Step up vax drive to thwart next wave: WHO

New Delhi, June 20

As countries unlock and economie reopen, the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Sunday said the next Covid surge could not be predicted, but it could be prevented.

Also read: Third wave scare

The world body urged nations to scale up vaccination and implement public health and social measures in full force to ward off the threat from highly transmissible and currently circulating variants. Poonam Khetarpal Singh, Regional Director, WHO (South-East Asia Region), said earlier this week Maldives and Myanmar confirmed transmission of variant of concern. Previously, it has been confirmed in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste. “The variant of concern, along with the opening of economies and societies, contributed to the recent surge in cases globally. Countries across the world are currently at different phases in the evolution of the Covid pandemic and face varying epidemiological situations. We must not forget that the pandemic is still around. We must guard against complacency at any level,” she warned.

Free jabs for all adults from today

All adults will have access to free vaccines from June 21 with the Union Government’s central procurement policy all set to come into force.

“Public health and social measures should not only be strengthened they should continue in full force. We must continue to test, trace, isolate and treat the affected. As individuals, we must frequently wash our hands, mask up well, maintain physical distancing and avoid crowds and closed settings. We must take Covid vaccine at the first available opportunity. While we cannot predict the next surge, we can prevent it which we must,” she said as India’s daily Covid cases dropped to 58,419, an 81-day low. — TNS