Preparedness to handle a spike in hospitalisation must become part of the standard operating procedure. The health administration must, drawing on expert analysis of genome-sequencing reports, provide up-to-date advisories to hospitals and other care centres. This would enable hospitals to take the requisite steps to provide the care needed. This must be an ongoing, not ad-hoc, exercise.
Mock drills, like the ones planned, are useful to ensure that advisories are not disregarded as routine. The administration must seek advice from experts on the booster regime. Some experts attribute the sudden spike in cases to the fact that the efficacy of booster shot, made part of the regime early last year, has waned.
That, along with the reduced number of infections, has meant that the population’s immunity – acquired either through vaccination or naturally – has reduced. There must be a decision, based on science, on whether the country now needs to move to a regular booster regime.
Meanwhile, governments at all levels need to focus on improving basic sanitation and cleanliness. This could help in preventing proliferation of other diseases, leaving people vulnerable to Covid and its long-term impacts.