Covid-19: Missing 'fear factor' among citizens compounded crisis during second wave, says Mumbai doctor

People stopped wearing masks or they did not wear them properly. The Covid-appropriate behavior expected during the new normal went for a complete toss, he said

The missing “fear factor” among citizens has compounded the Covid-19 crisis in India leading to the raging second wave of the pandemic, Dr Rajesh Dere, the Dean of Jumbo Covid Facility at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai, said on Sunday.

“The Covid-19 pandemic broke out in Mumbai in March last year. Between March and June, there was a visible fear factor…but that went missing when the curve started flattening. If we compare the position with today, the fear factor at the initial stages was much more,” said Dr Dere, who manages one of the biggest field hospitals in India.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had reported as low as 463 cases in 24 hours some time ago as compared to the city recently zooming past the 10,000-mark, he said, adding that over the last few days Mumbai has been posting cases below 10,000.

Read: Bengaluru has twice as many active Covid cases as Mumbai; nearly 75% more than Delhi

“I would say that the missing of the fear factor is the biggest contributor as it led to other things – public gatherings, political rallies, weddings, events, travel and so on and so forth,” Dr Dere said while participating in an online discussion titled “How to deal with Covid-19's second wave?” hosted by the Mumbai Press Club.

Besides Dr Dere, the other panelists included Dr Subhash Hira, Professor of Global Health at the University of Washington-Seattle, USA, Dr Arun Bal, diabetic foot surgeon and public health activist, and Dr Vinayak Sawardekar, In-charge of Covid section at St George Hospital. The panel discussion was moderated by veteran journalist Vinod Kumar Menon, an expert on matters of health care.

When asked why the fear factor had vanished, Dr Dere explained, “Cases started reducing, around and after Diwali, everything started opening up…nightlife started, political gatherings started....also, after the announcement of vaccines came, people regained confidence and perhaps forgot the SOPs and protocols.”

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According to him, people, by and large, lowered their guard. “People stopped wearing masks or they did not wear them properly. The Covid-appropriate behavior expected during the new normal went for a complete toss….and by January and February, people perhaps thought corona was gone but then we were hit by the second wave.”

Dr Dere admitted that problems have compounded – lack of hospital beds, oxygen cylinders, medicines – but the government is trying to address these issues.

Dr Bal pointed out that even after such a severe situation, people are initially going in for home remedies. “In case of people with comorbidities, the cases are compounding,” he said.

Dr Hira said that tackling the mutants is a big challenge and added, "Several countries have already been hit by the second wave….we have to look at the strategies that we are adopting.”

Dr Sawardekar said that preventive measures are a must if people want to end the coronavirus crisis.