SHOBHA SHUKLA, BOBBY RAMAKANT - CNS
Is it not shocking that after more than two years into the pandemic (when we know how to protect ourselves from getting infected, and have had vaccines for more than a year now), by far the highest-ever number of corona virus infections in a single week were reported in the second week of January 2022? This is an unacceptable failure to save lives and unnecessary human suffering.
More than 15 million new cases of COVID-19 were reported globally in the second week of January 2022. And even this high number is an underestimate. But a silver lining - in the dark clouds dominated by the Omicron variant of the current wave of COVID-19 - is that the number of weekly reported deaths has not increased. Rather, they have remained stable since October 2021 (at an average of 48,000 deaths a week). But the number of patients being hospitalized is increasing in most countries, even though it is much lower than the hospitalizations we saw during the COVID-19 wave dominated by Delta variant last year.
But let us be clear that while Omicron causes less severe disease than Delta, it remains a dangerous virus, particularly for those who are unvaccinated. Almost 50,000 deaths a week is 50,000 deaths too many. Learning to live with this virus does not mean we can, or should, accept this huge number of deaths.
WHO-approved vaccines against COVID-19 may not stop all infections and transmission but they remain highly effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths due to this virus. So, alongside getting vaccinated, public health and social measures- like wearing of well-fitting masks, distancing, avoiding crowded places, and improving and investing in ventilation are important for limiting transmission of the virus.
Undeniably, most people admitted to hospitals around the world due to COVID-19 are unvaccinated. Dr Bruce Aylward, who leads the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator of the World Health Organization (WHO) said "Vaccines reduce the risk of severe disease and hospitalisation. Up to 90% of the patients with severe disease of COVID-19 are those who are unvaccinated. So, clearly these vaccines are having a huge impact."
Vaccines are also protecting the young from serious outcomes of COVID-19. 99% of the youngsters aged 12-18 years who are getting admitted in ICUs for COVID-19, are unvaccinated. "About 1% of ICU admissions for COVID-19 among patients ages 12-18 were fully vaccinated, according to a new study. Vaccines are extremely safe, and they are remarkably effective against severe illness, including in adolescents" tweeted Dr Tom Frieden, former head of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
COVID-19 can become a vaccine preventable disease, only if we act equitably, with a sense of purpose and urgency.
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