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Monday marks four years since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Covid-19 a pandemic. Millions of people in India have been infected and died from the virus and the lingering impact of long Covid-19 and post-virus syndrome is being studied.
Health experts said SARS-CoV-2 infection will now closely resemble normal flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other seasonal infections in the younger population.
According to experts, even after four years, the best way to prevent and control the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection has not yet been determined. Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) implemented during the pandemic, even today, are the only options available to prevent transmission of the infection.
With the availability of Covid-19 vaccines and medications, the virus will look a lot like a common flu or seasonal infection in the younger population. However, older people and vulnerable populations with underlying conditions will continue to be in the high-risk category.
Dr Raman Gangakhedkar, former head of epidemiology and communicable diseases at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and head of the state Covid-19 task force, said high-risk people should take precautions.
“Older people and those with chronic morbid illnesses should be periodically vaccinated against Covid-19 and against the flu. We had to wait more than a year to get a vaccine and two years to get medicine. However, in the future it will not be a problem if any other disease outbreak is reported,” he said.
According to the state Covid-19 task force, several virus variants and sublineages have been reported in the country with the latest new JN.1 sublineage of the Omicron Covid variant.
The Covid virus continues to challenge its evolution and will continue in the future. Vaccination against Covid-19 is useful in reducing deaths and morbidity and the surveillance system should continue in the future. Experts expressed the need to develop adult vaccination guidelines to improve vaccination coverage, especially in the most vulnerable populations.
Gangakhedkar said protecting against respiratory infections from NPIs is difficult but can be achieved by wearing masks and social distancing. NPIs affected the economy that has been seen globally.
“There is a need to increase disease surveillance and diagnosis facilities. Health literacy in India is low and the most difficult task during the first six months of the pandemic was educating the public about virus prevention. The Information, Education and Communication (IEC) program must be strengthened,” he said.
Dr Bhagwan Pawar, health officer of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), said the elderly and people with existing diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and obesity were the ones who reported severe symptoms. “Most deaths occurred in these people because their immune system is weak. However, there is strong evidence that vaccinated people reported less severe illness,” he stated.
“Vaccination protects people for several months, but it depends on each person’s immunity, age and underlying health status. People should continue to get vaccinated against Covid even in the future,” he stated.
Dr Radhakishan Pawar, joint director of health services, said that during the pandemic, health infrastructure was strengthened with well-equipped public health facilities.
“There are an adequate number of ICU beds, ventilators, isolation beds with oxygen tanks in various public hospitals. This is enough to deal with any disease outbreak in the future. The health department has also appointed specialized doctors, medical officers and other health personnel. In these four years, diagnostic and screening facilities have also been improved,” he said.
Dr HK Sale, CEO of Noble Hospital, said Covid-19 is now endemic and few cases are being reported in private hospitals today. “The shortage of expert doctors and intensivists to care for a large number of critically ill patients was solved through online consultations during the pandemic. Every day there were new challenges in terms of ICU beds, ventilators, doctors, medications, oxygen and vaccines. During this period the importance of a healthy lifestyle and the vaccine was highlighted,” he said.
Sanjay Patil, chairman of Hospital Board of India, Pune Chapter, said people faced the chaos of the Covid pandemic with fear and uncertainty, and it was the first time India had successfully manufactured a vaccine in a such a short period and mass immunization was carried out. “Doctors are now pushing patients to get vaccinated in adults after the pandemic. More doctors and public tertiary care hospitals are needed. The system of separate fever outpatient department (OPD) and triage area initiated during the pandemic should be followed in future,” he said.