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Punjab will see 3,000 cases a day by March 22 if SOPs not followed: CMCH
The CMCH report has mentioned that schools and colleges have turned out to be the major drivers of the pandemic.
The number of daily Covid-19 cases are likely to double from 1,000 (current average figure) to 2,000 in Punjab by March 15 if corrective measures are not taken and guidelines are not strictly adhered to, a report shared by Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) here has revealed.
CMCH principal Dr Jeyaraj Durai Pandian said the report — compiled by the community medicine department and released on March 5 — has highlighted that if Covid-related norms are not followed, then the infection will reach its peak by March 20 and witness a decline thereafter.
The report states that if people fail to stick to Covid-safe behaviour, the cases may start to rise and by March 22, the state could be witnessing nearly 3,000 cases every day. With the current growth rate, the cases in the state are likely to reach 4,000 by the end of March.
School, colleges fuelling infections
The CMCH report has mentioned that schools and colleges have turned out to be the major drivers of the pandemic. It has been observed that youngsters carry a high viral load but mild symptoms of infection which could result in the spreading of the virus among the elderly leaving them seriously ill.
The reports suggest that grandparents are at greater risk. “Majority of us have joint families with the elderly living in the same house. The parents and grandparents who drop and collect the children from school have a higher risk of catching the infection,” say experts.
As per the report, after a spike in Covid cases in SBS Nagar, Jalandhar, Patiala, Hoshiarpur, Rupnagar and Gurdaspur, the number of infections will increase in other districts, including Ludhiana, Amritsar and SAS Nagar.
The CMCH community medicine department, which is sharing its observations with the state health department since June last year, has advised that schools and colleges should strictly adhere to Covid-safe behaviour. The report has also appreciated the fact that senior citizens were showing enthusiasm in getting themselves vaccinated.
“Coronavirus has not gone anywhere, and it is important to adopt the guidelines of social distancing, wearing masks, avoiding visits to crowded places and washing hands frequently,” said an expert from the department.
The expert has urged the healthcare and frontline Covid warriors to get inoculated at the earliest.
Civil surgeon Dr Kiran Ahluwalia, who is the nodal officer of the vaccination process, said, “It is important that people follow the guidelines even after inoculation as it lessens the severity of the virus.”
