By Mukunda Gaire, Kathmandu, Jan. 1: In recent times, people are seen getting back to their lifestyle as it was before the pandemic, completely ignoring the risk of contracting the novel coronavirus.

The public health experts have been voicing that the ongoing political happenings, to some extent, had impacted people's psychology as a result of which people perceive that the risk of COVID-19 had reduced. The reality is quite the opposite and we are still at the risk of the spread of the novel coronavirus, the health experts say.

Dr. Sarad Onta, a public health specialist said that the threat of COVID-19 in Nepal was still intact. "As people are not seen following the public health standards of late, the risk of Nepal being hit by a second wave of the pandemic is increasing."

It is a good sign that the infection rate of Nepal is decreasing, however, if a comparison is made with other nations in terms of population, the infection rate has not decreased, said Dr. Onta.  

Stating that some people were in a delusion that due to the lifestyle, environment, and eating habits, Nepalis are not much affected by COVID-19, Dr. Onta requested everyone to not believe such hoaxes.

"The recent political development has also intensified the risk of spread of the virus. As much as people have the right to participate in the political happenings, they also have the duty to follow all the public health standards," Dr. Onta added. "As a new strain of the virus is being seen in the UK, it is vital for everyone to follow all the public health standards that have been prescribed."

Dr. Onta called everyone to not be negligent towards public health in a belief that the COVID-19 vaccine would be available in a few days. "It is not certain that the spread of the virus would be combated just via vaccines," he added.

Likewise, Dr. GD Thakur, an epidemiologist and former chief of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division said, "The virus can spread rapidly at any time if people continue to overlook the preventive measures."

"If we look into the present scenario, people moving back to normalcy as if the virus does not exist is a matter of serious concern," said Dr. Thakur.

"Not everyone who contracts the virus is symptomatic. It is inappropriate to say that COVID-19 doesn’t exist just because one is not showing any symptom," he added.

Dr. Thakur further informed that the new type of COVID-19 was even more infectious. He added that it was essential for the government to take preventive measures such as strict surveillance at the borders and quarantining the foreign returnees to prevent the spread of the new strain of the virus.

Moreover, Dr. Sher Bahadur Pun, virologist at the Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, also requested everyone to abide by the public health standards while carrying out their daily chores.

"It is not practical to stay at home owing to the fear of the virus however, it is important to stay unaffected from the virus by adopting all the preventive measures," said Dr. Pun. "If all of us vow to carry our daily lives by following all the safety measures, we can save our families, society, and the nation from the pandemic."