In the past two years, 57% of Indian families have had one or more individuals testing Covid positive in three waves. Eight in 10 families who did not have any family member infected in the past two years said they minimised social contact during the wave, and diligently followed masking and social distancing norms, according to a survey.
In one-of-its-kind exercise, in the past 30 days, LocalCircles had gone back to the people to learn what had worked and what hadn’t with the Covid infection.
The LocalCircles survey received more than 29,000 responses from citizens across 345 districts, of whom 61% were men and 39% women.
The objective of the survey it claimed was to understand what worked and created awareness among the larger population and also quantified the role of social distancing, ensuring air ventilation and masking inside indoor spaces during the pandemic in the last two years.
Of the citizens who were asked how many individuals in their homes have had Covid in the last 24 months, 12% said that they have had one infection in their home, 14% had two persons infected and 6% of citizens had three. Furthermore, 12% had said four, and 13% had said five or more had gotten infected with the virus. 41% of citizens said “none of us have had it yet”.
The survey said, “On an aggregate basis, 57% of Indian families have had 1 or more individuals testing COVID positive in the last 2 years, or during the 1st, 2nd or 3rd waves of the pandemic. This question in the survey received 10,200 responses.”
Out of the citizens who did not get infected in the past two years, 80% said they minimised social contact and followed masking and social distancing protocols, 53% had maintained an active and healthy lifestyle, and 33% said that they only met people outdoors or ensured good air ventilation when they met indoors.
74% of the families who had one or more family members getting infected with Covid in the past two years said, “They could have avoided it by minimising social contact and following masking and social distancing norms during the three waves,” according to the report.
“While a relatively large percentage of the population did not get symptomatic infection post the 2nd wave that changed after the Omicron spread. With very high transmission rates and it being highly infectious, the cases of Omicron spread rapidly in India from last December till the end of January, infecting nearly 1 in 2 households,” the survey observed.
Meanwhile, paediatric pulmonologist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Dr Dhiren Gupta called the shutting down of schools in Delhi due to teachers and students contracting the virus a “knee jerk” reaction and said people who are contracting Covid have mild symptoms.
“With the present trend, I feel it is a knee-jerk reaction. In the last two years, we have destroyed the younger generation as their mental and physical development is wasted. The real investment of a country is children. If they don’t progress then after 10 years we will have weak personalities,” added Dr Gupta. “With the present trend, we should not shut our schools and the government should tell us that no schools should have the authority to shut down. When adults are vaccinated and have natural immunity then they are not panicking as well. We should give importance to our kids more than any business or establishment,” he added.
The senior paediatrician believes according to data most cases in the past 10 days are mainly due to BA.2 variant.
“So we have witnessed BA1, we have witnessed BA.2, and likely those pockets who were less infected or didn’t get an infection in the previous phase, now they are getting infected. And in those groups, those who are not vaccinated probably the subgroup is also getting this type of infection and very likely that children from four years to 14 years, who never were exposed to this BA2 variant are now Getting infection,” he added.
Speaking about the symptoms witnessed, Dr Dhiren said, “As per symptomatology, either it is like gastro-enteritis where a patient is having loose motion or cold cough. So it is typically behaving like milder influenza till now.”
He cautioned the public not to panic reading about the case surges and said that 4 to 14-year-old children are going to be a vulnerable population having never been exposed to the BA 2 variant or having never been vaccinated.
“BA 2 variant has more transmissibility compared to BA 1. Symptoms are so mild that we should not panic,” he elaborated further.