Home Articles ‘Night curfews won’t help, don’t need booster doses against Omicron’, says top...
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The night curfews are back as test positivity rates spike in some parts of India. Restrictions have also returned for large gatherings. But will these restrictions really help in halting the spread of Omicron, the Covid-19 variant that infects at a much higher rate than the Delta? Experts believe it is unlikely that restrictions will curb the spread of Omicron. Moreover an Omicron wave will not have much impact.
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” This particular wave is unlikely to be of any harm to us for several reasons”, says leading epidemiologist Dr JP Muliyil who is also a member of the NTAGI that has to decide on booster doses and children’s vaccines in India.
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Dr Muliyil explains that the Omicron is manifesting as a very mild flu and enumerates the reasons that the Omicron may not be a big concern. First is the fact that it infects the upper respiratory tract unlike the Delta that impacted the lungs. Secondly, he believes eighty percent of people in India have already been exposed to Covid and the vaccines that have been given are working like booster doses. While preparation for large number of infections is necessary, there is no need for major restrictions he believes.
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“These efforts are only going to inconvenience people and have no impact on the speed at which it travels”, he says. Meanwhile,the focus of additional doses of the Covid 19 vaccine are likely to be restricted to the elderly, vulnerable and immunocompromised.
