Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], July 9 (ANI): Thirteen people were killed and over 48 others injured when a cloudburst struck the area near the holy shrine of Amarnath on Friday, said Dr A Shah, Chief Medical Officer Ganderbal, Jammu and Kashmir.

Ahmedabad Jan 19 PTI People should not take the Omicron variant of coronavirus as lightly as common flu and must follow precautions like social distancing members of the Gujarat governments COVID-19 task force said here on WednesdayA day after Gujarat recorded its highest one-day surge of 17119 new cases five eminent doctors who are members of the task force spoke to the mediaOmicron infections do not require hospitalizations the way it was seen during the second wave but as the variant is spreading faster a lot of people can still end up in hospitals they saidAs much as 70-80 per cent of COVID-19 cases being reported in Gujarat are of Omicron variant said Health Minister Rushikesh Patel who along with Additional Chief Secretary Health Manoj Aggarwal was present on the occasionDo not make the mistake of taking Omicron as lightly as the common flu The manner in which the cases are rising it is possible that hospitalisations will increase Children and others who have not been inoculated need to be specially careful and those who have not taken the vaccine should take it immediately said Dr Sudhir ShahTo bring the spread of infections under control we will have to take recourse to our original weapons which are vaccination face mask hand sanitation and social distancing said Dr Shah who is a neurologistInfectious diseases specialist Dr Atul Patel said the entire population of Gujarat was susceptible to catching the infection of the new variant and therefore it is not a virus to be taken lightly The need for hospitalisation is very low at hardly 1-2 per cent But that is no reason to relax as Omicron spreads very fast and if the number of cases rises in lakhs then even 1-2 per cent ending up in hospitals will be a large number he saidA large number of people getting vaccinated in Gujarat was a matter of great relief Dr Patel addedHe also said that Remdesivir can still be a highly effective drug for preventing hospitalisation of high-risk patientsPublic health expert Dr Dileep Mavalankar said social distancing remains the most effective way to prevent the spread of the virus along with proper use of face masks Do not go out unnecessarily and do not cause crowding Take immediate recourse to precautions after cough symptoms Practice Self-isolation and wearing masks even at homeelderly people should stay away from young members who go out for work he saidIf we control this new wave we can hope for the pandemic to wane unless a new variant emerges We have to remain alert from a mild variant but there is no need to panic Dr Mavalankar addedDiabetologist Dr V N Shah said people should not believe myths surrounding the virus and make the mistake of considering it a version of common fluDr Tushar Patel said there was a need for people to remain alert but there is no need for unnecessary panic Health minister Patel said the people should follow the Standard Operating Procedure SOP issued by the government from time to timeAs the experts said the virus is of mild variety so we have not seen any casualties But we should follow social distancing wear masks and get vaccinated so that the elderly at home do not get in trouble he said PTI KA KRK KRK