As the whole world is fighting with the deadly virus named Coronavirus or COVID-19, India is too at the frontline to stop the viruses widespread. Amid the vaccination drives and partial curfews COVID-19 in India may be entering some kind of stage of ‘Endemicity’. This was stated by the Chief Scientist of the World Health Organisation Dr. Soumya Swaminathan.
Dr Soumya Swaminathan’s Statement
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan said that, “We may be entering some kind of stage of endemicity where there is low level transmission or moderate level transmission going on but we are not seeing the kinds of exponential growth and peaks that we saw a few months ago.”
Further adding she said that, “As far as India is concerned that seems to be what is happening and because of size of India and heterogeneity of population and immunity status in different parts of country in different pockets. It is very very feasible that the situation may continue like this with ups and downs in different parts of the country.”
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COVID-19 an Endemic
According to the leading medical experts and professionals, the COVID-19 pandemic could become the next “endemic”. Experts have previously said it would be impossible for the U.S. to reach “true herd immunity” with COVID-19 as new strains of the virus will keep on evolving and continue to develop in the years ahead.
Case Study: “COVID Zero”
Not every country has given up on the hope of “COVID zero.” For example, China, is pursuing a “zero tolerance” approach to the virus, with strict lockdowns, contact tracing, testing, and quarantines.
On the other hand, Australia has sought to shut out the virus with closed borders, lockdowns, and widespread testing. The highly contagious delta variant, however, is still managing to penetrate both countries, calling the long-term viability of a zero-COVID strategy into question.
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Brief About Endemicity
An endemic is a disease that is consistently present but limited to a particular area. This means that the disease spread and rate of illness is predictable.
According to WHO’s Chief Scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the endemic stage is when a population adapts to live with a virus. It’s very different from the epidemic stage when the virus disturbs and distract a population
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Endemic Over Pandemic: Know More
In March 2020, WHO declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic. WHO had previously called a pandemic the “worldwide spread of a new disease.” The International Epidemiology Association’s Dictionary of Epidemiology states that a pandemic is “an epidemic occurring worldwide, or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries and usually affecting a large number of people.”
Endemic diseases are broadly described like chicken pox or malaria. They are not novel, and the rates of infection within a given population are fairly predictable. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that endemic “refers to the constant presence and/or usual prevalence of a disease or infectious agent in a population within a geographic area.”
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Are the Vaccines Effective?
The vaccines are still effective as higher vaccination rates may in some areas have eventually stopped COVID from its widespread, but that depends on how many people get vaccines. It also depends that how long can the vaccine last and how it can handle the transmission too.
What Can We do to Stay Prevented?
As the times are tough so all we can do to prevent ourselves is, getting vaccinated, wearing masks, and social distancing in public spaces. This can help control overcrowding in hospitals. And with full precautions we can keep schools, restaurants, and other businesses open.
