Conjectures had lately been rife that the latest wave of the coronavirus involving its mutated Omicron variant could be a strain heading to dwindle. This strain, originating from South Africa and fast spreading around the globe, was initially thought to be dangerous. But the dire suspicions proved to be wrong because this variant was not as deadly as its predecessor Delta variant.

The speed with which it was spreading was really alarming. On the positive side, it was largely benign in terms of fatality it meted out on the infected people. This brought a sigh of great relief to the humanity that had gone through untold devastations caused by the pandemic. The second wave of the virus was more devastating than the first one in Nepal as the Delta variant was attacking the victims directly in the lungs, the central organ of the respiratory system.

Such a type of infection caused serious shortness of breath, demanding the supply of artificial oxygen for survival. Many people lost their lives as they could not be given oxygen in desperate time. The second wave outbreak of COVID-19 sent the demands of bottled oxygen soaring, prompting the government to establish oxygen plants or reactivate the old ones to boost supply.

This phase of the pandemic witnessed overwhelming pressure of patients in hospitals with rising demands of intensive care units and ventilators. Post-pandemic symptoms in some people were also very severe, resulting in the deaths of people who had been completely cured and tested negative of the virus. Today we live in an environment where news related to the pandemic spreads fast through the social media. News reports regarding the fatalities caused by coronavirus had negative psychological impact on the people, especially those infected by the virus. As it emerged in the aftermath of the devastating second wave, Omicron’s spread had initially triggered widespread scare.

However, despite rapid surge of infection, fatalities remained low. It was found that the Omicron strains attacked the upper respiratory organs instead of targeting the lung. As a result, the symptoms were less severe and less fatal. During the peak cases of Omicron wave, daily infections jumped to over 12,000 but the fatalities counted in 24 hours were limited to less than three dozen.

The infections started to fall sharply within months just as they rose initially. Daily infections have now come down to two digits and declining further. According to the update of COVID cases made public by the Ministry of Health and Population on Monday, 88 infections were recorded in 24 hours out of which 66 cases were detected through PCR tests.

Of late, daily fatalities have declined to only a few and there are also days with no COVID deaths at all. Being assured by this declining infections and illnesses, the capital valley administrations have lifted COVID restrictions. This allows citizens to participate in daily business in normal manner. Hopefully, the pandemic is heading to die out but we have to remain watchful rather than complacent. Basic rules of health safety, however, are always useful to remain protected from common influenza or the COVIDID. At the same time, it is important to make sure every eligible citizen is vaccinated against the dangerous virus.