Srinagar, May 23 -- The move by the Jammu & Kashmir Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) to step up monitoring of respiratory illnesses amid reports of a few potential COVID-19 cases in May 2025 is timely and essential. While there are no confirmed cases in J&K and nationwide numbers remain low, the response must not be casual or delayed. The early days of 2020 have taught us the brutal cost of ignoring warning signs. This time, we cannot afford to repeat the same mistakes. The country has come a long way since the devastating first and second waves of COVID-19. Our healthcare infrastructure is stronger, testing capabilities have expanded, vaccines are widely available, and public health awareness is significantly higher. But ...