India’s `Gasping for Breath’

After doing its vaccine diplomacy across the world, India has suddenly been caught on the wrong foot. Last three months saw India limping back to normalcy. The local trains started, malls, gyms and theaters opened up and the vaccination drive started picking up pace. We thought, we had won the war against the Coronavirus. It was all over and we had to move on to protect lives and livelihoods.

But, alas…. That was not to be. The pandemic has  spiraled out of control. This was one of the worst fears which had forced the Modi Government to announce a lockdown last year. Many felt it was too soon to have a lockdown, as the pictures of migrants walking for miles towards their villages shook the world. Well, the strategy did work and things were still in our control; though we lost precious jobs.

But the worst fears have come true. The last two weeks have seen the country literally `gasping for breath’. As the story goes, Hospitals are over flooded with patients and there are no beds available, there is shortage of oxygen and ventilators, people are dying on the streets, doctors are exhausted and there is mayhem actually. The pictures of crematoriums and morgues being flooded with bodies is a sight that this generation will not forget soon.  Experts say `our health infrastructure has collapsed.’ The visuals of grief and suffering from different parts of the country Delhi, Pune, Surat, Ahmedabad are just the tip of the iceberg. One cannot even imagine the scenario in Tier 2 and 3 cities.

To quote Dr Mayank Somani, from King George’s University “ People have been reckless things for the last month.  Attending election rallies, weddings, get-togethers and of course the pictures of Kumbh Mela.  Many had no mask on and there was very little social distancing. So, now we have to pay the price for this.”

Some feel it was just very absurd  and dangerous acts of social behavior where people were seen throwing caution to the winds. Even the government sort of made us believe that it was ok to be out.  But then people were also tired of being indoors and the fact that Europe,, Mexico, Us had all gone down with their second and third lockdown was completely forgotton.

We thought the UK mutant in other parts of the world was a story we didn’t need to worry about. But now the bloodbath is playing out in everybody’s courtyard. Almost every second person you talk too or meet has someone battling for life. The government cannot do much and the social media is where almost everybody’s friends, colleagues or a relative is either searching for an ICU bed or an oxygen cylinder. Shortage of medicines is another story that is hard to digest; considering the fact that the government had  tried to portray India as a `Pharmacy leader’.

To quote from The Wire, “the Modi government was ‘blind-sided by its own rhetoric about not only being atmanirbhar but also a saviour of the world. It didn’t even look at the numbers and lost precious months that could have been spent shoring up domestic production capacity. Now, India has been reduced from being the “pharmacy of the world” to a “desperate seeker of imported vaccines.’

This time around the stories are rather shocking; with many losing the battle in just a week’s time. There are some very prominent people from all walks of life- be it doctors, politicians, celebs, musicians, sportspeople  who have succumbed to the virus.

With 3,52,991 people testing positive for coronavirus infection in a day, the highest so far, India’s total tally of COVID-19 cases has climbed to 1,73,13,163 while active cases have crossed the 28-lakh mark, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Monday.

The death toll increased to 1,95,123 with a record 2,812 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The government is ow focusing on the vaccination drive.Our total population is roughly 135 crore (1.35 billion), and our adult population (over 18 years of age) would be somewhere between 85 crore and 90 crore (850 million and 900 million). So, this is a rather difficult task.

Here, the Covishield vaccine along with Bharat biotech’s Covaxin makers will have to beef up their manufacturing capacity. A detailed demand-supply chain will have to be worked out. As per the current reports, the Union government has left it to the state governments to handle the statewise vaccination strategy.

Along with this, as many as 551 dedicated pressure swing Adsorption medical oxygen generation plants will be set up inside public health facilities across the country to boost availability of the oxygen.

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Matt Seymour