Is Covid coming back? No need to panic, say docs

THERE is a surge in COVID-19 cases again, with Southeast Asia, especially Hong Kong, Singapore, China and Thailand, reporting a spike.

- KAVITA BAJELI-DATT @ New Delhi

THERE is a surge in COVID-19 cases again, with Southeast Asia, especially Hong Kong, Singapore, China and Thailand, reporting a spike. The surge comes more than five years after the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic.

Why the surge?

A cyclical viral illness flares up periodically after long, quiet periods. The main reason is the gradual decline in population-level immunity.

"Over time, antibody levels naturally wane — a process known as immune contraction —making people susceptible to reinfection. This is why even individuals with prior Covid-19 infection or vaccination may get infected again," said Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, former president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Cochin.

Another reason is increased international travel, which allows viruses to move rapidly across borders and. The SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to undergo genetic changes, which help it evade the immune protection developed against earlier variants. These mutations make it easier for the virus to re-enter the human body by outsmarting prior immunity.

Situation in Southeast Asia