COVID-19 hasn’t gone away, warns US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy

By PTI

WASHINGTON: The COVID-19 pandemic has not gone away, Indian-origin US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned on Sunday, saying that circumstances might rise and fall within the months to return.

Murthy additionally expressed his concern over the dearth of funding to battle the coronavirus pandemic.

“When we look at what’s happening around the world and over the last two years, we recognise that when cases increase in one part of the world, that often leads to increases in the other part of the world. And we should be prepared that, you know, COVID hasn’t gone away” he informed Fox News in an interview.

“There could also be rises and falls in circumstances within the months forward. But here is the important thing, our aim is to maintain folks out of the hospital, it is to save lots of their lives, and we have now extra instruments to do this than ever earlier than. So our focus ought to be on preparation, not on panic. And if we get folks these instruments, vaccines, boosters, therapies, then we are able to truly get by waves that will come and go.

“The thing that concerns me right now is that as much work as we’ve done in the last two years to get the right tools, we’ve got to continue funding them and supporting them so they are available to people across the country. That’s what Congress moving to provide that funding is so cortical,” Murthy stated.

During the final wave of the omicron variant, most sick have been unvaccinated. “So, the bottom line is those vaccinations and boosters work and the treatments that we now have in greater quantities than ever before, those also help to reduce our risk, but you’d rather prevent an infection than get it and treat it. That’s why these vaccines and boosters are essential,” he asserted.

Older age and diseases like weight problems are those that put one at increased threat. “Sadly, we do have lots of people in our nation who’re fighting continual diseases, like weight problems and coronary heart illness have put them at increased threat, and so which means as a inhabitants we have to be much more vigilant about taking steps to stop COVID-19.

“Those include the vaccines and boosters, but we’ve also found that other tools, whether they are masks, whether they are using testing strategically, these can be helpful in limiting the spread of the virus,” Murthy stated.

Responding to a query, Murthy stated that he doesn’t assume they will afford to maneuver on.

“But I do think that we can move forward with more confidence, that we can live our lives and not let COVID define our lives, because we do have, in fact, better tools that have proven to save our lives and keep us out of the hospital,” he stated.

“Over the final two years, COVID outlined our lives, it restricted us in profound methods. But as a result of we have now higher instruments, we have now the facility to maneuver ahead now and handle the virus and accomplish that thoughtfully as a result of, you realize, we have been capable of get our children again to highschool, you realize, during the last yr.

“I mean more than 95 per cent of kids are back in school. That’s a big win. I’m a dad of two small kids who, thankfully, are back in school. We’ve gotten people back to work. People are seeing their family and friends again. We need to keep doing these things. We now have the tools to do so safely,” Murthy added.