Covid-19: Rising cases, worsening situation

With the Covid-19 tally crossing the seven-lakh mark, India has overtaken Russia as the third most affected country in the world, behind the US and Brazil. The death count is over 20,000, and the numbers of the affected and the fatalities are set to go further up in the coming weeks. While the number of cases is galloping, India is claimed to be in a better position compared to other countries in the matter of death and recovery rates. But this has been challenged on the basis of some figures, and because the country is in a different stage of the spread of the disease than from other countries with which the comparison is made. With the fast pace of spread of the disease, some of the earlier assumptions, especially that the country benefitted from an early lockdown, have come to be questioned. This is mainly because the lockdown period was not fully utilised for building facilities and making preparations to face the surge of disease that inevitably came with its lifting.

The fast rise in the number of cases is partly because of the increase in testing in many parts of the country, especially in the more affected states like Maharashtra, Delhi and Tamil Nadu. But the testing of over 10 million done till now is still inadequate and more areas and populations need to be covered. It has also been seen that the recovery rate goes up when testing is increased. The decline of the pandemic starts when increased testing starts yielding fewer number of positive cases. While the infections are on the rise, governments need to pay greater attention to management of the situation. There are widespread complaints about the failure of governments to provide affordable and effective treatment to patients and to ensure the safety of health personnel. There is the need to improve all aspects of management of the disease, including disposal of bodies.

The spread of the disease is at various stages in the country and no slowdown is expected in the near future. Karnataka and Bengaluru, which were considered to have done well to contain the spread, seem to have lost the early advantage. It is imperative for governments to enforce the protocols and measures to keep the disease in check. Regulated lockdowns are still necessary and isolation and quarantine facilities and arrangements need to be improved. Social distancing, wearing of masks and washing of hands are the only defence against the disease. Neither governments nor people should lower their vigil and guard, because we have to live with the virus for a long time to come.