Omicron And Future Of Covid Variants

Nearly half a year ago, I wrote an article stating that the Covid-19 virus wasn’t going away anytime soon. And here I am again, discussing a different variant of the virus this time: Omicron. Here too, I shall repeat once again: the virus is here to stay. While the Omicron variant is peaking, it does not necessarily imply that the Delta variant is weakening down or is losing its potential to cause serious harm. In fact, we are now having mixed infections at the community level.

The third wave is raging, at least in the state of Maharashtra, Delhi, and to a great extent in Kolkata, though like the past waves there is no synchronised peaking all over the country. Meanwhile, globally, there are different co-infections emerging like the “Delmicron” (co-infection of Delta and Omicron) or the “Flurona” (Flu with COVID-19). But yes, rarity is an issue with these new combinations as of now.

The Delta variant was severe but its ability to spread was comparatively lower than the Omicron variant. There is an important distinction here. The Omicron variant is merely ‘less severe’ than Delta, but that doesn’t mean in itself that it is ‘mild’ as is being reporting in sections of the media. People cannot be slipshod about it. There have also been reports that say that the Omicron variant will act as a natural vaccine since it is less severe, does not require hospitalisation and its higher-spread potential means herd immunity can be achieved.

These are dangerous, sweeping statements to make. No, Omicron variant isn’t a natural vaccine. There is so much that we don’t know about the nature of the virus and its recurring mutations and the strains that develop from those mutations, yet. There are various permutations and combinations by way of which a particular strain may affect a particular person and we should avoid making blanket statements like these. Such assertions merely encourage people to go about with business as usual and deliberately expose themselves to the contagion; this would amount to playing with fire.

As the medical situation stands in India currently, the Delta virus is still the dominant infection even as Omicron cases are on the rise. There is a difference in disease manifestations and severity! For instance, a person who hasn’t been exposed to the virus at all during the previous two waves will show a different set of symptoms and response, when infected with Omicron, than somebody who is fully vaccinated and has already been infected during one the first two waves.

ALSO READ: Omicron, The Crafty Virus

Throw in co-morbidities, age and immunity factors into the mix and the symptoms get even more complex. Some people develop immunity because of their natural body milieu and vaccine while some remain dependent on vaccine-induced immunity alone.

  • Omicron is not a natural vaccine
  • The virus will continue to mutate
  • ‘One Health’ approach best remedy
  • Human, animal, climate are linked
  • Covid-appropriate behaviour must

A person who has been infected after vaccination is called to have a ‘vaccine breakthrough infection’. The Omicron variant has huge mutations in the spike protein of the virus which often helps it dodge the immunity. It may so happen that the newer variants will slowly drive out the older variants, e.g. the Omicron variant may push out Delta with time. But no one can say for sure whether future variants will be less or more severe, or if at all this will happen.

So, Where Does The Solution Lie?

If we are to beat the virus at all or at least have a semblance of control over it, we need to focus on the concept of ‘One Health’. When we discuss about health putting together people, animals, and environment they make the One Health Triad. One Health is in fact a rational unification of local, national, and global practices for optimal health in the interaction between human, animals, and their environment.

In simple language: One health means the health of humans doesn’t exist in vacuum and is deeply connected to that of animals and our shared environment. Zoonotic diseases (diseases that can easily be passed on from animals to humans) like coronavirus will be on the rise if we do not consider humans, animals and other components of nature as ‘one collective unit’. We need to move in tandem with nature.

As we have seen, the emergence of the newer virus strains is also connected to the socio-economic condition of a country. Both the Delta and Omicron variant have emerged (read detected) from developing nations. Even the original novel coronavirus emerged from Wuhan, whose socio-economic condition is not as good compared to other parts of China. So, it is developing nations that will have to take the lead in working with the concept of ‘One Health’ and implement what is known as ‘Systems Thinking’ in public health.

‘Systems thinking’ approach is a holistic one that analyses the intricacies in complex systems – it can be any system. Through this, in Public Health we can try to understand how different societies or its different strata act to achieve collective health goals, and also how and where the external influencers have an impact.

