WELCOME BACK GUYS TO WP REPUBLIC.

 I would like to welcome you all and let you know that I appreciate you, spending time here at the blog, very much. Everyone is so busy, and life moves fast, so I really do appreciate you taking time out of your busy day to check out my blog!   Thanks.

Another thing I will always appreciate is your feedback to the blog. If you have any comments or suggestions, I welcome them and would love to hear them, always. Not that all criticism is a fun thing, but I think a criticism provided in an honest positive manner is something we can all learn and grow from, if we are open to hearing it. I will always listen to your ideas. So, I welcome your suggestions for the blog, and guys, one more thing that I would like to add is PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO PRESS THE LIKE OR DISLIKE BUTTON.I would like to make sure that the intention behind writing this blog is academic knowledge and bringing clarity to same. Credit goes to the articles, editorials and lectures of various teachers which I have gone through to have clarity on this topic.

Hydroxychloroquine is used to treat Malaria and Rheumatoid conditions such as Arthritis. In various studies, the drug has demonstrated Antiviral activity, an ability to modify the activity of the immune system, and has an established safety profile at appropriate doses, leading to the hypothesis that it may also be useful in the treatment of COVID-19.

In News- Recently, Hydroxychloroquine or HCQ, the Anti-malarial drug praised by some as a potential weapon against COVID-19, has put the spotlight on a company founded by Prafulla Chandra Ray, considered to be the father of Indian Chemistry. He was Born on August 2 in 1861 and set up Bengal Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals as an individual initiative in a laboratory in 1892 to foster a spirit of entrepreneurship among the youth of Bengal. The Kolkata-based Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Limited, the only public sector unit that manufactures Anti-malarial drug in India.

India produces HCQ in large amount. ICMR has prescribed a daily dose of 550 mg to the doctors who are in contact (direct) with COVID-19 patients. HCQ is basically an anti-malarial drug which also used in the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis (an auto immune disease).

There are mainly two primary reasons behind India being one of the largest manufacturers of this drug. Firstly, it being an n anti-malarial drug is the most obvious reason, as India is one of the hotspots of malaria. Secondly, Cinchona plant which is the major raw material required for its manufacturing is available in abundance in India. Other required materials are imported from China.

WORKING OF HCQ–

The working of this drug is quite simple. When the CoV comes in proximity to normal cell, its spike protein binds to the plasma membrane of the cell. Now the important thing to note here is that it attaches to the ACE receptors which are mostly found around the lungs, so this might be the reason why the COVID patients are mostly complaining of respiratory illness. Its genome, i.e. the RNA enters the Cytoplasm where transcription takes place and using the Ribosome’s multiple proteins are formed. Now the HCQ has zinc; this drug is mixed with some anti-bacterial drug, which helps to penetrate the Plasma Membrane and reach the Cytoplasm. This zinc in HCQ once it reaches the Cytoplasm inhibits transcription. So, this is the reason why certain tests are successful regarding this drug.

Based on this fact, a famous infectious diseases specialist from France, Dr. Raoult had done some interesting work at a lab study showing that he could get rid of the virus in 6 days from the patients being treated with the accuracy of 100%. This research has convinced most of the global leaders, who in-turn are eyeing India for the export of the same. India banned the export of this drug without any exception. The order came out as the number of positive cases of COVID-19 spiked in the country. Soon after this, there was a statement from Mr. Trump (P.O.T.U.S) threatening India that the U.S. would retaliate if India does not release the stock of HCQ. So, India allowed a limited export of HCQ.  On April 6, the Indian government decided to set aside its April 4 HCQ decision, and to revert to some aspects of the March 25 notification. The real issue is the basis on which government changed its mind. Did the concerned authorities not look at the HCQ situation fully before taking the April 4 decision? If they did, then why did the government take a different view on April 6? The external affairs ministry needs to clarify to prevent speculation that India came under Trump’s pressure when he has banned export of essential medical goods himself. Hydroxychloroquine has been identified by the US Food and Drug Administration as a possible treatment for the COVID-19
Many US hospitals are currently using Hydroxychloroquine as first-line therapy for hospitalized patients with COVID-19 despite extremely limited clinical data supporting its effectiveness

Earlier this week, India at the request of US President cleared the export of 35.82 lakh tablets of Hydroxychloroquine to the US. 

President Donald Trump has touted the drug as a treatment but scientists still don’t know for sure that it is effective in patients. The drug is potentially dangerous when used at high doses or for prolonged periods. It can cause permanent blindness and even death. The drug is not without risks as even short-term use can cause Cardiac arrhythmias, Seizures, Dermatological reactions, and Hypoglycemia. Maldives had reportedly thanked India for the export of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), the anti-malaria drug that several countries have chosen to adopt as a form of treatment for the Corona virus. Foreign Minister of Maldives, Abdullah Shahid, wrote in a tweet that Maldives is grateful to PM Modi for acknowledging its request for the Hydroxychloroquine supply, “the game-changer” drug to combat the COVID-19 disease. He further praised India saying that “a friend in need is a friend indeed”

 Once the immediate concerns of the public health crisis are resolved, will India relook its areas and levels of engagement with the US, given President Trump’s style of diplomacy? Is a global upsurge in economic nationalism a temporary measure to tackle the COVID-19 crisis or can a more permanently reduced economic and geopolitical interdependency be expected?

