With the scourge of the Coronavirus second wave crippling India’s critical healthcare infrastructure and the nation setting the global record of the greatest number of reported COVID-19 cases reported daily, the question being frequently asked is what can be done to effectively police the situation. Professor K Vijay Raghavan, the scientific advisor to the Indian Government believes that the country will soon reach its ‘peak.’
“Keep in mind peaks and falls together take about a 12-week period and these periods cannot be just at nationally but in terms of states and districts and so on. So, if you look at when the peaks started in a different location you will get a rough idea of when they are likely to come down in those locations.”
He went on to say, “Overall, it will take longer because there are multiple start time and multiple fall time. So, we should start expecting to see falls later or close to the end of the month or early next month. The scientific advisor further stated that the country needs shift its bearings towards what can be done as opposed to anticipating the future.
Healthcare professionals have repeated time and time again the basic protocols citizens are expected to adhere to, however despite the repeated emphasis through a variety of mediums all the way from Public Service Announcements (PSA), news reportage and appeals by civic and law enforcement authorities, it has been found that basic guidelines issued in the interest of public safety are not being unanimously adhered to.
Guidelines cannot be stressed any further
- Mask up and mask up well as COVID-19 has now been classified as an airborne disease
- Stay at home
- Lockdown measures announced by the state government need to be adhered to.
- Home quarantine reduces exposure to the virus and prevents its spread
- Limiting one’s own exposure will help assuage India’s overburdened healthcare system
Vaccination
According to experts, vaccination will serve to reduce the potency of the virus and would also lessen the number of critical individuals requiring hospitalisation thus reducing the stress on the healthcare sector and enable medical professionals to zero in and take better care of critical Coronavirus sufferers. Experts further believe that the vaccination program needs to be bolstered and citizens should ensure social distancing even post vaccination to prevent newer variants from dominating.
The United Kingdom & Israel: A success story India can take ques from
While India is still bearing the brunt of its second Coronavirus wave, Israel is currently deliberating over its requirements to wear masks in public as most of the nation’s adults having received vaccination and its rate of new cases having dropped significantly from a daily 10,000 cases (peak) to a day only 140 cases a day. Over 90% percent of its population above the age of 50 have been successfully vaccinated in Israel.
The country has delivered 10 million doses of the two-shot Pfizer vaccine and has successfully inoculated 4.98 million of its countrymen. An additional 400,000 Israelis have received the first dose. The UK too is another success story with a body of research indicating a drop in 65% cases. Furthermore, 74% of symptomatic infections in the UK have gone down with no reported symptoms by 57%. The success of the vaccination drive in the UK and Israel goes to show India’s sole chance to beat the curve is through its vaccination efforts.
