Sharmili Mallick

With experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) making assessments that India is gradually moving towards a stage of Covid-19 endemicity wherein the transmission level will range from low-to-moderate, the Director of Health Services in Odisha, Dr Bijay Mohapatra, cautioned that any kind of complacency will result in another round of pandemic outbreak.

“WHO has already stated that the pandemic is gradually moving towards endemic, but if the situation is not monitored and controlled well, the endemic can roll back to become pandemic again. Therefore, people of Odisha should be cautious in order to prevent the further spread of infection,” stated Mohapatra.

Emphasising that though the Covid-19 situation in Odisha is improving, test positivity rate (TPR) declining and the number of hospitalisation of serious patients also going down, people should not become careless. People should follow all the protocols strictly, added the top State health official.

“The Covid-19 graph in Kerala is on a declining trend. Similarly, the graph went downwards in Maharashtra few days back but the fresh cases have started rising again. The danger always persists and as per experts, cases may rise in any month—September, October or November. Therefore, people should strictly abide by Covid appropriate behaviour and take upon themselves the responsibility to avoid contracting the virus,” advised Mohapatra.

Mohapatra further added that the State Government has continued vaccination drive, surveillance, contact tracing and testing in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infection.

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