Now the question is that whether it was released because of the US pressure or on humanitarian basis. Well there is no conclusive evidence of HCQ treating COVID-19, as it is tested only on limited patients. People are not aware of the side effects. It slows down the heart rhythm, which results in time dilation between heartbeats that may lead to cardiac arrest. It is also not advisable for pregnant women and patients with high BP and sugar.

GOOD DIPLOMATIC ACT?

So, in my view, they should have waited for proper conclusive evidences from various medical agencies around the globe before administering it to COVID-19 patients. If we come out with some positive results of HCQ on COVID, India should still continue as the leading manufacturer of HCQ and it is unlikely that India will run out of the drug stock. I mean, lauded as pharmacy of the global South, India’s decision to export the drug on humanitarian grounds to neighboring countries and others that have been severely hit by the pandemic is a welcome gesture.

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Till now India relied solely on other countries for test supplies and thus it may look to others for other essential materials if the situation worsens. Also, India has much to gain from the US in the future by this diplomatic act. But clearly more research work is the need of the hour to establish the efficacy of the drug.

Lifesaving drugs, with promise in Covid-19 treatment, are being synthesized by CSIR labs in collaboration with pharma majors. Inspiration from traditional medical systems is guiding the ministry of Ayush’s efforts. The idea is to not blindly copy anyone, but to take the best of what is available and by using universally-recognized scientific principles, modify it to local contexts and needs. We have bought ourselves time to prepare and have the scientific capacity to deliver. This war will be won by smart data-driven defense, coupled with strategic offence.

While the medical side defends with what they have, the research side must support them with what they need. Importantly, we must not take our eyes off the real solution — effective treatment and vaccines; developed in India for the world. We have the leadership to inspire and mobilize the public. Can science guide decisions to shape the public health response and to restart the economy? If we do this well, not only will we save grief to hundreds of thousands of Indians, but also contribute to global good and emerge a stronger nation.

Indian opposition leaders, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, have stated that there could not be retaliation among “friends”. “India must help all nations in their hour of need but lifesaving medicines should be made available to Indians in ample quantities first,” tweeted Gandhi.

ENOUGH STOCK OF HCQ?

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CEO of Indian Pharmaceutical giant Zydus Cadila, Pankaj Patel informed that industry has produced 20 crore Hydroxychloroquine tablets which is in high demand worldwide amid COVID-19 outbreak. According to media reports, details of HCQ and azithromycin will be available in the portal, and other medicines will be added later. The data shall be updated every day and information will be available district-wise. Officials have said that the IT platform will be monitoring the availability of the drug at distribution channels including C&F agents, depots, distributors, wholesalers and retailers. Additionally, notice has been sent to all drug sale license holders to register on the platform. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that the government has more than enough stock of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for meeting the current requirement. It said that the Centre has done proper preparation and planning with respect to current and future requirements of HCQ.

PANDEMIC OR ECONOMIC LIBERALISATION?

Economic liberalization has incapacitated the government to respond to emergencies based on credible information. The logic and policies of economic liberalization seriously undermined the manufacturing capabilities of health products in India. The resultant loss of manufacturing base has affected the ability of many governments, including of developed countries, to put up an effective response to the crisis. We can clearly see that the overwhelming objective of private sector-led economic growth has proved to be disastrous. In the name of economic efficiency, India allowed unconditional imports of several products and never took note of the dangers of dependency, which is affecting us now and also various other countries in the world. So basically a virus has made us rethink our obsession with the economic efficiency theory.

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All I can say is that in this crisis, our political leaders are grasping at straws and encouraging hope. When faced with a national medical crisis such as a pandemic, I encourage our leaders to defer to the medical and scientific experts who have the knowledge, skills and training to save lives — and to not encourage unnecessary or unfounded risks with our lives and our safety.

Archit Srivastava

Student

Indian & World Politics

WELCOME BACK GUYS TO WP REPUBLIC.

 I would like to welcome you all and let you know that I appreciate you, spending time here at the blog, very much.Everyone is so busy, and life moves fast, so I really do appreciate you taking time out of your busy day to check out my blog!   Thanks.

Another thing I will always appreciate is your feedback to the blog. If you have any comments or suggestions, I welcome them and would love to hear them. Always. Not that all criticism is a fun thing, but I think a criticism provided in an honest positive manner is something we can all learn and grow from, if we are open to hearing it. I will always listen to your ideas. So, I welcome your suggestions for the blog, and guys, one more thing that I would like to add is PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO PRESS THE LIKE OR DISLIKE BUTTON.I would like to make sure that the intention behind writing this blog is academic knowledge and bringing clarity to same. Credit Goes to the articles, editorials and lectures of various teachers which I have gone through to have a clarity on this topic.