The ‘third wave’ may become the end of waves in which huge number of people get infected at once and the pressure on healthcare system is staggering, but it is not necessarily the end of the coronavirus. With the passage of time it might turn ‘endemic’, meaning we might learn to live with it. A disease becomes endemic when it stops becoming a major problem, although one cannot say that those infected will have it mild or it will just wash away like the common cold or viral fever. A lot of it then boils down to our individual approach to our health. As of now, the World Health Organisation has warned against declaring the pandemic as an endemic (which Spain already has) because the transmission rates globally are still very high and might spiral anytime, we still need cooperation of global proportions in fighting the virus.

All of us are in this together. The virus still has a vice-like grip on people, especially among the poor, the unprivileged who cannot afford to isolate for long because their livelihood depends on going out. Thus to make everyone’s lives easier, the community as a whole needs to practise Covid-appropriate behaviour: wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, frequent hand-wash, and avoiding public gatherings like political rallies, religious congregations, marriages, social parties etc. as much as we can. Taking our vaccines, taking care of other aspects of our health, especially mental health, and pursuing a holistic approach to our lives is what will usher us into a ‘One Health’ era.

The writer is an Epidemiologist and Health Researcher, posted as Assistant Professor (Community Medicine) in Dr B C Roy Multi-Speciality Medical Research Centre, IIT Kharagpur

Covid Is Not Over Yet

‘People Forget Covid Waves, Health Workers Worried About Omicron’

Anita Kumari, a 42-year-old auxiliary nurse & midwife in Jharkhand, says masks have come down and social distancing gone for a toss but Covid is not over yet

I have been in the medical profession for nearly 15 years now, but never have I seen anything as devastating as the coronavirus, and the various mutations that it springs upon us from time to time. The Delta variant, the Omicron variant, who knows what other variants are lurking around us. I wish people took more care to wear masks and sanitise hands. The prevention is easy (at least the virus doesn’t have as debilitating an effect) but the cure and treatment is difficult. The public mindset is such that they give up once the peak number of cases come down.

This lackadaisical attitude proved to be so deadly during the second wave. Then we frontline workers are left to pick up the pieces and put ourselves and our own health at greater risk of catching the virus. My Covid duty is to administer vaccines to people. We are a five-member team that administers vaccines to people.

Earlier we would be giving these doses at dedicated centres but now we have to go from home to home. We need to collectively step up on our public duty of wearing masks, getting our tests done if the symptoms arise, otherwise a third wave is imminent.

Off to work: Anita Kumari says public must understand Covid isn’t over yet

The general public should understand that the pandemic has been very challenging for frontline workers. When people are in lockdown at home, we still have to go about our duty. We have to convince people to take vaccines and it’s not an easy thing to do, especially for the elderly population, or even those above 45.

ALSO READ: ‘We Haven’t Learnt Anything From Previous Waves’

I am happy that those from 18-45 age group have shown tremendous enthusiasm as well as a sense of public duty when it comes to vaccines. Seeing them many in the 45+ age group have been inspired to co-operate. We have to travel in public transport and come rain or sun, we cannot relax. Sometimes even Sundays are working and then we have to take care of our household responsibilities as well.

The general public needs to understand that the government and healthcare workers are all trying their best to tackle the virus but without the cooperation of people it cannot be defeated. Immediate isolation and treatment are very important. I myself caught the virus during April this year and suffered. Many others can take more time off to recover, but healthcare workers have to report on duty after the quarantine period.

People’s attitude are at their careless worst in public transport. They feel they don’t need to wear masks while commuting or walking on the roads and you can’t ask them to follow those protocols because many time people pick up fights. We have seen how much healthcare workers have had to suffer during the pandemic. Each person is important in the war against Covid and its many variants. We are all in this together. I commute long distance every day to get to work. It would be nice if the public walked the path of social responsibility too.

As told to Yog Maya Singh

Covid Vaccines for Children in India

‘Vaccine For Kids Is Heartening News For All Parents’

Shefali Malhotra, 40, a Noida-based entrepreneur and mother of a 10-year old, says she is both happy and anxious about the soon-to-be-rolled out Covid vaccines for children in India

I’m very relieved that finally a vaccine has been rolled out for children. In fact not one but two: Covaxin and ZyCovD. While the government has confirmed the use of ZyCovD in the immunisation drive for children from 2-18, the final decision is still awaited in the case of Covaxin. As a mother of a young child this is heartening news for me.

The third wave has been predicted after the festive season and it is being said that the paediatric population would be more at risk during the third wave. So it’s great news that the clinical trials of the vaccines have been done and they might be rolled out for children soon.

