With 38 new local cases identified on Friday and another 26 on Saturday, there is no telling when the latest wave of novel coronavirus infections will come to an end. What is particularly worrying is that there are still some who seem oblivious to the risks.

A man in Beijing's Changping district, who has since been confirmed to be infected with the virus, took medicine himself after he started running a fever. Three days later on Oct 19 his wife also had a fever. But instead of going to the hospital for a test, the couple invited others to their home to play mahjong, not just once but twice. Now two of those who came to play mahjong with them have also been confirmed to be infected with the virus.

In another case, two Beijing residents who have since been confirmed to be COVID-19 patients bought medicine in a pharmacy, which failed to register their information.

Had the couple in Changping gone to the hospital for nucleic acid tests they would not have passed the virus to others. Had the pharmacy taken down the information of the two patients and uploaded the information to the system as required, the two would have been identified much earlier and the route to transmit the virus from them to others would have been cut sooner.

This wave of infections already spread to over 20 cities in 11 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. There is a lot of nucleic acid from the virus in the respiratory tracts of some patients. The virus has proved to be the Delta variant which is highly transmissible, according to National Health Commission. More cases will possibly be identified in the days to come.

Winter is just around the corner and the temperatures are dropping. It is possible for some to catch a cold and get a fever. If someone continues to have a fever for days, he or she must go to the hospital to have a nucleic acid test.

With the pandemic still raging in many parts of the world and imported cases being reported frequently, there is no reason for people to believe that it is impossible for them be infected.

It is vital that people remain vigilant at all times, and that everyone wears a mask when in public. If attending a gathering, people should not only wear a mask, but maintain social distancing and wash their hands immediately on returning home. These are basic precautions.

Keeping ourselves safe from the virus is a contribution we can all make to bring the pandemic to an end.