Shillong, Feb 26: The government has said that it is vital to continue with ‘Covid Appropriate Behaviour’ consisting of – wearing masks properly covering nose and mouth, washing of hands frequently and watching one’s distance from each other.
Commissioner and Secretary, Health and Family Welfare department, Sampath Kumar cautioned that Covid-19 pandemic is far from being over.
Kumar cautioned that worldwide, many countries are showing a sudden increase in the number of cases on a daily basis.
“In India also, many states are experiencing a sudden increase in the number of cases. Another serious concern is the appearance of new strains of the novel coronavirus,†the commissioner and secretary said.
Kumar said that everybody needs to realise that if one is to ever return to some semblance of normality, then the world’s population needs to be immune to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
He said that this can be achieved by either – natural infection or vaccines.
Stating that it is a killer disease, Kumar said that there are 30 cases where people have got re-infected.
He said that India is one of the few fortunate countries who have access to safe vaccines which are effective against this dreadful disease.
Kumar said that the current vaccine which is being used in Meghalaya is effective only after two weeks from the date of receiving the second dose, which is given after a gap of four weeks after the first dose.
“Those who have received the first dose, must track their due dates and get vaccinated with the second dose without undue delay. We have vaccinated over 40,000 healthcare and frontline workers in the State. There has been no major adverse effects following the immunization,†Kumar said.