CoV FAMILY-

The Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can infect humans or animals. Basically, there are 7 known types of coronaviruses. The genetic material present inside it, is a single stranded RNA (SS-RNA), and the mutation rate is very fast as far as RNA is concerned, which is the primary reason as to why vaccines related to this virus are yet to be discovered. First 4 types of CoV (229E, N263, OC43, and KHU1) are common and cause mild to moderate respiratory infections like the common cold. Two types i.e. SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV can cause severe respiratory infections. The current type is the 7^th type known as the novel coronavirus as this is a new CoV strain that has not been previously found to affect human beings.It is now named SARS-CoV-2 and the disease caused by this virus is named as COVID-19.

In December 2019, WHO had declared an outbreak of a febrile respiratory illness of unknown etiology from Wuhan, province of China. The outbreak was epidemiologically linked to the Wuhan Seafood wholesale market involving the sale of seafood and live animals. It has now spread to almost countries of the world. W.H.O has declared the outbreak as,” Public Health Emergency of International concern.” The main problem surrounding this outbreak is that thisvirus is highly contagious which has its origin from Wuhan animal market.

Little is known about the novel corona virus (SARS-COV-2), which currently has no vaccine. In accordance to senior health officials in the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) this virus has the potential to cause severe illness and pneumonia. It primarily spreads through the respiratory droplets of infected people. If a person touches a surface or object that has been infected by the virus and then touches his own mouth, nose or eyes he may get affected. Symptoms of COVID-19 appear within 2 to 14 days after exposure and include fever, cough, a runny nose and difficulty in breathing.

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In his opening remarks at the March 3 media briefing on Covid-19, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated: “Globally, about 3.4% of reported COVID-19 cases have died. By comparison, seasonal flu generally kills far less than 1% of those infected.” The initial data provided by W.H.O is as follows-

3.4% Mortality Rate estimate by the WHO as of March 3

Mortality Rate in China as of Feb. 20 (3.8% nationwide, 5.8% in Wuhan, 0.7% other areas)

Mortality Rate in China as of Feb. 4 (2.1% nationwide, 4.9% Wuhan, 3.1% Hubei, and 0.16% other provinces) reported by the NHC of China

Study providing a tentative mortality rate of 3%

Death rate among patients admitted to hospital (HFR): 15%

Days from first symptom to death: 14 days

It said that we must avoiding touching our face as far as possible. It is spreading through air droplets only when you are coming in close contact with the infected person. Therefore, masks are advisable only to those persons who are feeling sick.

Let’s try to understand that why this virus is spreading too easily among people. The new virus spreads much more readily than the one that caused Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome i.e. SARS and has infected more than ten times the number of people who were affected by SARS. To infect a cell,coronavirus use a “spike” protein that binds to the cell membrane. Genomic analysis of the new coronavirus has revealed that its spike protein differs from those of its close relatives and suggests that the protein has a site on it which is activated by a host cell enzyme called Furin, which is found at different spots in human tissues.

Furin is a protein that is encoded by the furin gene. Now this is significant because furin is found in lots of human tissues, including THE LUNGS, LIVER and SMALL INTESTINE, which means that the virus has the potential to attack multiple organs. This was explained by LIHUA, a structural biologist at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan China. This finding could explain some of the symptoms observed in people with the coronavirus, including LIVER FAILURE. Since it is hitting multiple organs, we are finding it difficult to discover a suitable vaccine for it.Vaccines against pneumonia, such as pneumococcal vaccine and Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib) vaccine, do not provide protection against the new coronavirus. The virus is so new and different that it needs its own vaccine. Although these vaccines are not effective against 2019-nCoV, vaccination against respiratory illnesses is highly recommended to protect your health.

Coronavirus, bird flu, swine fever: Why China is still so susceptible to disease outbreaks? Why China continues to be a favorable birthplace as far as these viruses are concerned?

Let’s try to understand it. Initially the coronavirus was not spreading human to human. It actually started from animals most commonly bats. From bats it got transferred to other animals such as pangolins and from the pangolins it reached to humans. The Huainan seafood market in Wuhan has been widely considered the source of the outbreak of a novel coronavirus. This market is basically an animal market where the animals are sold either live or dead for human consumption. It is one of the largest wet markets in the world. The main problem is that here the animals are stalked layer by layer and then they are washed under unhygienic conditions. So basically, these water droplets which are coming down layer by layer are spreading the virus. Now if it is used it for human consumption then obviously it would be transferred to humans, and if that humans comes in contact with other humans (close contact) it gets transferred.

In November 2002, a form of a typical pneumonia called severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) began spreading rapidly around the world, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the ailment “a worldwide health threat.” At the epicenter of the outbreak was China, where the outbreak of SARS infected more than 5,300 people and killed 349 nationwide (Ministry of Health, 2003). History is full of ironies: the epidemic caught China, at first, unprepared to defeat the disease 45 years after Mao Zedong wrote “Farewell to the God of Plagues.”

