KOCHI: The Covid-19 pandemic has caused more than 80,000 deaths worldwide, and we are facing an enemy that respects no boundaries or barriers. Indeed, the worst affected countries are the richest in the world. In fact, the outbreak has exposed how weak the US healthcare system is while dealing with a pandemic. A system that is heavily dependent on insurance and pharmaceutical lobbies has left the poor and vulnerable with basically no access to healthcare. In comparison, poorer countries like India seem to have done better.
But, the Indian numbers don’t seem to represent the true picture. India has not done mass screening the way it should have, like South Korea, for example. Only people who returned from abroad and those with symptoms were tested. That was a wrong strategy. The virus does not cause the same symptoms in all and some of the infected remain asymptomatic. The asymptomatic cases can transmit the disease without their knowledge. This explains how the virus spread all over the world.
India and rest of the world have announced lockdown measures till middle of April, but are such restrictions sustainable in the long run? We cannot allow Covid-19 to hold the world to a ransom for few more months. Thousands may starve to death. India cannot give free food and housing to lakhs for an indefinite period. What is the solution then?
The lockdown, at least in India, must be lifted partially. The elderly must stay indoors and India’s notorious public transport, overcrowded and unhygienic, can be allowed to run only if overcrowding can be avoided. Similarly, local bodies must sanitise entire urban areas and public must wear face masks when stepping out.
Reduce the number of vehicles on road. Only people who need to buy essentials, go to work or go to hospital must be allowed to step out. Manual labourers may resume work in restricted numbers. Factories may restart production in reduced capacity and airports must only allow domestic flights to ply initially.
Medically, we must test more people and invest in ramping up the number of ventilator beds. The need of the hour is for industrial groups like Reliance, Tata and Mahindra to mass manufacture low-cost ventilators or assisting devices. We must make available adequate number of protective gear for health workers.
Countries must be more transparent and share information and data available on Covid-19. Indians must try to stop their tendency for mass gatherings. The world is just beginning to understand this monster that has brought the humanity to its knees. Let us not underestimate its strength but stay united.