Need Behavioural Changes to Prevent COVID-19 Spread -M.A.Aleem BMJ 2021;373:n1210

Bmj British Medical Journal 

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Covid-19: Why we must temper urgency with diligence

BMJ 2021; 373 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1210 (Published 13 May 2021)

Cite this as: BMJ 2021;373:n1210

Rapid Respons 

Re: Covid-19: Why we must temper urgency with diligence

Dear Editor

Need Behavioural Changes to Prevent COVID-19 Spread

In breaking the chain of COVID19 spread

human behavior is the major factor. In these days the individual people, differ in their response to the pandemic in many ways.

Some follow COVID-19 precautions, such as physical distancing, hand-washing and mask-wearing. Others are not as prescriptive in requiring these measures or in restricting certain high risk activities.

The relationship between those precautions and cases of COVID-19 is clear: In areas where fewer people are wearing masks and more are gathering outdoors and indoors to eat, drink, observe religious practices, celebrate and socialize, even with family, cases are on the rise.

And also, places where people live or work closely together (multigenerational households, long term care facilities, prisons and some types of businesses) have also tended to see more spread of the coronavirus. Coronavirus outbreaks at nursing homes and “superspreader” events — gatherings of people where one infected person or more transmits the virus to many others — continue to occur.

In recent days the number of people infected with the coronavirus is still high in many areas, and transmission of the virus is easily rekindled once people increased their activities and contact with each other.

So it is better to continue diligent COVID-19 precautions, including physical distancing, hand-washing and mask-wearing, and along with COVID-19 vaccination and monitoring for symptoms.

Unfortunately, the combination of reopening and lapses in these infection prevention efforts has caused the number of coronavirus infections to rise again.

An increase in the number of COVID-19 cases or hospitalizations will not be seen a week or even two weeks later. It seems to take much longer, perhaps as many as six to eight weeks, for effects of a policy or widespread behavior change to appear in the population.

So when an area relaxes precautions, the effects of that change will take a month or more to be seen. Of course, surges also depend on the behaviors of people when they start moving around more. If everyone continues to wear masks, wash their hands and practice social distancing, reopening will have a much lower impact on transmission of the virus than in communities where people do not continue these safety precautions on a widespread basis.

So in these days of second wave to prevent the community spread , people must not neglect the use of masks, hand-washing, cough etiquette along with COVID-19 vaccination, must avoid mass gatherings to prevent the spread of the disease.

The sick must not venture out and rest at home as it is their duty not only to protect themselves but also others.

To curtail the COVID-19 spread,

People have been urged to remember three C’s – avoid crowded places, avoid closed settings and avoid confined places with poor ventilation.

Competing interests: No competing interests

15 May 2021

M.A. Aleem

Emeritus Professor of Neurology * Visiting Specialist in Neurology ** Consultant Neurologist ***

The Tamilnadu Dr.M.G.R. Medical University * Dhanalakshami Srinivasan Medical College ** ABC Hospital ***

Chennai 600032* Perambalure 621212** Trichy 620018*** Tamilnadu India

@drmaaleem