Coronavirus infection: 5 reasons that drive a surge in COVID cases, as per experts – Times of India

The spread of coronavirus is facilitated by a number of factors. While some of these factors are driven by the nature of viruses like mutation and creation of variants, there are several human-mediated factors as well, that are very much within our control.

COVID spreads, do not help it spread


Coronavirus spreads like a wildfire. When the virus was novel to us, even before we could figure out its course of action, it went on affecting chunks of the population at a time.

Read: Study reveals which COVID variant is more likely to cause long COVID

Seeing this speed of transmission, the government bodies and health agencies had urged people to remain indoors. Lockdowns were imposed in the country to stop the spread of the virus. To cut down the transmission of the virus, several governments restricted human and goods movements within and outside of the country.

These practices remain effective till date. Remaining isolated, staying indoors and restricting movement can actually affect the movement of the virus and hence stop it from spreading.

COVID is among us

According to Dr Ambrish Mithal, Chairman, Endocrinology and Diabetes, Max HealthCare, the reasons why COVID cases are popping up all around us is mostly because of the large meetings, as most of the cases are coming to fore after mass gatherings; and people who had escaped COVID earlier are getting it now; many people are getting reinfected.

All these points stated by the expert point out to one common observation, the virus has decided to stay among us.

With a virus in the close vicinity, it is expected that the frequency of infections ought to rise further if we do not take precautions against it.

The less tests are done, the more chance the virus gets to spread and mutate

More than two years into the pandemic, and yet health leaders are urging to amp up testing. COVID testing is still underestimated.

“What keeps me up at night is the complacency, people suffering, death, the dismantling of surveillance, testing, sequencing, workforce… Pandemic preparedness should be happening now… while we are fighting the current pandemic. Invest now. What are we waiting for?, WHO’s COVID-19 Technical Lead Maria Van Kerkhove had tweeted recently.

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“Without testing, without sequencing, without these public health measures in place, we’re really playing with fire,” she had said last week and had added that, “I understand that the world wants to be done with the #COVID19 pandemic, but such intense circulation will lead to more variants.”

Testing will help identify the carriers, help them isolate and cut down the scope of the virus to breed inside another host.

COVID appropriate behaviours are must

Does not matter if you are tired of listening to those precautionary warnings or going through the COVID pamphlets, COVID appropriate behaviours will never be outdated in their effectiveness.

Wearing masks, cleaning hands, using sanitisers and keep distance from people will not just help you from getting the infection, it will help you from several other infections as well.

Instead of seeing this as an imposition, people need to accept this hygiene format.

Vaccinate yourself

Scientists and health experts have vouched for the effectiveness of vaccines agains the virus. Though it does not stop getting the infection, it does cut down the risk associated with the infection and its severity.

Several data have confirmed the response of a vaccinated body towards the infection. It has also been seen that during the COVID infection which happened after the vaccination hospitalisation requirement was not increased. While many experts attribute this to the Omicron variant of the virus, which is said to be less virulent, many others give the credit to vaccination.

In many countries, booster shots are also being administered recently so as to improve the immunity of the population.