The SARS epidemic was not simply a public health problem. Indeed, it caused the most severe socio-political crisis for the Chinese leadership since the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. Outbreak of the disease fueled fears among economists that China’s economy was headed for a serious downturn. A fatal period of hesitation regarding information-sharing and action spawned anxiety, panic, and rumormongering across the country and undermined the government’s efforts to create a milder image of itself in the international arena. The obvious question is that when the SARS happened in 2002,

Why didn’t the Chinese government took any major preventive step for future? Why didn’t they learn any lesson from it? Inspite of the decision to shut down this market, why it is still running?

The primary reason behind this is the huge lobby of the farmers and the animal traders which pressurizes the government to let them run this market. The government too acted leniently as it was playing a major role in the GROWTH OF THE CHINESE ECONOMY.  The question is why so many viruses originate in China, and mind you, the consumption of different animals is certainly not an appropriate answer to it. The root cause isthe flaws inthe policies of the Chinese government. What happened is, to counter the great famine, which was caused by a combination of social pressure, economic mismanagement, radical agricultural changes in regulations imposed by the government organs, and natural disasters, the Chinese government focused on animal rearing to boost agriculture.

The problem started when they decided to include the rearing of wild animals. In its Article 3 it says that wildlife resources shall be owned by the state. The state protects the lawful rights and interests of units and individuals engaged in the development or utilization of wildlife resources according to the law. Now slowly this wildlife farming industry started to grow and with the support of the government its market started to emerge. Soon the wildlife industry started to sell these different varieties of wild animals in the wet markets for consumptions. The government was happy and ignorant as they saw it as a major helping hand in boosting the Chinese economy. There were also talks that most of the animals were used for medicinal purposes. Now as soon as they reached the wet markets, they came in contact with the humans.

See, normal animal rearing is not an issue at all, but once these wild animals came in contact with other animals in the wet market, it started causing problems.Also these exotic animals can be afforded mostly by the rich and elite classes, thus because of them the demand of these exotic animals increased in the markets, majority acting as hosts for these kind of viruses, and also because of the pressure which these classes were putting on the government, it was not able to close these wet markets permanently from the last outbreak back in 2002. So, one should not blame the lower classes in China for spreading these kinds of viruses as they can hardly afford these exotic animals. It is only this rich and elite class who can afford it, so basically it is the contribution of the rich as far as this issue is concerned.If you blame Xi and Chinese communism, the chain of causality may be just too long and tenuous. But if you blame the guy standing next to you, why not blame the supermarket for forcing people to queue so long to pay, or other shoppers for panic buying?

China and the U.S. blame each other for the coronavirus. But both countries made similar mistakes.

America has become the worst affected country by Coronavirus since it is now the country with the highest number of COVID-19 cases. Why is that happening? Why are USA and China engaging in politics with each other regarding the coronavirus? And is Coronavirus a biological lab experiment done in China? US President Donald Trump seemed to cast doubts on the COVID-19 numbers emerging from China. Responding to a question on US crossing China in terms of numbers of cases, Trump said that that is a result of the extensive testing being done and added ‘you never know the numbers in China. There are some serious questions which China needs to answer.

Remote causes, proximate causes, underlying causes … all of them add up to hundreds and thousands and perhaps millions of interactions and influences, and you would need a supercomputer, or God, to work out who is to blame for what.But in the end, most of us are not in the blame game for scientific precision. Rather it’s to satisfy petty desires, an ideology, a personal hatred or distaste, or blind prejudice. That’s human nature.

In accordance to the data provided by the WHO as on March 21, 2020, 277310 PEOPLE COME UNDER THE INFECTED CATEGORY, 11431 PEOPLE ARE DEAD AND MOST IMPORTANTLY 91994 PEOPLE HAVE RECOVERED. WHO has also reported that 80% of COVID-19 cases show only mild symptoms?  Your body might take on an average 5 to 6 days to show symptoms which is the main problem as if you are asymptomatic- you may still be contagious. This is the primary reason as to why COVID-19 is spreading so rapidly.

India has evoked the EPIDEMIC DISEASES ACT, 1897 in all states and union territories. On March 11, 2020 it was decided in a cabinet secretary meeting that all states and UTs’ should invoke provisions of Section 2 of Epidemic diseases act 1897, so that Health Ministry advisory are enforceable. Section 2 empowers the state government to take special measures and formulate regulations for containing the outbreak. Section3 of this act provides for penalties for disobeying any regulations or orders made under the act. These are according to Section 108 of the IPC.

Public health is a state subject issue under the 7^th schedule. Right to health is a universal declaration of human rights, which is also our fundamental right under Article 21. Article 21 reads as: “No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to a procedure established by law.” This right has been held to be the heart of the Constitution, the most organic and progressive provision in our living constitution, the foundation of our laws. People talk about privacy.

In such cases or diseases there is a type of social stigma attached to it, which is a major problem and is needed to be resolved ASAP. If your name is somewhat associated with this disease your privacy may get affected, there might be your social boycott. In certain cases, the judges are not bound to disclose the names of the victims under section 228-A of IPC 1860, Section-34 of the HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act, 2007. This is all done to see that your fundamental rights are not violated.

