Is India Ready to Fight with Coronavirus or COVID-19?
Is India Ready to Fight with Coronavirus or
COVID-19?
Our
Indian government over the last decade has strengthened the surveillance and
response system for catching disease outbreaks efficiently. India at present is
a place where a very good clinical system, a well-prepared state government,
and well-equipped laboratories are established in every state to fight with
such catching diseases. However, still, there are many areas in India where the
healthcare system is not well established yet. What if it the catching diseases
outbreaks in such areas? Is our country’s healthcare system really prepared to
fight?
Coronavirus
or COVID-19 hails from (Severe acute respiratory syndrome) SARS family of virus
that has spread across China and 63 other countries around the world, and India
is also a part of this list now. A country like India with a massive population
has higher chances of being getting preyed by such viruses. This catching
disease is difficult to control at present in many countries because it spreads
through coming in contact with an infected person who is coughing and sneezing;
also it spreads if you are touching infected person that can be through any
physical contact like a handshake and so on.
In such a
scenario, forming and strictly following protocols become a difficult task.
Even in an advanced state like Kerala, Maharashtra and New Delhi, the hospitals
became a node for further infection. In other parts of India, where medical
infrastructure is poor, it becomes nearly impossible to prevent outbreaks from
becoming epidemics.
How Coronavirus or COVID-19 spreads?
Coronavirus
or COVID-19 is one of the massive groups of viruses that are common among
animals. It hails from the family of the SARS virus. Generally, these viruses
infect the animals and very few strains are reported to affect humans. The very
first case of Coronavirus or COVID-19 was reported in Wuhan, China it quickly
spread to Beijing, Shanghai, Xinjiang, and now other countries including India.
It spreads by leaps and bounds when somebody comes in contact with an infected
person's infections such as cough, sneeze, and handshake. The virus can be also
transmitted by physical contact. It can only be controlled by handling a
patient's waste.
What are the Symptoms of Coronavirus or
COVID-19?
The most
common symptoms of Coronavirus or COVID-19 include running nose, fever,
weakness, cold, sore throat that can last up to 48 hours. For those people who
are with a weak immune system, there is a chance that the virus can lead to
lower, and serious respiratory tract illnesses like pneumonia and bronchitis.
How India is fighting with Coronavirus or
COVID-19?
The
Indian government has advised all residents of India to postpone or avoid mass
gatherings until the spread of Coronavirus or COVID-19 is contained. The
Ministry of External Affairs has also recommended against conducting the Indian
Premier League, a popular global cricket tournament, but noted that the final
decision will rest with organizers of the Indian Premier League. Only Indian
government-run hospitals administer the Coronavirus or COVID-19 test, which is
absolutely free of cost, according to Quartz. At least fifty-two laboratories
across India can test for Coronavirus or COVID-19, according to the WHO (World
Health Organization).
As per
few India experts, India’s responses to previous disease outbreaks have been
relatively strong and robust When Ebola hit West Africa in 2014, India
developed some robust testing centers and protocols. When Nipah, a virus with a
mortality rate of around 95%, impacted Kerala in 2018, the human-to-human transmission
was contained, although seventeen people died. But Nipah was significantly more
localized than Coronavirus or COVID-19. Containing the new Coronavirus or
COVID-19 is significantly more complexed and complicated than responding to
Nipah and Ebola and needs a more sophisticated response from the public health
system, especially because Coronavirus or COVID-19 has flu-like symptoms and is
sometimes asymptomatic.
Indian
Government has also announced the suspension of “all existing visas” until
April 15th, apart from certain special exemptions, diplomatic and employment
visas among them. The change will not apply to those foreigners who are already
in India but no more new tourists will be able to enter from the port of
departure.
All
incoming travelers to India, including Indians, who visited China, Italy, Iran,
the Republic of Korea, France, Spain or Germany after Feb. 15 would be
quarantined for at least 14 days, authorities said. The Indian army is setting
up quarantine facilities across India to house about 1,500 people, according to
national media. Around 1 million passengers have so far been screened at
airports, according to health officials. Indian citizens have been advised to
avoid all non-essential travel abroad and India’s government says it has so far
evacuated more than 900 people from Coronavirus or COVID-19 affected countries,
including Iran, China, and Japan.
Our
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi also stated, "It is clear we have to
work together; we can respond best to coronavirus by coming together, not
growing apart". On March 15, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the
leaders of 8 South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations
discussed coronavirus through video conference, for a joint strategy to fight
the coronavirus outbreak. The deadly respiratory illness has claimed over 5,845
lives worldwide and infected over 1,52,000 across the globe.
In the
end, India needs to strategize nimbly and communicate openly and transparently
to prevent the spread of infection of Coronavirus or COVID-19. What is required
in the current scenario is an agile and evidence-based graded response,
adapting to the changing epidemiology of the disease. Being a vast country,
actions and decisions will need to be decentralized, but well coordinated.
However, there is no reason to panic yet, as the health minister says. But
India and its citizens need to be very vigilant and open about the spread and
containment of the Coronavirus or COVID-19 infection.
