NEW DELHI: As COVID-19 cases surge in India, the one question on the minds of many Indians is whether one should mask up as they party this New Year's Eve.
While the Centre has said one has to be alert and not panic and has not issued any advisory on wearing masks even as JN.1, a new COVID-19 subvariant, is leading the current COVID surge, experts said masking is always better, especially for those who are co-morbid and are above 60.
They should also avoid visiting closed, poorly ventilated, and crowded places like restaurants and hotels.
However, for many people, mask-wearing is a thing of the past. In a study, nearly 3 in 4 Indians who were surveyed said masks are history and rarely anyone wears them now, even when COVID cases are spiking in the country.
The survey was carried out by LocalCircles, India’s leading community social media platform.
When asked whether they would be partying, considering the rise in COVID cases, 29% said they plan to socialise over New Year. However, 58% said they plan to stay home with their immediate family.
Only seven per cent said they “don’t plan to socialise over New Year this year because of COVID risk and other reasons.” The survey covered 24,000 people in 317 districts in India.
According to Prof G C Khilnani, Chairman of PSRI Institute of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, and former professor and head of the pulmonary medicine and sleep disorders at AIIMS, “It is always better if everyone wears a mask. People need to protect their families. The young and healthy might not get infected, but they can transmit it to their elderly parents or children.”
Khilnani said in India, everyone has been infected at least once and vaccinated, so they have developed immunity. “But this new strain has the potential to evade pre-existing immunity. JN.1 is highly transmissible. This was seen in Singapore, and thus they re-introduced the mask mandate.”
He said that the new strain is said to cause mild illness in young and healthy people; but can be dangerous for those who are co-morbid, obese, have low immunity, have heart conditions, are aged, diabetic, or undergoing chemotherapy.
“So, even if there is no government advisory, it is always better to mask up. This will also help prevent community transmission,” he told The New Indian Express.
Karnataka, which is reporting the second-highest COVID cases and deaths in the country, is the only state that has made it mandatory for those above 60 years of age with comorbidities and symptoms of cough, phlegm and fever to wear masks.
Dr Shuchin Bajaj, Founder and Director of Ujala Cygnus Group of Hospitals, also advised that while the festive cheer is in the air, one should not let one’s guard down against COVID-19.
“Wearing masks in public places on December 31st is still advisable. It's a simple act that protects yourself and others, ensuring a safer and happier New Year for everyone."
He said large gatherings on New Year's Eve increase the risk of transmission, especially indoors or in crowded spaces.
“Mask-wearing remains an effective tool in reducing the spread of respiratory viruses, including COVID-19 and the flu,” he told The New Indian Express.
Sachin Taparia, founder of LocalCircles, who conducted the survey, said every COVID infection causes accumulative damage to the immune system and increases the risk of long COVID.
“The current situation looks very similar to December 2021 when the Omicron variant started spreading in the last two weeks of December and surged in the first two weeks of January, with many falling sick with mild symptoms. We should learn from that experience and exercise caution,” he said.
According to figures updated by the Indian Sars-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (Insacog) on their website, 162 samples across nine states have been detected to have the JN.1 sub-variant till Friday.
Kerala, with 83, had the maximum number of JN.1 cases, followed by 34 in Gujarat, 18 in Goa, eight in Karnataka, seven in Maharashtra, five in Rajasthan, four in Tamil Nadu, two in Telangana and one in Delhi.
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