So, fearing this social stigma, the victims of COVID-19 are somewhat hesitating to disclose it. They are not ready to cooperate with the authorities thinking that their privacy could somewhat get affected. They need to understand that this matter is now of public concern. Since this disease is highly contagious it is high chance of you of spreading it. So, you need to come out and cooperate with the concerned authorities so that others remain safe and healthy. But if you are thinking that you will not cooperate with the state and you can use your legal remedy in case of violation of Article 21 then you are completely mistaken.

The Supreme Court in one of its verdicts had said that RIGHT TO LIFE IS BIGGER THAN ANYTHING. You need to understand that you cannot enforce Article 32 as it is the case of public emergency. Common good of the society shall always prevail, i.e. SALUS POPULI SUPREMA LEX. There are different sections in the Indian judiciary in section 268-273 talks about offences affecting the public health safety, convenience and morality. So, if you are planning to go to the court don’t be surprised if the court hits back at you!

Let’s try to understand the different measures taken by The Indian Government to counter COVID-19.

Universal screening for coronavirus is currently being done at 30 airports having international operations. Airlines have been instructed to make in- flight announcements about COVID-19 and all international passengers are being asked to fill the “SELF REPORTING FORM” in duplicate. Those picked out through thermal screening are being sent for further tests and isolation, and treatment if necessary, to designated hospitals. In the hospital there COVID-19 symptoms are being matched and the country from where he comes from is investigated. Isolation is advised for a period of 14 to 21 days when the case samples of the suspected person are sent for testing. If he tests positive, he is sent for treatment and all his contacts are then traced. The test results of COVID-19 are obtained in 4 to 5 hours.

India is following WHO prescribed guidelines to detect, treat, and contain the virus. One should be cooperative with the government, if not, then you are endangering yourself only. People who are symptomatic especially those individuals who have returned from affected countries or have had close contact with confirmed positive cases of COVID-19. Health officials said that hands must be washed regularly and thoroughly cleaned with an alcohol-based hand rub or soap & water. A distance of at least 1 meter must be maintained from a person coughing or sneezing. If a person has fever, cough and experiences difficulty in breathing, medical attention should be sought at once.

The Ministry has designated District Collectors as the nodal officer for containment operations. States have been guided in terms of identifying the containment zone, buffer zone, and preparation of a micro plan to ensure effective, active, and passive surveillances and contact tracing through inter-disciplinary teams in the areas where cases are located. A 24- hour seven-day control room is operational with call centre number- 011-23978046. India needs to take some more serious steps.A limited lockdown doesn’t work because Covid-19 is an extremely contagious and transmissible virus. It spreads very easily through droplets, sneezing or contaminated materials. A complete shutdown of movement will prevent and reduce the viral transmission dramatically, which will give time for the government to prepare the healthcare infrastructure to manage the dramatically increased patient load.

In Italy, it’s not just the virus killing patients, it’s the deluge of patients which overwhelms the hospitals and forces doctors to decide who should be saved and who should be left to die. Lombardy has the most advanced healthcare system in the world and even they couldn’t ventilate elderly patients with respiratory distress. Lives could have been saved if the hospitals had time to prepare.

LOCKDOWN? WHY?

If we don’t completely shut down now, we’ll be forced to shut down after a month when the number of cases explodes – just like in China, Italy and Spain. Today, people have got their salaries and grocery shops are well stocked. They will be able to manage a lockdown with some difficulty. But if we lock down a month from now, citizens will be demoralized due to devastation caused by the virus, no money in the pocket, and expensive food.China was overwhelmed because of an unprecedented surge and a refusal to acknowledge the spread of the disease.An Imperial College study predicted 12 lakh deaths in the US, 5 lakh deaths in the UK and 35 lakh deaths in India if Covid-19 is allowed to spread unchecked. But India can conquer Covid-19 by flattening the curve and setting an example for rest of the world to follow. Thanks to our government’s progressive policies, we have the largest number of young skilled doctors, nurses and technicians. We can liberate their full potential by empowering them and providing them with the necessary tools. Let’s not become like Italy, which had to import 300 Chinese doctors to manage their ICUs.

PM Modi appealed all the citizens of India to stay indoors from 7 AM till 9 PM on March 22 to reduce the risk of spreading the deadly virus, which has now resulted in 5 deaths in the country thus calling it THE JANTA CURFEW.PM Modi also requested citizens to stand at balconies and near windows on Sunday evening to clap, ring bells to admire the emergency personnel and sanitation workers who are at the frontline in the fight against Covid-19.

