Need To Be Careful Till 3rd Week Of January: Ex AIIMS Chief To NDTV

With a massive Covid outbreak in China, and alarm bells ringing across the world, Dr Randeep Guleria, former Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi told NDTV today that the next few days are very crucial for India.

"The holiday season is in the next few days and many people will be travelling in India and abroad as well, and they can carry the infection with them which may be present in some other part of the world, and when they'll come back to India there may be a surge in the number of cases," Dr Guleria said.

"The surge may happen in two or three weeks after the travel season ends, and we need to be more careful till the third week of January," Dr Guleria added.

The former AIIMS Delhi chief said India is in a much better position compared to our situation two years ago.

"We were dealing with a novel virus, with no information, and the population had almost immunity," Dr Guleria said.

Now, India has more information on the virus and better immunity, where vaccinations have played a crucial role, we have learned more in terms of testing, genome sequencing, etc. Dr Guleria added.

"We shouldn't panic and one should be cautious and follow all the necessary Covid protocols while celebrating," Dr Guleria said.

The government has asked states and Union Territories to be prepared for any eventuality after a massive spike in cases in China, which is reported to be driven by the four variants of the virus.

Hospitals and funeral homes are reportedly under intense pressure as a surging Covid wave is draining resources.

China this month began lifting the strictest lockdowns after widespread protests.