My only child, Samarth, is 10. So, my husband and I kept wondering when his turn for the jab would come. However, we don’t plan to rush in and get our son vaccinated once the process starts, even though clinical trials on different age groups of children have been thoroughly done. We plan to wait and watch, though not for too long. Call it a balanced, pragmatic approach if you will.

As a mother of a young child, one does get apprehensive about what side effects these vaccines might carry. These are growing kids and as such their bodies are going to react differently than that of adults. Moreover, their immunity isn’t as strong as that of grown-ups that they can fight back well in case of severe side effects.

Malhotra says outdoor activities have been limited for her son, Samarth, for the last two years

So in my opinion, we should be extra careful and do our research well before the vaccine can be administered. We should choose properly which vaccine we want our kid to be administered. One is prepared for the mild fever, body aches etc. but I would ensure I properly communicate with my child both before and after the vaccination to ensure the whole process is smooth for him.

In the past two years the kids haven’t been exposed to the elements much and their physical activities have gone down because they were cooped up inside the house for most part of the pandemic. There were reports/studies that since kids didn’t go out and play in the open, their immunity has taken a nosedive. Many of them have gained weight too because of lack of exercise and yet many others didn’t know how to manage their feelings of not being able to go out, go to school, meet friends. Kids have had a more difficult time making sense of the pandemic.

ALSO READ: ‘Won’t Send My Kid To School Without Vaccination

I ensured that I was communicating well with my child throughout the pandemic. That way he wouldn’t be apprehensive or afraid of vaccination because he has most of his questions answered by his parents. We need to ease our kids into the vaccination process.

Also, the timing will be important. During my vaccination in May, I had a wisdom tooth issue. But I decided to go ahead and get my shot before getting the tooth extracted, though it aggravated my pain. I wouldn’t want my kid to go through any pain, just like any parent. My husband and I had spaced out our doses so that one parent would be in a good condition to take care of the child. If someone has more than one child, they should space out the doses of their children so they could be taken care of well.

I am happy that my child has begun to participate in outdoor activities like cycling, badminton etc. and I want him to have his childhood back. The two years that went without play, hope the vaccines will make up for that. His school has opened, though not fully, and vaccination would mean our child is safe in any surrounding. I hope the pandemic gets fully over soon.

As Told To Yog Maya Singh

A Chemist Shop Owner in Moradabad

‘We Haven’t Learnt Our Lessons From Covid Waves’

Yogendra Chaudhary, 30, a chemist shop owner in Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh), is scared of the looming third wave and urges people for Covid-appropriate behaviour in public places

I am a pharmacist and opened a medicine shop about the same time when the dread of Covid-19 was setting in. In a matter of a few months, the number of people visiting our pharmacy increased by nearly 50% which meant coming in contact with more and more strangers with every passing hour and day. Moreover, we had no idea about the immunity levels of these individuals that we were coming in contact with.

Needless to say, I caught the dreaded virus around April 2020, when everyone was just flailing around for solutions. Even though mine was a mild case and I escaped with only a mild fever, the uncertainty about when the infection might flare up, can leave people agonised. I resumed work after the required quarantine period and only after I ensured I had tested negative. One may recover from Covid, but the immunity isn’t as robust as before.

Back then, there was not even a murmur of vaccines being developed. Apart from the usual masks, gloves and sanitizers we had no protection at all. Even when all other services were halted amid strict lockdown, ours was the most essential service of it all, which meant we have been open throughout the pandemic. Day in and day out. There might have been days where hospitals and chemists must have been the only ones functioning. It’s an eerie feeling to be the only businesses open when everything else is shut down.

While people were scared when the first wave struck, the fear vanished as the cases began to subside. The Covid-appropriate behaviour went for a toss and quite a few of them would come to our pharmacy without masks. Then there were people who were following the protocols for the sake of it. If you ask me, what I feared the most was every time people would take out their phones (to make or receive calls) in between the purchases and after that directly take out cash to pay us. Phones are anyway considered dirty as few take the time to clean them properly.

Online transactions were cool though, but in small towns not everyone does online transactions. If you remember, Moradabad was declared a hotspot during the first wave, with so many people even refusing to get tested.

