The spread of this new strain of COVID and how we failed

Right when we all were beginning to think that with the availability of the vaccine the coronavirus outbreak may be controlled, a newly recognized strain of the virus has left the world confused again. Recently, the UK has declared that they have found a highly infectious new strain of Covid-19, which has been rapidly spreading in England. To stop the surge of this virus, the government has imposed a strict lockdown.

This information has left us all in panic as the reports suggest that the new variant of SARS-CIV-2 could be 70% more spreadable than the old variant. There have been several tiny mutations in the original genetic materials of coronavirus when it spread across the world. Many scientists and governments took lessons from this pandemic and tried to make people aware of the gravity of the situation. With lockdown, travel restrictions, and a ban on social gatherings, we all were taught how to fight this pandemic together. But most of us failed to learn the lesson. 

Lockdown: Covid didn’t kill millions when we were in a lockdown. To stop the spread of the virus, people have to stay in their homes, factories have to be closed and all the other outdoor activities have to be avoided. But, the minute the government lifted restrictions, people started going out, meeting their friends, traveling, attending weddings, and so on.

Hygiene: Taking hygienic precautions proved to be helpful in this situation. Initially, every one of us was washing our hands, sanitizing, and bathing when returning from grocery shopping. Now, when the number is still growing, we have started to ignore all the precautionary measures to stop the virus to enter our bodies.

Focus: We need a focused and concentrated approach to deal with this situation. Nothing is going to happen if you’re banging vessels and lighting lamps. We need proper planning and focused actions that can lead to high social impact in a short period. Now, when this new virus is blowing over, we should find effective ways to combat it, instead of promoting its spread even more.

If we practice personal hygiene, wear a mask and maintain social distancing, focus on essentials and not get greedy, if organizations start to develop new strategies and intensify supply chain resilience, if the government focus on restraining all the social activities, we can build a war chest to fight the battle with the new variant of coronavirus.