The media spoke with Dr. Vishal Rao, a member of the state Covid Task Force’s Genomic Surveillance Committee, about how the Bengaluru doctor became infected and what the next steps will be.
“The way the virus is intermingling, there could have been some kind of interaction with a foreign traveler,” he said, in response to the fact that one of those infected had no recent history of international travel.
There is no evidence that the Omicron strain was previously present in Bengaluru, and “there is no way we got Omicron retroactively,” he said.
When asked if an increase in cases would necessitate additional restrictions on the state’s resources, Dr. Rao said yes. “Karnataka has managed to keep the percentage phenomenally low” at less than 1%. They’ll have a hard time keeping this up. Although healthcare systems, ventilators, and oxygen are all expensive, this approach (curbs) would be much more efficient and safer.”
When discussing the role of citizens in preventing a spike, he described a shutdown as “the last approach of enforcement.” Dr. Rao emphasized the importance of citizens accepting responsibility for Covid-appropriate behavior.
According to Dr. Rao, there is no indication that this is the start of the third wave of Covid cases in India. Meanwhile, “there are no signs that this is the third wave.” Because the war has not yet ended, this serves as a cautionary tale. We shouldn’t make premature claims of victory at this point, he said.