ALSO READ: ‘People Have Thrown Caution Out Of The Window’

Indeed, it did not take long for the second wave to knock in. And what a wave it turned out to be. No hospital beds, no oxygen, dead bodies flowing in the Ganga. But yet, we haven’t learnt our lessons. The tragedies are all but forgotten, and we are back to our Covid-inappropriate selves. Experts say the third wave is upon us, sooner or later. And being in the middle of it all being a chemist, I am scared. But if you look around, the public behaviour seems as if we care a hoot.

Prevention is definitely better than cure when it comes to the coronavirus. When people don’t take precautions, it is frontline workers like us chemists and our families who are at a major risk of infection and reinfection. I had never expected the pandemic to go on for so long and I wish I seen the end of it for good. The spectre of ill-health looming over people day in and day out is too much. The second wave was so heart-breaking as well as scary. The mutated virus was even more deadly, and to think it can be kept at bay (mostly) using the simple measures of masks, sanitisers and social distancing.

Vaccines have come as a much-needed relief but people still need to be careful. We should do everything in our might to keep the third wave at bay and we can’t fully be at rest until the virus is defeated altogether. After all our own lives and that of our loved ones are at stake.

As Told To Yog Maya Singh

‘I Won’t Take Any Vaccine, And I Have My Reasons’

Ginni Khurana, 36, a Faridabad-based homemaker explains why she believes that vaccination is not the most effective way to fight a virus, only a nature-based lifestyle is

I lost both my parents to Covid-19. Last year my mom and I contracted the virus at the same time in June. While I survived despite my diabetes, my mother couldn’t make it. This year, I lost my father during the second wave. Despite the heartbreak and the agony I have suffered in a year, I don’t want to take the vaccine. And I have my reasons for it; please bear with me.

I have worked as a Mathematics teacher and I don’t take anything at face value. I believe in something only when I am fully convinced by it. And right now, I believe that taking a vaccine is not in my best interest. I developed Type II diabetes while I was pregnant with my twin boys in 2017. It is then that I chanced upon a YouTube video by Dr Biswaroop Roychowdhury. He is what you would call a naturopath and believes in the efficacy of traditional methods of healing.

When I tested Dr Roychowdhury’s solutions for my health issues, they seemed to work for me. My diabetes got under control without any medicines. I believe one must go for allopathic medicines only under extreme circumstances and should try a more nature-based lifestyle in regular times.

Ginni would not want her twin children (right) to be vaccinated either

When I contracted the virus last year, I followed his coconut water plus citrus juice-based diet and didn’t go for any medicines. When I got myself tested after a fortnight, I tested negative. I have lived to tell the tale, so to speak. Dr Roychowdhury doesn’t recommend vaccines and since I believe so deeply in him and his methods, I don’t want to do anything that he doesn’t suggest. After recovering from Covid, using the diet I mentioned earlier, I recommended the same to others, including my father. However, he refused to take it and had to get hospitalised and finally succumbed there.

I have been hearing that many corporate offices etc are withholding salary if one doesn’t get vaccinated. A vaccination certificate is becoming an important prerequisite for many things, including inter-state travel. So I will fend off taking a jab as long as possible, until I am forced to take it.

ALSO READ: Covid-19 – Nemesis Of Age Of Reason

I’m not the sort of person who imposes my views on anyone. But if anyone sees my opinion, I recommend them not to take the vaccine. Dr Roychowdhury says, one’s immunity gets strengthened if one remains in a happy state of mind or in other words, happiness is the best immunity, laughter the best medicine. I do my regular Buddhist chanting, stay involved with my kids with all my heart and read a lot to keep myself in a happy state of mind. I believe that I do not need a vaccine.

However, that doesn’t mean I am not keeping an eye on the news surrounding the virus or the vaccines. During the second wave it was said that people who had diabetes were more susceptible to black fungus too if they had contracted the virus, but I am doing totally fine. I am now hearing about the Guillain-Barre syndrome that happens to people who have taken the Covishield vaccine. So many people in my extended family have caught the virus even after taking the vaccine. So what’s the point of taking a jab, may I ask?

I care about my husband and kids, but I still wouldn’t like them to take the vaccine (though my kids are too young right now). Many a research say that vaccines can cause more harm than good. For all of us, what we choose to believe in becomes our reality and right now I choose not to believe in the efficacy of vaccines. Or you may say I choose to believe in the efficacy of natural remedies.