Frankly speaking I was not personally convinced by this move. I mean there several other ways by which the government can thank the emergency personnel and sanitation workers, the primary one being is by giving incentives to them and offering other perks. You can thank the front-line workers and expresses your gratitude to doctors, sanitary workers, Paramedics, by announcing an insurance cover for them.Government should work to help those affected, especially migrant workers. We have come with a welfare package to help poor and the ones who need immediate help

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Although the Janta curfew was a perfect move on the part of the government, but it would still be a failure if the people themselves don’t’ realize the importance behind it. I could see people coming out in groups on streets to admire the workers. It was good to see their enthusiasm but seeing them doing foolish things ruined it all. Some Gujratis were even performing their trademark garba on the streets to admire the emergency personnel. Many were celebrating on the streets, shouting, GO! CORONA GO! Is everything a joke to you all? I feel you all are literate enough to understand the current scenario.

See the difference between section 144 and the janta curfew is quite simple, in the latter you will be able get your daily essentials, but if the former is applied, it means total shut down. So, I think one should try to understand the importance behind the application of the Jantacurfew and should not indulge oneself in such activities which would force the government to use section 144, as it would only worsen the situation.

Remember, we don’t have world class healthcare facilities, so if the case of COVID-19 INCREASES IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT TO SUSTAIN IT.

Countrywide lockdown has been issued in many of the affected countries like Italy, Spain and France. China started the lockdown in Wuhan, from where this virus has originated, and has been able to control the spread of the cases drastically. A lockdown stops the movement of people and cuts down on the COVID-19 spread. This doesn’t happen by the choice of the people; it is usually government enforcement to slowdown the constant flow of people.

On March 24^th, 2020 the Indian Prime Minister Announced21-day lockdown for the entire country, thus putting 1.3 billion people on full lockdown for 21 days to curb spread of coronavirus, as THE JANTA CURFEW DIDN’T SOLVED THE PURPOSE. In this address, PM Modi explained that for 21 days, people will not be allowed to step out of their homes. Prime Minister Modi had addressed the nation last week too and had urged the people to practice social distancing to stop the spread of highly contagious coronavirus in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced complete lockdown in India for 21 days (three weeks). He said that the only way this country can fight coronavirus is social distancing. He urged people to stay indoors. The Prime Minister also said that social distancing is not only for sick people but also for all members of the family.

The conclusions drawn from the two-month study of all the affected countries that the only option for effective combat against Corona is – Social Distancing. – Some people are under the misconception that social distancing is only necessary for sick people. It is not right to think. Social distancing is for every citizen, for every family, for every member of the family. Some people’s negligence, some people’s wrong thinking will throw you, your children, your parents, your family, your friends, in a lot of trouble. To save India, every citizen of India is being banned from 12 o’clock tonight, on exiting homes, completely.  Every state in the country, every district, every village, every town and every street-locality are now being locked down.

The coming 21 days are very important for us. According to health experts, at least 21 days time is very important to break the corona virus infection cycle. Stay at home, stay at home. His decision of a countrywide lockdown has drawn a Lakshman Rekha at the door of your house. Remember the coronavirus first took 67 days to get one lakh people infected and then it reaching 2 lakh people only took 11 days. It’s even more frightening that from two lakh infected people to three lakh people, this disease took just four days to reach. Therefore when the corona virus started spreading in China, America, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Iran, the situation became uncontrollable.

IN SIMPLE WORDS THE JANTA CURFEW WAS THE FIRST STAGE OF PROHIBITION BY THE GOVERNMENT, AND THE ANNOUNCEMENT BY PM MODI ON 24^TH MARCH WAS THE SECOND. SO, IF WE CONTINUE TO DISPLAY OUR STUPIDITY AND STILL BE IGNORENT, MIND YOU, THE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT HESSITATE IN IMPOSING STAGE 3 WHICH CAN BE VERY SEVERE AND CAN MAKE THE SITUATION WORSE FOR OUSELVES ONLY. SO KINDLY COOPERATE WITH THE GOVERNMNET AND KINDLY STOP DIGGING YOU OWN GRAVES. THE AUTHORITY CAN ALSO BLOCK YOUR INTERNET USING SECTION 144 OF THE CRPC, SO PLEASE UNDERSTAND AND STAY INSIDE.

Some think that Section 144 and curfew are the same, but it is not. Section 144 is used to impose a curfew, Section 144 in general prohibits public gathering and on the other hand, CURFEW ORDERS PEOPLE TO STAY INDOORS FOR A SPECIFIC TIME. So, this will only make the situation worse, so kindly follow the orders of the government. Also, we can say that Section 144 of CrPc halts mass gatherings, but it does not control it. A curfew on the other hand is a larger action taken to control the grave situation. You need permission to move out during a curfew. You must remember that during a curfew your essential services can also be curtailed. Recently a read an interesting article

You can also be punished in case you are found, violating the government’s order. As per IPC 269, which is about acting carelessly to endanger the public health and life, you can face a 6-month imprisonment which can be extended to 2 years. The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, empowers the state government and the central government to take measures as may be warranted or necessary to control further spreads of disease.

Other sections which can be imprisoned on you are Section 188 and Section 270 of which the latter is quite severe.

QUARANTINE BUT HOW?

