rules are not enforced.

Contact tracing and isolation needs to be implemented with rigour.  One of the major reason for surge in cases in Maharashtra COVID cases was due to lapses in contact tracing and isolation, especially in districts. Also containment of clusters like buildings, or housing societies would be more effective way to confine the infections to that particular place.

Vaccination Covid-19 vaccines may not prevent human to human transmission, but will avert hospitalisation and death. The government should increase the speed of vaccination drive. The high risk people such as healthcare, frontline, elderly people and people with comorbidities, should be protected.

The government should keep a tab on new SARS-CoV-2 variants. Certain mutants of SARS-CoV-2 like the ones observed in the UK, South Africa and Brazil, not only have high transmissibility but can affect the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine. To sequence the viral genome of the virus, the government has set up Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) Labs. For general surveillance - the government randomly collects samples of 5 percent of positive COVID-19 cases across India. Samples from metro cities, COVID clusters and new clinical symptoms are given priority for sequencing. INSACOG will have to ensure that the surveillance threshold needs to be maintained.