Recently, we have seen a sudden surge in the Covid-19 cases in India, despite the presence of vaccines. The reason behind it is still unknown to us, but what scientists are saying is that it is happening due to the complex interplay of mutant strains of the virus. And what is acting as fuel to the fire is the ongoing elections and public events conducted by different political parties, leading to a huge gathering and, thus, making people more vulnerable.
India’s Covid tally has climbed to 1,37,14,419 (1.37 crore, 13.7 million) with a record spike of 1,62,000 cases on Tuesday, according to the Government of India’s Covid tracker. On Saturday, the Union Health Ministry said that it was the second wave currently surging more powerfully than the first. And just like there were no answers to why there was a slide earlier this year, there is no clarity on why the numbers are rising so sharply.
What’s tragic to see is that people are still not wearing masks or maintaining other safety measures. Most commuters are found without masks, even in large gatherings. The election season has played a crucial role in the rapid surge of the virus in India.
The ongoing Assembly elections in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry have paved the way for huge mass gatherings. We have seen that during the rallies before each phase of the election, there have been thousands of people who have joined to support their respective party in the gathering, without masks, without any safety measures. This is definitely playing a major role in the surge of Covid-19 cases in India.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that one of the major reason for the surge in daily new coronavirus cases was people becoming lax towards following Covid-appropriate behaviour. He said that everything was still under control but pointed lapses, including casual behaviour and carelessness behind the surge in cases.
What’s the need of the hour is that we all should strictly maintain safety measures and Covid-appropriate behaviour which we have been asked to follow from the beginning, like wearing masks, washing our hands with soap or sanitisers, maintaining physical distancing, etc.
Also, the Government must ensure that there are proper containment measures, more efficient implementation of testing, and intensification of the vaccination drive across the country.