You can do thousands of things while staying in quarantine. You can have a roommate meeting about how to be more considerate of one other, especially while you will likely be spending more time together. Bring baked goods. You can watch the films that won Oscars for best picture, or films that won Independent Spirit Awards for best picture. Watch films that critics say should have won those awards. Use Skype, Face Time, and Google Hangouts to video chat with your long-distance friends. Try out at-home aerobics or yoga videos. Consider downloading a fitness app with curated workout playlists. Look at yourself in the mirror. Attempt a self portrait with pencil and paper. Take a bubble bath (bonus: Add a glass of wine).Interview your grandparents (over the phone, of course) and save the audio. Can you create an audio story or book with that file? Go through your camera roll, pick your favorite pics from the past year and take a photo book or order framed versions online. Go on a health kick and learn how to cook new recipes. Create a Google document of shows or movies you’re watching and share it among family and friends. Make a list of things for which you are grateful. Work on your financial planning, such as exploring whether to refinance your loan or ways to save more money, I mean there are several things which you can do.The government can run various old programs on the television including The Ramayana and Mahabharata; I mean let’s go back to the 90’s where everything was running smoothly.

People also thought that coronavirus stays in atmosphere for 14 hours, so the curfew for 14 hours will remove corona from all surfaces and that everyone will be free to move about without any precautions, which is totally false. Infact the persons who already got infected will also start to roam around and would start to infect their surroundings, only to make the matter worse. So, in my view if we must get it away from our country, curfew should be kept for at least 14 days as in Italy and Spain. Also, after years of trolling, toxicity, fake news and stupid viral videos, the social media is finally coming back to its original purpose: Connecting People. COVID-19 HAS SHOWN THE WORLD WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO GO “VIRAL”.

CONCERNS OF THE UP GOVERNMENT

Things are not going smooth as far as the state of Uttar Pradesh is concerned. A bollywood singer threw a high profile party after returning back from London. The party was attended by various high political leaders, including BJP MP Dushyant Singh and his mother, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. Dushyant Singh has since attended parliament and even met President Ram Nath Kovind, sparking fears of a high-profile trail of infection. Questions have been raised over the presence of several high-profile political leaders at this party, particularly at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged people to stay at home in order to halt the transmission of the viru. Most importantly it was attended by the Health minister of Uttar Pradesh Mr Jai Pratap Singh. It’s a very shameful act as far as UP Government and specially on the part of Mr Singh as being the health minister his primary duty was to stop such function rather than being a part of it himself. I personally feel that they should learn something from the Delhi government. Also the U.P. govt.’s move to proceed with the Ayodhya ‘mela’ defies WHO guidelines and its own advisory. Tradition cannot be allowed to override public health, especially when it cannot be guaranteed that the number of people congregating can be reduced or precautions instituted. More so when the virus in question is highly infectious, while India’s healthcare system is weak and cannot take a frontal assault by the virus if hundreds of people manifest serious symptoms. There have been several recent instances when large gatherings have had disastrous consequences.

While initially the numbers of COVID-19 cases were increasing at a slower pace in India compared to many other countries, things have taken a turn for the worse since last week. With several new cases on, India’s climb has become steeper. Despite this rapid climb, the growth in cases is still lower than many Western countries at this stage. However, India’s testing rate continues to be comparatively poor.

There have been several myths around the disease, like consuming more garlic, curry leaves or cow’s urine would treat or protect one from the disease. The World Health Organization has busted such misleading claims. On garlic, WHO said it is a healthy food that may have some antimicrobial properties but there is no evidence that it has prevented people from contracting the 2019 nCoV. From the evidence so far, the COVID-19 virus can be transmitted in ALL AREAS, including areas with hot and humid weather. Regardless of climate, adopt protective measures if you live in, or travel to an area reporting COVID-19. The best way to protect yourself against COVID19 is by frequently cleaning your hands. By doing this you eliminate viruses that may be on your hands and avoid infection that could occur by then touching your eyes, mouth, and nose.

It is also said that COVID-19 may wipe out around 3 trillion us dollar of the global economy. We should stop panic buying. See the demands are huge but the supply is less, so this would directly lead to inflation.Analysts have pegged the cost of the COVID-19 lockdown in India at $120 billion or 4 per cent of the GDP. A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nationwide lockdown, senior Congress leader and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram said it is the beginning of a new battle in which the people are the foot soldiers and the PM is the ‘commander’. He termed the PM’s nationwide 21-day lockdown announcement a “watershed moment” in the country’s fight against COVID-19.Chidambaram recommended cutting GST rates by 5 per cent on all wage goods, essential goods and services, and all goods of mass consumption for the period 1 April TO 30TH JUNE

ARE CLAPS ENOUGH?

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Also, there is a bit of concern as far as Indian doctors are concerned. Media reports say that doctors even in AIIMS are using masks and sanitizers made by them or buying them. There is already a shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and doctors are worried. Amidst COVID-19 there are signs of rising anxiety amid a dramatic nationwide lockdown, with scenes of panic buying and targeted harassment of doctors and other frontline workers.

