Covid is now endemic in Telangana

Hyderabad: Covid-19 has become an endemic infection in Telangana and elsewhere in the country. As a result of its endemic status, unlike the three waves of the pandemic, in future, there would be minor local surges in infections, low levels of transmissions and minimal loss of life, senior scientists and geneticists here said. Omicron and […]

Hyderabad: Covid-19 has become an endemic infection in Telangana and elsewhere in the country. As a result of its endemic status, unlike the three waves of the pandemic, in future, there would be minor local surges in infections, low levels of transmissions and minimal loss of life, senior scientists and geneticists here said.

Omicron and its sub-variants could continue to circulate and even infect a pocket of vulnerable populations in the community. However, the scale of infections, hospitalisations and fatalities will not be at the same level as the first three Covid waves, public health experts believe.

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Former director and distinguished scientist of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Dr Ch Mohan Rao, points out at a general consensus among scientists that Covid-19 is not a pandemic anymore and it has reached an endemic stage. “Due to its endemic status, the infections will be just like common cold and cough. They will come and go, but will not disappear. A section of the population will always get it. The disease will cause mild inconvenience in the form of cold, cough and fever, and it will be a part of our lives,” he says.

The top geneticist says a majority of Indians have developed immunity to SARS-CoV-2 either through natural infection or vaccines. “In terms of exposure, our bodies have gone through a lot during the pandemic. The immunity levels, either through natural infection or vaccines, are high,” he adds.

Experts, who have been tracking Covid-19, point out that lower hospitalisations and fewer deaths despite the virus remaining active and circulating in the community is evidence of the endemic status. “There is no doubt that Covid-19 is now an endemic disease. Compared to countries such as the UK, US and others in Europe, a large section of the population in India has acquired immunity, which has played a very important role in diluting the impact of the different coronavirus variants,” says Dr M Vidyasagar, distinguished professor and SERB National Chair, IIT-Hyderabad, and member of SUTRA Consortium.