08 Dec 2021  |   05:46am IST

Letters to the editor (08 December 2021)

Letters to the editor (08 December 2021)

Cold wave risk

The past two winters have been warm and rigid. The coming winter could be frigid. Burning of stubble in North India has created a bubble. The Sun's rays cannot penetrate it and warm the earth. In South India unseasonal rains have created floods and wetted the land. This has reflected the Sun's rays and cooled the earth. 

In Goa the temperature has fallen by 4-5 degrees already. We have also witnessed unseasonal rains here. Added to this is also the effect of climate change. All I am saying is we could have a colder winter. It doesn't mean it will snow in Goa. So, if you are thinking of ice-skating, forget it!

Vinay Rodrigues, Margao 


Omicron variant of SARS-CoV2

Lots of conjectures are doing the rounds on social media whether Omicron, the new variant of SARS-CoV2, projected to be highly transmissible could be more lethal than the second Delta wave. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is apprehensive of vaccine inequity in poorer African countries which could hamper herd immunity world-wide.

We also come across cases where fully vaccinated persons and people with no travel history in Omicron hit countries contracting the virus which speaks volumes of the efficacy of the vaccines rolled out periodically by Pharma companies. Ironically we have not come across cases where the vaccines have come to the rescue of persons who have contracted the disease, on the contrary we hear of fully vaccinated people getting infected, more than the unvaccinated.

With discussions by expert medical committees at an advanced stage for administering a third and booster dose to people immune-compromised and with comorbidities, the government will do well to review the entire pandemic conundrum in a holistic manner before even attempting the fast-tracked dubious vaccines on children whose immune system is better equipped to fight the virus

In all this hullabaloo there is a positive and promising note at the proverbial end of the tunnel from an eminent Microbiologist who states that Omicron is a combination of alpha, beta, gamma and delta variants of corona mutations which could prove to be a blessing in disguise of the variant that causes mild infections of common cold with a rapid spread which is an indication of weakening the severity of the virus and an end of the pandemic after a series of mutations.

Everette Assis Telles, Margao


Congrats to Kohli’s Men in Blue

Kudos to Virat Kohli and company on reclaiming the number one ranking in Tests. The Indians put up a dominant all-round show to outmanoeuvre the Kiwis by a 372-run margin at the Wankhede Stadium, their highest victory margin in terms of runs. India has lost only two Tests at home since 2013, while the Kiwis have gone without a Test win in India since 1988. Ashwin’s ninth Man of the series award puts him in touching distance of Muttiah Muralitharan’s world record of eleven awards. Way to go!

N J Ravi Chander, Bengaluru

Gum chewing can prove dangerous

Indulging in chewing gum is common among children, youth and adults. One sees people usually chewing gum when they are tense and nervous or when a lot of mental activity is involved. However, chewing gum does very little to reduce the tension and neither does it increase the mental capability. Even then many are addicted to it. However the activity of chewing can have a negative impact on the health of the person and at times can even prove fatal.

According to the medical experts, frequent chewing of gum leads to dental health problems, tooth decay, cavities and gum disease. It releases mercury from dental fillings and is even associated with irritable bowel syndrome. Chewing too much gum also causes problems like jaw pain, tightening of facial muscles leading to headaches, diarrhoea and other digestive problems like abdominal pain and bloating. 

Gum chewing can cause obstruction of the airway. If not dislodged in time the person can even die as a result of choking. Teenagers indulge in gum chewing without knowing the consequences. Recently a 15-year old boy in a metropolitan city died due to choking while chewing gum. It seems necessary for young people not to get addicted to gum chewing and little children should be dissuaded from indulging in the activity in order to prevent any untoward incident.

Adelmo Fernandes, 

Vasco

Pitfalls of using Wi-Fi enabled cards 

Now that several banks have introduced Wi-Fi enabled credit and debit cards, the days of remembering the pin numbers are nearly over. The pins only need to be used if the card swiping machine at the point of sale (POS) does not have the Wi-Fi facility. Although the Wi-Fi enabled cards are convenient to use but there is a downside because if the card is lost or stolen then it could be misused. Hence, there needs to be a cautionary step in that when a card is swiped for a transaction at an POS, an OTP should be received on the mobile of the card owner.

This OTP would serve as an alert and needs to be shared with the person at the sales counter. This way the fear of card frauds can be avoided, unless the cards and mobile are stolen by the same person!

Sridhar D’Iyer, Caranzalem


Not out of the woods yet

Covid in Goa seems to be far from over with both caseload and positivity rates creeping up. Monday saw 35 new cases with the +vity percentage almost touching 2, active infection numbers stand at 413 on the back of slow recovery. 

The more worrisome aspect is the detection of 5 suspected cases of the omicron variant in five foreign seafarers who disembarked at Goa. In light of this and cluster infections observed, it is imperative that every traveller coming from high risk countries is tested on priority via the Rapid RT-PCR test vide which results are available within the hour.

Isolation facilities need to be ramped up as experts are predicting the onset of the third wave by February, albeit milder; the citizenry on their part should strictly adhere to all SOPs and exhibit Covid appropriate behaviour. We are not out of the woods yet.

Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim 


Save food crops

We have been talking about climate change. On the other hand, weather vagaries like droughts and flooding have been causing damage to food crops across the world. First up, the international media houses have long been highlighting issues like food shortage and poverty-hit people the world over. What exactly is the reason for this? Why have people been suffering problems like poverty and hunger even now?

These can be attributable to various factors involved. For example, many parts of the world have been losing crops to torrential rain from time to time. Due to excessive rain and lack of storage facilities, food crops have been wasted so far. 

So it is all the more important to build storage facilities equipped with technological advances. Seriously speaking, the UN and the international community should come forward to contemplate better ways to save food crops at the earliest. Apart from harvesting good monsoon rain, it is time again to fight the impacts of climate change through various means like strengthening green cover/activities the world over.

P Senthil Saravana Durai, Mumbai


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