The Pandemic Situation in India

‘India Must Vaccinate Vulnerable Sections On Priority’

Prof Jimmy Whitworth, a  member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for WHO’s R&D Blueprint for Action to Prevent Epidemics, has been at the helm of several global initiatives on public health research in low- and middle-income countries. An academic staff member at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, he has rich experience in devising strategy and policy on population health. In an emailed interview, Prof Whitworth spoke with LokMarg about the pandemic situation in India, what to expect in the foreseeable future and how India can tackle the situation.

India has witnessed a deadly second wave of the COVID pandemic that has left in its wake millions of people dying and many more battling with the infection. Although there has been a decline in cases, are there still risks of another wave?

The deadly second wave of COVID-19 in India is now thankfully receding. From a peak of 400,000 new cases a day in early May, there are now around 100,000 new cases per day. However, unless there are concerted efforts to control the epidemic, there are likely to be large waves in the future. These reported numbers of cases are likely to be severe underestimates of the true burden due to a backlog in reporting test results, poor access to testing and many people not being tested because of fear or stigma.

Do you think the Indian government’s decision or recommendation to increase the interval between the first and second doses will have an impact on its efficacy? Or is it, as many believe, an attempt to solve the demand and supply gap for vaccines?

The gap between first and second doses is of minor importance right now, getting vaccines in Indian arms as quickly as possible is the priority. Early on in the pandemic India provided vaccines and medicines for other countries. But now there is a shortage of vaccine supplies in India that is expected to last until July 2021.

The important actions now are to give priority to vaccinations for vulnerable populations, support state level estimates of demand, ensure a coordinated strategy between states and make sure there is an effective supply chain. This means national and state level negotiations are needed to procure vaccines urgently.  There also needs to be a negotiation of patent waivers and clearances for production of a broad set of vaccines with incentives and support for local manufacturers.

One of the variants of the virus in India is believed to be a mutation that is resistant to antidotes. How effective are the vaccines available now? Is there reason to believe that they are not effective against new variants of the COVID virus?

The current vaccines appear to be effective at preventing infection and disease of all of the new variants described so far, although there is some drop-off in effectiveness in protection against some of the strains. The vaccines are still valuable and one of the most important tools that we have to combat this terrible epidemic. Everyone should be encouraged to come forward for vaccination.

How do you think India can best handle the situation there in the context of lack of healthcare infrastructure and the sheer size of the population?

Despite the vast population and fragmented health system, India can control this epidemic. This needs political leadership, with good quality data for decision making. Transparency, public communication and engagement to ensure collective responsibility and action will be important. We need to enhance the ability of health services to respond by expanding the pool of trained, well-protected staff, establish dedicated well-equipped and safe COVID-19 facilities, use primary care for home care, and ensure sufficient medical supplies and oxygen. As well as the need for mass vaccination mentioned above, we need to scale up SARS-CoV-2 testing and expand decentralised contact tracing and isolation. International and domestic travel need to be reduced and made safe through testing and quarantine. Effective bans of gatherings of more than 12 people, closing venues and indoor public spaces and ensuring physical distancing, hand hygiene and mask-wearing will be important to prevent transmission of infection.

What does the future scenario look like? Would most of the world’s population have to live with the reality that the virus and its mutants will continue to be a threat in varying degrees for the foreseeable future?

The measures mentioned above will be sufficient to bring the epidemic under control, however it is likely that this virus will remain in the human population and cause outbreaks for years to come. We will need to adapt to become faster and more effective at controlling these waves of infection. This may need the development of new vaccines to combat variants that occur in the future.

‘Eager To Get The Vaccine & Reboot My Roster’

Nita Balmohan Rajesh (37), a Bengaluru-based HR professional, is hoping the age-bar for getting Covid vaccine to be lowered so she could safely step out of the virtual, closed-door world

My eight year old has a complaint: “It’s been 13 months sitting at home, Amma.”

My ten year old daughter chimes in: “It’s been the worst year ever, would you agree Amma?”

“Are you saying we can’t visit our cousins even this summer?” they both ask grumpily.

This is the new-found 2020 mode for my children: Sulk, even cry over the smallest of issues, yell at the sibling, take 45-50 minutes to finish a meal, and the worst, sneak more time on their personal laptops. Gone are the care-free days of playing in the park undeterred, getting a time-out for “pushing” a friend. “There are no friends in the park; who should we play with?” they complain and grudge about restricted hours for using iPads.

