Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Oct 4: As the winter season approaches, the health experts believe that the season ahead might mark a peak of the COVID-19 infection in Kashmir.
Some of the experts told Excelsior that the winter provides suitable conditions for the infection to spread and with COVID-19 already being present around, the winter season is going to see a rise in COVID-19 cases.
Head of the Department, Social and Preventive Medicines, Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar Dr Salim Khan told Excelsior that while the exact projection of the increase in cases in winters cannot be made, but there are chances that the cases might increase.
“We cannot make the exact projections, but the cases might increase in the winters that are to come,” he said.
He added that people must also take due precautions and should adhere to the SOPs that have been issued. “It has been observed that people are taking the SOPs lightly; we appeal them to stick to the guidelines to be safe,” he said.
Dr Suhail Naik, President of Doctor’s Association Kashmir (DAK) told Excelsior that the peak of COVID-19 is guaranteed in the winters that are to come.
“There are already many infections that level up during the winters and we already have the COVID-19 around. Other infections, when those will rise, the immunity of the patients would be compromised to an extent where it would become easy for the COVID-19,” Dr Naik said.
Both the experts said that the people of age 60 and above and those with comorbidity are more susceptible to the infections in the winters and they need to take extra care.
“The cases of swine flu are reported in Kashmir during the winters and that might provide a window to the COVID-19 to peek in and do its job, thus, extra precautions, during the cold season is a must,” Dr Khan said.
While there is a hue and cry over flu-shots, and who should take and who should not, the health experts said that those who can afford and those with the comorbidity must take flu-shots.
“Everyone doesn’t need to go for flu-shots,” they said.
While explaining why everyone doesn’t need to take flu-shots, Dr Naik said, when a section of society goes for the flu-shot-to keep other infections that are on the rise in winters at bay-it automatically protect the rest.
“It happens in a way the herd immunity works,” he said.
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