India's Covid-19 response must go beyond vaccines, follow global practices

Several advanced countries are offering annual Covid-19 booster doses, especially to vulnerable groups

Years after causing a pandemic, the Covid-19 virus still persists. The strains responsible for the recent surge in cases in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand have been traced back to the JN.1 variant, first detected in August 2023. It is a highly transmissible descendant of the Omicron variant. The recent increase in the number of cases, 257 active cases according to the latest figures, has reignited public concern in India as well. While the number may seem negligible in a country of over 1.4 billion people, it should not be taken lightly and can have implications, especially for health workers