Covid-19 is here to stay; wear good quality mask, get vaccinated, says top health experts
Covid-19: People should learn to live with the virus and must not throw caution to the wind, Dr Faheem Younus, Chief of Infectious Diseases at the University of Maryland said on Tuesday.
“We should learn to live with covid-19 and that does not mean putting your guards down against coronavirus. Get vaccinated as soon as possible, or get a booster shot in order to shield yourself from high-risk situations. Wear good quality masks and avoid stepping outside. Going to a bar may not be essential but taking care of the parents is”, Younus said while speaking to news agency ANI. Wear a good quality mask, get vaccinated as soon as possible to prevent hospitalisation and deaths, he added.
India well prepared to deal with covid-19: India’s leading health expert
Another India’s top virologist Dr Gagandeep Kang told ANI India is prepared to deal with coronavirus amid rise of Omicron cases in the country a week ago. “I think it is apparent that we are going to have to live with the coronavirus and its variants that continues to emerge from the virus that replicates at a rapid pace”, Gagandeep told in an exclusive interview to ANI.
The important thing however to remember is that we are not in the same situation today as we were two years ago. We have a better understanding of viruses and tools that are used to treat covid patients and make vaccines that work against covid-19, Gagandeep added.
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan in an exclusive interview to TOI last year in December also made the similar statement saying, “covid-19 is here to stay and people must learn to stay with it”. Asking people to stay indoors or keeping colleges/ schools shut is no longer an ideal approach. It has only brought more damage than good. We must encourage people to get vaccinated and follow covid appropriate behavior all the time. The Centre may opt for micro-containment measures in hotspots or smaller regions to prevent transmission. Good that the government is not announcing a lockdown to push back the virus, she told TOI.
Dr. Anthony Fauci also stated Americans will “likely ” learn to live with covid-19 like they do with the common cold and flu. America’s top infectious disease expert, last year in December, also said that he hopes more and more people either vaccinated or recovered from the contracting the virus to have a “degree of immunity in the community”.