My husband, Rajesh, and I do feel guilty of this at times. Indeed, that one hour of screen time that we allow our children due to office engagements never ends as scheduled. “Another five mins please…”

Nita’s misses outings with family

How you wish to travel back in time to pre-March 2020! You woke up, readied the household for school and work, and went to office in person. What a feeling it now seems! Eight hours in a world away from the home. You actually MET people! You hugged some of them and shook hands with many of them. You solved business issues face-to-face and you could understand their speech coherently without the masks getting in the way.

You could see the entire human expression, the twitch in their lips when they disagreed; the eye roll when someone said something disagreeable; the nose turning slightly red when upset or angry. You didn’t have to plead them to turn on the video, or increase the volume. “Hello, can you hear me?” You were certain they heard you clear. You looked forward when the clock struck the hour to be back home. You enjoyed your favorite songs on the radio while cursing the reckless drivers on the road.

ALSO READ: ‘A Year Of Pandemic: Setback & Fightback’

You then came home looking forward to solve world peace-level problems. “Amma, Lalith wouldn’t speak to me today. He’s being best friends with Aditya. What do you think I should do?” Or “Amma, my skates don’t fit me anymore. How will I attend my skating classes tomorrow?” Just reminiscing those episodes brings a huge smile. No wonder we were physically healthier and mentally ‘less depressed’.

You didn’t have the luxury of snoozing your alarms, getting into conference calls un-showered or moving the breakfast hour. There was a purpose you woke up with to complete the 101 to-dos! You looked forward to your work-travel and then the vacation you did take.

Nita with her colleagues

The three things I miss a lot is the feeling of being in an aircraft, in a real office and dropping the kids in their school bus. Is there something wrong with me, I confessed to a friend, and we both laughed.

And the age-limit on being eligible for a vaccine certainly doesn’t make any of this remotely happen anytime soon. I do understand the demand-supply situation and completely support the fact that the older folks are at increased risk and should be prioritized. I am certain millions of us will be willing to pay a retail price to procure these vaccines and move on to our “normal” lives. Hope the 30-something aren’t asking for too much! Are we?

As Told To Mamta Sharma

College Of Medicine & Sagor Dutta Hospital in Kolkata

‘In Initial Days Of Covid-19, Doctors Lost Sense Of Time’

Dr Arista Lahiri, 31, Sr Resident (Epidemiology) at College Of Medicine & Sagor Dutta Hospital in Kolkata, recounts how healthcare professionals battled the unknown virus and why we can’t let the guard down even now

I was fresh out of medical school when the pandemic struck. Even though my field of study was community medicine and thus I was well-versed with the incidence, spread and possible control of diseases during an epidemic/pandemic, yet nothing had prepared us for a crisis of such epic proportions that affected the whole world.

I was posted at the District Hospital in 24 Parganas (North) and had gone to another city to attend a medical conference in January 2020 when coronavirus began to be discussed seriously. Wuhan was already reeling under its impact and slowly the medical fraternity across the world had begun to realise that the virus was soon going to spread much, much farther than China.

In March-end, when the pandemic was officially declared in India, I dedicated myself completely to fighting the unknown virus. We were a four-member team doing 24×7 surveillance of both active as well as potential cases to target and isolate. We were doing everything from data entry to helping Covid patients get admission in hospitals to occasionally going out in the fields to see how the situation was panning out.

ALSO READ: ‘I Delivered My Child Amid Pandemic’

For two-three months we had no sense of time, putting in every hour of work that we could and going home only to sleep. We had no life outside work for those several months and no outlet to unwind. We just kept each other motivated and in good spirits.

Dr Lahiri says battling the virus is not the job of healthcare professionals alone

I was myself scared of the contagion; there were so many people suffering around us. Each day, I pulled myself up and marched on stronger. My parents were extremely supportive and understood my duty as a medical professional.

While the rest of the country was facing only Covid, nature dealt a double blow to West Bengal: cyclone Amphan. I am quite happy with the way our state government handled the crisis. The entire state machinery from the primary to district to state-level worked in tandem. Post-Amphan, there was a shifting of roles and responsibilities and I was asked to be a member of the Covid State Cell in Kolkata in June end.

ALSO READ: ‘Proud To Be A Part Of Vaccination Drive’

We had all learnt better by then and were able to streamline our work better. The workload eased off just a tiny bit, though we were still checking in hundreds and hundreds of patients each day. One thing I was happy about was that I was now living with my parents in Kolkata.

