Covid can 'come back with vengeance': AIIMS task force chief warns against lower

"It is not easy. Many countries are still fighting battles. So we have to be very cautious as this can come back with a vengeance," Dr Wig said as per the ANI report.

Dr Navneet Wig, chairperson of the Covid-19 task force at the All India Institute Of Medical Science (AIIMS), on Saturday warned against lowering the guards, as he said that the war against the pandemic "is still not over" and it "can come back with a vengeance", news agency ANI reported. The senior doctor also noted that some states in the country still have a positivity rate of more than 10 per cent. Hence it is important that people remain cautious and take all necessary precautions to prevent respiratory disease, he said.

A healthcare worker checks the temperature of a child during a door-to-door surveillance to safeguard children amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease at a village on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.  (File photo / Reuters)

"It is not easy. Many countries are still fighting battles. So we have to be very cautious as this can come back with a vengeance," Dr Wig said as per the ANI report.

As of Saturday, more than 90 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the country, marking a major milestone in the battle against the disease. Commenting on the same, Dr Wig said, "We have to go far ahead of 100 crores and have to make everybody double vaccinated." He further emphasised maintaining vaccination pace and ensuring that all beneficiaries are fully vaccinated, according to the report.

"That is how we are going to win this war. It is not an easy war, still, we cannot be overconfident, we have to be a little underconfident so that we don't lower our guard and take all precautions," Dr Wig also said.

Noting a rise in the cases of dengue and typhoid fever, Dr Wig requested people to wear a mask and practise social distancing as much as possible. "We are seeing cases with dengue, scrub typhus, typhoid fever and airborne diseases. So, it is very difficult for doctors to decide if it is Covid or flu, dengue, typhoid fever, or viral hepatitis. My request is that till festival season, please go slow, wear your mask and avoid social gatherings." he said.

India on Saturday logged 24,354 new Covid-19 cases, pushing the overall tally to 33,791,061. While the active cases declined to 273,889, which is the lowest in 197 days, according to the Union health ministry's data.