Health experts in West Bengal have warned that a new outbreak of Covid-19 infections could occur as residents violate safety norms during Durga Puja celebrations.
The sight of crowds swelling on the streets of Bengal and Kolkata since the inauguration of the Durga Puja festival on Monday has panicked doctors with many fearing a rapid surge in Covid-19 cases in the coming weeks, the Hindustan Times reported on Tuesday. In a widely shared video from Kolkata, devotees could be seen crowding a Durga Puja pandal. Many were seen not wearing their masks properly, while some others were seen without one.
Doctors in West Bengal told the Hindustan Times that they were shocked to see residents engage in festivities as if they were immune to Covid-19.
“If the coronavirus is appearing to be under control right now then it is because of the character of viruses and natural history of diseases they spread, not because of medicines and vaccines,” virologist Amitava Nandy told the newspaper.
He added: “The virus is now coexisting with us. It is herd immunity that has brought down the intensity of the transmission. This mass violation of health protocols can trigger a fresh outbreak. I am surprised to see nobody is speaking up.”
Meanwhile, the number of new cases recorded in Bengal between October 9 and 11 ranged between 597 and 755 respectively, while deaths per day did not cross 15.
Some health experts say that if there is a fresh outbreak then mass behavior such as the crowding Durga Puja pandal could be responsible for it.
The sight of crowds swelling on the streets of Bengal and Kolkata since the inauguration of the Durga Puja festival on Monday has panicked doctors with many fearing a rapid surge in Covid-19 cases in the coming weeks, the Hindustan Times reported on Tuesday. In a widely shared video from Kolkata, devotees could be seen crowding a Durga Puja pandal. Many were seen not wearing their masks properly, while some others were seen without one.
Doctors in West Bengal told the Hindustan Times that they were shocked to see residents engage in festivities as if they were immune to Covid-19.
“If the coronavirus is appearing to be under control right now then it is because of the character of viruses and natural history of diseases they spread, not because of medicines and vaccines,” virologist Amitava Nandy told the newspaper.
He added: “The virus is now coexisting with us. It is herd immunity that has brought down the intensity of the transmission. This mass violation of health protocols can trigger a fresh outbreak. I am surprised to see nobody is speaking up.”
Meanwhile, the number of new cases recorded in Bengal between October 9 and 11 ranged between 597 and 755 respectively, while deaths per day did not cross 15.
Some health experts say that if there is a fresh outbreak then mass behavior such as the crowding Durga Puja pandal could be responsible for it.