Since then I have been working in Kolkata itself doing 12 hour shifts every day. Between my work as faculty at the College of Medicine and my work at the Sagordutta Hospital, I have to travel nearly 40 kms each day. We cannot afford to slack off even now, though we can relax a bit.

Battling the pandemic isn’t the job of frontline healthcare workers alone. Community medicine is all about a community’s adherence to rules. Even though vaccines have been developed, we need to understand that new strains of the virus might still take over. So masks, sanitizing and social distancing are still our best bets against the virus! I got both my vaccine shots, but I still take all the precautions.

Vaccination Drive Against Covid-19

Watch – ‘Vaccination Was Smooth, Very Well Managed’

As India moves on from one milestone to another in its vaccination drive against Covid-19, LokMarg spoke to several senior citizens in Delhi-NCR about their experiences of getting the jab. Most of members interviewed said the entire process was well managed and orderly.

While some of them felt that a doctor’s presence at the vaccination point would have emboldened the beneficiaries, there was unanimity that the inoculation was organized in most professional way hitherto unseen at medical facilities.

Watch full video here

‘I Had Zero Side-Effect After Second Covid Vaccine Shot’

Dr Amiya Kumar Verma, deputy medical superintendent at Max Hospital Patparganj, Delhi, got his 2nd shot of vaccine on Feb 13.  Having seen the battle against Covid from the frontline, he is relieved to see the vaccination moving in right direction

I got my first dose of Covishield vaccine on January 16, 2021, the day when the nationwide Covid-19 vaccine drive was started. I had volunteered to take the shot on the very first day itself as I wanted to remove the fears of some of the doubting Thomases in my team.

And it worked. Of the 100 health-workers slotted to be vaccinated on day one, 70 came forward; this was the best percentage score from Delhi centres. It was natural for them to have anxiety about the vaccine, but when they saw the seniors taking the jab, they felt encouraged.

I must also appreciate the government’s efforts and planning for the vaccination at the designated unit in our hospital (Max Patparganj). The drive was monitored by health officials who informed the beneficiaries of possible side-effects and managed it smoothly.

Of the 70 who were vaccinated that day, almost everyone experienced a mild fever and weakness for a few days. I too had similar experience but the effects tapered off in three to four days.

ALSO READ: ‘Mild Fever Overnight Was The Only Side-Effect’

After the first vaccination shot, there was a survey carried by the government through a toll-free number for feedback about the procedure followed, hygiene maintained at the centre, and if the beneficiaries were attended to for the designated period post-vaccination.

The second shot after 28 days, that is on Feb 13. This time, there were no side-effects. Not even mild fever; I even went for my routine evening walk. As the experience was shared, it has raised hope and confidence among others about the vaccination programme.

I have been telling the heads of each department in our hospital to lead from the front so that the rest of the staff gains confidence. Of the 2,200 to be vaccinated, about 1,600 have got the jab. The ones left include those who adopt a wait and watch policy. They want the others to take the second dose and wait for their side effects.

In our battle against the pandemic, other than basic precautions, we simply do not have any other alternative except the two vaccines available. So why should I not take it!

Dr Verma considers vaccine a blessing amid pandemic

It is a blessing for the healthcare workers and their families as well as for those who have lost their loved ones during this pandemic. This pandemic made people so helpless that they couldn’t be at the side of their loved ones in the hospital or bid them a final goodbye. I have seen deaths where relatives prayed us to let them visit their patients one last time. And then, there were some people who did not come to see their family members for the fear of contagion. Such has been the stigma and the hopelessness that the pandemic caused.

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It is disappointing to hear some people say, that if others have taken the vaccine, we don’t need it. The idea for taking the vaccine is that the antibodies are developed in our body; it doesn’t mean that we won’t get the infection. What it means is by chance even if we get it, we will not have a serious effect like it did in the past after having taken the shot.

I want to tell people that if I have taken the vaccine then I can face and fight coronavirus while the one who is not vaccinated is neither safe from contraction nor capable of battling the virus. So this mentality that let others take it and we will be safe is not the right one.

If the government puts a price on the vaccination, I am sure people will stand in queue to get it but because the government is doing it free of cost, people are taking it for granted. Also the social media spreads a lot of misinformation. People keep forwarding a message that can do more harm than good without reading or understanding it.

As told to Mamta Sharma