Covid continues to be on the rampage. Sunday's health bulletin reported 11 deaths and 951 new positive cases with the mighty second wave striking big and spreading fast. In less than two weeks, the daily infection rate has jumped to nearly one thousand, with the fatality rate showing a consistent rise. On Sunday, the 150-bedded Covid hospital at Margao was reopened with around 60 patients getting themselves admitted on day one. This tells us how grim the situation is.
The question is, why is the State government not getting into pro-active mode and intensifying protocols. Why is there a wait-and-watch approach being followed and why overdependency on vaccines?
The prohibitory orders issued by district magistrates on gatherings and the sporadic announcements made by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant reflect half-hearted moves in tackling the situation, probably with a hope that the situation could subside soon. The rate at which the virus has been infecting, calls for immediate and drastic measures. Oxygen exports are banned, Covid care centres are reopening and bed capacities in hospitals are being enhanced. No doubt, these are positive steps, but very little is being done to stop transmission, the most crucial aspect in the fight against Covid. This is where the government is failing big time.
Sawant, was in Margao to get a feel of the scenario and has realized the need to do contact tracing and ramp up testing. However, contact tracking can only be possible if necessary measures are in place. It would be a nightmare to track contacts when there is unchecked crowding at social, political, cultural and entertainment events. We need to look at breaking the chain with restrictions on the mobility of people, which includes workspaces and other environments across all sectors, more like a limited lockdown. Decisions on holding the second phase of civic elections and board exams of 10th and 12th standards need to be re-examined. An adamant attitude and rigid timelines could have disastrous consequences pulling the State further down into a health crisis.
When we see groups protesting and politicos going about their campaigns, the seriousness of CM's words are lost because nobody follows social distancing or uses face masks there, and the enforcement agency never bothers to crack the whip where it matters. The State managed to steer away from the first phase it was because the transmission was contained with some resolute measures. Goa is paying the price with lives now since the government allowed unrestricted access to tourists entering the State. There can't be complacency anymore.
The vaccination drive has to continue, but we can't expect the vaccine to work magic, more especially when there are reports of a 'double mutant' variant of the virus. Goa receiving 1.5 lakh more doses of the Covid-19 vaccine is good news, but this can't be a reason to go slow. The government appears to have not learnt lessons from its past Covid fight. It needs to quickly adapt to the emerging situation. The virus has picked up the pace, and the State machinery has to stay ahead in this battle against Covid.
