COVID-19: Experts warn of lethal second peak in Kashmir

Tasaduq Hussain

Srinagar, May 25: With world health organization cautioning about the possible second peak after the decline in coronavirus cases, the medical experts in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Tuesday said the resurgence are based on past pandemics and that could be more deadly than the first wave.

Medical experts believe that evacuation process during which the large number of people was brought back from other parts of the nation and globe proved positive which also led to the spike in number of cases.

Talking to KNO, Kashmir’s renowned flu expert Dr. Nisar ul Hassan said that the second wave may be possibly during winters as it starts early in Jammu and Kashmir and is very long and harsh so that way it could be more deadly and lethal here than any other part of the world.

He said second peak is said on the basis of past pandemic experiences and those second waves have been and could be deadly than the first wave. “It’s sort of resurgence when it seems the cases have declined or its over doing away with necessary precautionary measures people rejoice in that phase after few weeks or months there is a second wave which can be more lethal.”

Citing an example about the past pandemic, he said the 1918 ‘Spanish Flu’, the most notorious infection which engulfed the one third of the world’s population, killing 50 million people and people said it was the second wave that killed the most number of people and it happened only after people and administration started to rejoice and thought that this pandemic has gone away while giving away with the necessary protocols.

Dr Nisar said “We certainly believe that there could be second wave in this virus though it’s very new and we don’t know how it will behave since it’s the virus so the fundamental principles will remain the same. There is possibility that once the cases start declining and people and administration start rejoicing, this virus like others can also mutate and we can have deadly and lethal results in times to come.”

Talking about the prevailing pandemic, he said the virus witnessed resurgence in China, South Korea and Singapore where highest number of people have died. “Pandemics are like fire we should not care about the economic aspect only but the lives are more important.”

He also said that the cases are rising in Jammu and Kashmir and it has compounded due to the returnees and the administrative quarantine facilities are not scientific also. “They put number of people in a single hall, building or hotel that could possibly be an important factor in the increase in number of cases.”

He said that the necessary precautionary measures being followed should not go away which include social distancing, intense surveillance, contact tracing and quarantine.

He also suggested that the immune tests must be conducted stating that it will help in easing out the restrictions gradually with time.