Ever since lockdowns and shutdowns were lifted across the country, people started going berserk. The infection had dwindled down to virtually nil at the beginning of the current year. Extreme steps taken at the cost of livelihood of the poorest people did yield impressive results.
But lately, people began to imagine that coronavirus has fled with bag and baggage with vaccine candidates showing up around the place.Congested cities like Mumbai and Delhi with horrific population density have welcomed back the virulent pathogen yet again at a time when it has mutated severally and turned difficult to study and figure out effective antidotes.
As on date, we are back to the peak pandemic times of the fateful year 2020. Dr VK Paul, the health official of the NITI Aayog, has already declared that the Covid-19 situation in India has worsened like never before.
It is now spreading at a faster pace than 2020 and the next four weeks are very critical. Prevention can never happen unless people themselves participate seriously in the battle against the unseen enemy.
Tools to fight Covid-19 remain the same as at the beginning. Covid-appropriate behaviour, containment measures, efficient mass-testing, well-equipped medical infrastructure, and, above all an intensified vaccination programme. The sacrosanct, non-negotiable Covid-appropriate behaviour includes wearing masks and staying away from crowds.
Though vaccines have come up and Indian manufacturers produce the most quantity, the huge population will take time to complete the vaccination process, given the fact that Indian vaccine makers are under contract to supply to several other countries in Asia, Africa and elsewhere.
So, Covid vaccination delays increase the risk for the global economy which is experiencing an even bigger slowdown than during the first wave as infection now keeps surging alarmingly everywhere. There is now big panic among government officials including top healthcare professionals and scientists primarily because the people have gone haywire on the behaviour front. The Centre has dutifully sent the danger signals in no uncertain terms realising, though pretty much late, that reduced testing, tracking and tracing have all lead to disastrous effects, the same way as as non-adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour, particularly large congregations flouting social distancing norms.
Durg in Chhattisgarh is among the top 10 districts with high active Covid cases while seven are in Maharashtra and one in Karnataka.
So, all adjoining States are in a panic state. Delhi is one of the worst affected. It is counted as only a district for technical reasons. Pune, Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur, Nashik, Urban Bengaluru, Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Delhi and Durg are now global hotbeds of corona infection. Maharashtra, Punjab and Chhattisgarh are the worst hit states only for unruly behaviour of the people encouraged by lax enforcement by authorities who became complacent after December 2020.
Deaths in these states too have risen in number to scare any policy or decision maker. Maharashtra is toughest to manage. Its ruling outfit is contemplating to impose lockdown and shutdown methods in utter confusion and helplessness.
It is too late already. Authorities may have to slug like mad round the clock, without food and sleep if prevention and control are really intended. But Punjab and Chhattisgarh are a cause of extreme concern because the proportion of deaths is higher than Maharashtra as of this moment. The governments there have lost wits. The Centre has deployed urgently 50 high-level multi-disciplinary public health teams in the reflagged districts showing big surge in cases and mortality, in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Punjab.
Somehow, Maharashtra, Gujarat and West Bengal have been very fast in administering maximum number of vaccine doses. Still, experts say the immunisation drive has to be ramped up even more vigorously to cover a big country like India with its mindboggling population.
Odisha has been looked up as a model State for top-grade Covid management with low infection and death rates. But here too, people have turned insensitive after the arrival of vaccines and the temporary diminishing number of incidence and prevalence of infection, death and hospitalisation.
Shockingly, the locations hitherto known for lowest cases of all that frightens have suddenly turned Covid hotbeds. Nuapada, and most of the western region districts are now struggling to contain the virus. In the last two days, the State’s count has hit an all-time high; April 14 recoding 2,267 with Sundargarh claiming 458, Nuapada 104, Sambalpur and Bargarh 120 each. Khordha, the proverbial education hub and corona hotbed for long, has 348 single-day infection to climb its infamy graph.
The face of Odisha, Puri, which was neither so bad nor so good, has hit a 70 single-day infection. Yet, people’s behaviour hasn’t changed for good. It has worsened on all counts. The only way to tame unruly citizens is by slapping pocket-pinching penal fines.
Some people imagine that with the vaccine around, the virus is packing up for an ungraceful departure. That is the stupid message some quarter-baked brains are spreading all over the world.
Vaccines are just beginning to pour in; but the quantity at hand shall never be adequate to vaccinate the nation before one hand half years. Yes, vaccine does ultimately create the much-desired ‘herd immunity’ status, but as vaccines are less and more and more people are turning vaccine-hesitant, the task of achieving ‘herd immunity’ is getting tougher and the deadline is getting farther and farther.
Fortunately, however, in terms of deaths per million, we remain one among the lowest in the world. India has 120 deaths per million while globally it is 365.
Lastly, lockdowns, unless extremely critical situation arises, will be counterproductive. Sporadic lockdowns can be clamped. Livelihood issues can lead to violent rebellion among the poor.
People’s behaviour has to change and improve in keeping with the laid down norms for Covid prevention. ‘Scary fines slapped on unruly’ will be best preventive for now. That will certainly keep mankind safe; nothing else will do so easily.