Spike in COVID-19 cases in Srinagar sends alarm bells ringing

People ignore guidelines; invite third wave, lockdown

By: Afaq Bhat

Srinagar: Srinagar district witnessing spike in COVID-19 cases yet again has sent the alarm bells ringing. Medicos and administration are worried. They are asking people to follow the SOPs in letter and spirit.

A medico while talking to Precious Kashmir said that if people in Srinagar keep on violating the COVID-19 safety guidelines, it would be an invitation to the third wave of the pandemic.

Leading pulmonologist of Kashmir Dr Naveed Nazir on Sunday said that the number of COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions have increased during the past few days. “There is a possibility of New Delta variant strain in Kashmir. However, no case has been confirmed yet. I request people to follow COVID-19 appropriate behavior and get vaccinated,” news portals quoted Dr Naveed as having said.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Muhammad Aijaz Asad urged the people in Srinagar to follow the guidelines to prevent the district from becoming a reason for breaking out of third wave in Kashmir. “There are some areas which have been reporting COVID-19 positive cases. People have to follow COVID-19 protocol. Violation of COVID-19 safety guidelines would be an invitation to a third wave of virus,” said, the Deputy Commissioner.

An expert while referring to the COVID-19 cases in Kerala said that in the past one week 48,914 people tested positive for COVID-19 in the state out of which 44 percent had received both the doses of COVID-19 vaccines. “People should understand that the vaccines are a shield as they help in developing the antibodies to fight the virus, which since the day it has arrived has kept on mutating,” he added.

“The researches have shown that the vaccine remains effective in preventing severe disease,” the expert added.

It’s in place to mention here that very few people are seen wearing masks in Srinagar district and the social distancing seems to have become a thing of the past. “Srinagar was hit hard by the second wave in April-May this year and we should not forget it. People were not finding beds in the hospitals. If we don’t want a similar situation to arise we should start taking precautions. We need to realize that COVID-19 is not over yet and it can raise its ugly head at any point of time,” he added.

The Srinagar administration recently declared some of the localities as macro containment zones and the officials have warned that if  people don’t adhere to guidelines and restrict the number of persons in social gathering events, more stringent measures like ordering a lockdown could be taken.

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