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.