Health experts are calling for the implementation of masks as Covid-19 cases rise in different states of India. They believe that the situation is similar to being in the middle of a wave, with the state of Telangana also experiencing an increase in positive cases. The experts are urging the government to encourage people to wear masks for at least a couple of weeks until the threat of the wave is over. Those with symptoms or family members with symptoms should especially wear masks. The Maharashtra government has already made it mandatory for healthcare workers and visitors in hospitals to wear masks due to the increase in cases.
Dr Madap Karuna of GVK EMRI stated that people have forgotten to wear masks in the last one and a half years. Many hospitals are not following the basic norm of masking. Dr Karuna recommends that at least those with symptoms and family members of patients should be asked to wear masks to decrease the number of cases.
Although the number of cases is on the rise in the country, the intensity of cases is not resulting in hospitalization. In Telangana, there has been a surge in positive cases, but the numbers have come down. On Friday, there were 21 cases, and on Saturday, there were 22 cases reported, according to data from the Director of the Health department. The change in pattern is that children are being affected, which was not seen during the last two or three waves.
Doctors feel that state governments are not reacting unless there is an alert from the Centre. Even the data released by states is not accurate. A senior doctor stated that tests are being carried out in private diagnostics, but the entire data is not coming out. The doctors want the state government to issue orders to make masks mandatory in hospitals, schools, and other public places where there is a scope for the spread of the virus, which was followed during the peak pandemic time.
