The second wave of COVID-19 in India is incarcerating us again
2021 was the gleaming light at the end of the tunnel that we all waited for in 2020. With the launch of the vaccination drive, we all thought that we had won the fight against COVID-19, and that’s when we started letting our guards down only to let the virus incarcerate all of us, all over again!
The second wave hit India in mid-March, and this time more severely than last year. It feels like we all are in a horrific recap of 2020. With the shortage of beds and medicines, the second wave is here to affect all of us again. Here are a few key points to note:
- The reason behind more cases: Last year, India’s all-time high recorded cases were 97,894 in a day. But this time, the cases have reached almost triple the number, with India recording 2,73,802 cases on the 18th of April. Many experts believed it is the double mutant virus that spreads this fast. The experts also believe that the lack of covid appropriate behaviour, protocol fatigue are a few of the reasons that have cost us this situation.
2. New symptoms: The second wave of coronavirus has brought new symptoms which have made diagnosing in the earlier stage a little more complicated. The new symptoms include red eyes, gastronomical conditions, brain fog, and hearing impairment. Experts suggest not to take these symptoms lightly, as well as they might also result from contracting the virus.
3. Oxygen scarcity: The sudden surge in COVID-19 cases has led to an increased demand for oxygen cylinders around the country. As of 20th April, India has over 15 lakhs active cases and as per the health ministry, about 6 percent of the total cases require oxygen cylinders. Such a sudden demand has created chaos in the market and even in the manufacturing centres.
4. Shortage of medicines: States across the country are facing a shortage of various medicines including Remdevisir, Fabiflu, etc which are used to treat coronavirus.
5. Affect on mental health: The sheer unexpectedness of the rise in Covid-19 cases when the situation was improving has caused a lot of distress and chaos all over the country. Everyone’s mental health has been compromised once again. Stress and anxiety levels are running high, whether because of one’s loved ones not getting proper treatment or running around finding beds or oxygen cylinders.
6. The impact on the economy: While the economy was on the path of recovery from the pandemic’s damage, this tsunami of COVID-19 can worsen the situation further. Businesses from sectors like aviation, automobile, tourism, hospitality, the restaurant will face the setback yet again, which is likely to negatively affect the country’s GDP growth in the first quarter.
7. Crematorium capacity running out: If things couldn’t get worse, the space in crematorium grounds is running out quickly and dead bodies have to wait even to get cremated. People are even facing a shortage of wood required to perform the last rites.
8. Slow vaccination pace: During the initial stages of the vaccination, the pace was really slow. According to government data, only 37% of the frontline workers are fully vaccinated out of the targeted 3 crores till today. Moreover, the pace at which India is vaccinating today, to vaccinate even 60%-70% of the population, it will take years.
While you ask yourself, “what can I do?” try to help yourself first, and if you can and are able to help people in your capacity, then don’t hesitate. In a democracy, we have learnt, Government of the people, by the people, for the people. While I’m not sure about the ‘Government of the people,’ considering the huge scale election rallies happening in West Bengal, but we all can still stand with ‘by the people and for the people.’ Mask up and stay safe!
(This story has been written with the inputs from India Today, The Times of India and The Mint.)
