Guru Ramdev is an adorable spiritual leader, better than many who make huge money by teaching simple yoga techniques to gullible individuals frantic to defeat diseases and become fitter physically.
But Ramdev is a bit like Trump who is wild about making public declarations without knowing the fine lines of science or law. During the terrible Covid times, Ramdev came up with a make-believe cure called ‘Coronil’, which sounds believable too. Expert medical bodies had hit out instantly seeking to know on what scientific basis he made the tall claims. By now, Ramdev had transformed himself to a billionaire shopkeeper with a mix of wide-ranging wellness products and a variety of kitchen stuffs including forest honey, ghee and cooking oils.
Only days ago, on February 19, he held a media event claiming his previously laughed-at ‘Coronil’ ‘to be the ultimate destroyer for all strains of corona and it has received WHO certification’. The event was attended by such knowledgeable luminaries, including union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and Union Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, who understands all basics.
Ramdev furiously criticised modern medicine, equating it to ‘medical terrorism’ as if the orthodox allopathy system is all poison and invariably lethal. Meanwhile, the WHO’s South-East Asia regional office came forward to clarify that it has not “reviewed or certified the effectiveness of any traditional medicine” for the treatment of Covid-19 pointedly referring to ‘Coronil’.
Appalled at the development, the Indian Medical Association has demanded an explanation from the Health Minister over Patanjali’s claim of WHO certification, failing which the association will provoke the National Medical Commission seeking a suo moto explanation for this ‘blatant disrespect’ to the code of conduct of the Medical Council of India.
The IMA has also demanded that the Health Minister is duty-bound to explain his endorsement of ‘Coronil’. The IMA is firm on its views that it is inappropriate and irrational to release such false projections that can mislead the country resulting in loss of precious lives.
Further, the IMA has sought clarifications on the timeline for the clinical trial of ‘Coronil’ and whether patients were involved in the double blind and/or single blind clinical trials. A series of questions have been asked, which include whether the patients were subjected to an informed consent for any such trials and others.
The arrival of coronavirus vaccines has meant good news for so many people who wanted to resume a normal life. Unfortunately, the availability of affordable or free vaccines in India has turned at least half the population to go haywire with fear of the enormously infective virus completely gone. The governments went on spelling out ‘unlock-downs’ successively and the impatient masses began to imagine corona is no more dangerous.
Nearly everyone forgot the mask, hugged others merrily and washed hands only before eating a meal never otherwise. Not surprisingly, meanwhile, the virus has been springing back to active engagement in multiplying itself without hindrance.
And suddenly, mankind discovers resurgence of the pandemic in a different style.As study shows there are already hundreds of corona strains flying across human bodies that give more symptoms than the known ones like conjunctivitis, stomach problems and body aches of a peculiar kind. That’s big reminder of why people need to continue practising precautionary measures weeks after getting vaccinated.
While vaccines do work to generate a good immune response which acts against the pathogen, the body can sometimes take weeks to respond. In the window where one waits for the vaccine to work, one is still vulnerable to the infection.
Thus, a vaccine alone won't help mankind defeat the pandemic. The stage of complacency is not yet ripe. Masks, social distancing, frequent hand-washing with soap and all other standard hygiene rules have to be followed religiously. The vaccine protects one from getting severely ill.
But if one has already been infected, it may not prevent one from spreading the virus to others. As per some expert, it is better to act as if one is not vaccinated and continue taking necessary preventive measures to keep oneself and others safe. One can still get re-infected after vaccination. But the intensity of illness is likely to be low and manageable because antibodies start to develop in the body after interacting with the infectious pathogen.
But that isn't enough to protect an individual from getting sick again as is the case with a lot of people who have strangely caught the virus more than once.
In some cases, antibodies and systematic immunity could taper or it could so happen that the vaccine may not work so effectively for some, leaving room for the virus to cause problems. But for sure, ailment would be less severe or even completely asymptomatic. There is no escaping from the laid down norms, the biggest takeaway being masks and social distancing.
Odisha, the model Covid-management State, is just beginning to witness a corona comeback. Maharashtra, Kerala and Gujarat are having a panicky time yet again. Unless modified behaviour like those adopted during the peak Covid days are practised strictly, the virus will keep causing havoc nonstop as the new strains are smarter and can afflict victims in more ways than the infamous strain did in the previous months. The famous temples of Odisha be kept selectively open to devotees.
The little children, the elderly, the ones with co-morbidities and those with contraindicative issues with to vaccinations be kept off. All these bits of information are popularly shared by medical experts from time to time.
The Indian vaccines are just too good and respectably accepted by many countries. The Serum Institute’s version of the AstraZeneca vaccine, called Covishield, has been approved in 11 countries, including Bangladesh, Nepal, Morocco and South Africa. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also approved Covishield for emergency use, clearing a path for the vaccine to be deployed in the WHO’s COVAX initiative, a global vaccine programme aimed at providing access to vaccines in lower- and middle-income countries.
Covaxin, a purely Indian vaccine, is also rated very highly. Everyone by and large healthy and fit must avail the vaccine as soon as possible. There is no reason to suspect the vaccines made in India, the vaccine capital of the world.
Incidentally, the USA has lost more lives to corona in a single year than it did in three hugely fierce wars, the two World Wars and the Vietnam War jointly.
The wars claimed 4,99,000 lives, but corona has taken away 5,00,236 Americans in a single year. Indians must beware from now as the virus is going to remain active for quite some time, maybe for always.