Medical staffs in the national capital New Delhi say they have been ostracized and discriminated against by their communities due to fears that they may be infected after working with coronavirus patients. Some doctors have even reported being evicted or facing threats that their electricity will be cut off.

NOT JUST CLAPS, THEY ALSO NEED PROPER SECURITY AND PERSONAL PROTECTIVE GEARS.

 

HANTA VIRUS-

While the world is still fighting a solution to skip PANDEMIC CORONA VIRUS, CHINA has already found another deadly virus named HANTA VIRUS. As reported, a man in China’s Yunnan province was tested positive and hours later, he died. In accordance to the centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC), THE HANTA VIRUS is a family of viruses which are spread mainly by rodents and can cause varied diseases in people. It can cause HANTAVIRUS PULMONARY SYNDROME (HPS) and HAEMORRHAGIC FEVER WITH RENAL SYNDROME (HFRS).  The disease is not airborne and can only spread to people if they come in contact with urine, feces, and saliva of rodents and less frequently by a bite. In China the death has been through HPS in which there is a respiratory illness. There have been sporadic cases in India as far as this virus is concerned. In 2008, the hanta virus struck through irulas, a group of snake and rat catchers. In 2016 a 12-year-old in Mumbai had died of the Hantavirus infections.

Early symptoms include fatigue, fever, muscle aches, along with headaches, dizziness, chills and abdominal problems. If left untreated, it can lead to coughing and shortness of breath and can BE FATAL WITH A MORTALITY RATE OF 38%, ACCORDING TO CDC. Thus, we can clearly see that IT CAN BE MORE FATAL THAN COVID-19 WHAICH HAS CAUSED A HAVOC WITH MORTALITY RATE OF JUST 3 TO 4 %. Also, the diagnosis is quite difficult in this case as the symptoms can be confused with influenza much like the coronavirus symptoms. There is no specific treatment other than medical care and ICU, where oxygen therapy can help with respiratory distress: which means that the earlier the patient reaches the ICU the better it is. The only prevention we can follow is by minimizing contact with rats at home or work. So basically, we should clean up properly and use pest control.

CONLUSION

Leaders must keep calm and show strength; to keep the countries together. Yet, at the same time, their response can’t be guided by ignorance. Most of our knowledge of Corona is just two weeks old. However, two weeks seem a lifetime for Corona. We must learn from the mistakes and successes of China, Italy, and Korea; and learn very fast, we only have one chance. They say India will probably not see the worst of the infection, or we will be able to get away just by hand washing. Please don’t be delusional; all the countries of the world are on the same path. It takes for any infection, a specific time, and a minimum no of infected people to start a chain reaction, and once that happens, there is no stopping it. The time from the first infection to the thousandth, from first death to the thousandth, is the same in each country, not even a single exception. India is where Italy was three weeks back and the USA was ten days back. We all are on the same path. After a threshold of 200 diagnosed cases and ten deaths, infection doubles every third day. People show signs of fever after ten days of incubation, while they are still infected from the first day. At most ports of entries internationally, screening is only for the fever. Only symptomatic come in hospitals to get tested. That too if we have enough testing kits. We are no different than the world; we have no alternative; no country has that many testing kits to check every single individual.

Well, one country just did that, what can we learn from them.

South Korea is the only country that tested asymptomatic under thirty; they were positive for the virus, yet no fever or other signs. And the death rate is nearly zero in this population group.

Fewer than thirty or even under forty populationsare infected much more than our current estimates. The focus should be on the transmission from young people with a mortality rate of near-zero to those above 50. Above 50, the mortality rate rises exponentially from .4% to 7.2% in people older than 80. That’s why 350 people died in Italy in the last 24hrs. Two third of us will get infected today, next month or in a year. We have no immunity to it, and no one can escape it. No vaccine will come before one year. Out of each hundred infected people, twenty will end up in the hospital and up to ten in ICU. Out of each hundred!!

The overall death rate is 1%, but with a well-functioning health system. In an overburdened system like Delhi, with only 8000 ICU beds, serving a population of 20 million, the death rate can be ten times, 10%, even more, especially in above 60. While most of those younger than 30 will get an episode of viral fever.

In this emergency, many steps must be taken against popular opinion. Everywhere the governments are being too cautious in taking the necessary steps, just to avoid the political fallouts. Soon the government will run out of options, and we will blame them, without realizing, they didn’t bring the virus, they didn’t build the poor healthcare infrastructure in the last sixty years. Our criticism will only tie their hands further and lead to policy paralysis.We need to stand with our national leaders and tell them, “Take as hard decisions you need to take, bring the nation to stand still, but make sure we don’t lose millions of lives. And we will never judge you for failing if you try your very best.”

Leaving the public health aspect apart, the true economic impact of such a global epidemic cannot even be imagined. Sectors such as tourism travel and entertainment could be devastated beyond measures as would be the fate of millions of informal workers. It could have a significant dent on the Indian Economy. So Please STAY AT HOME AND STAY SAFE AND LET’S FLATTEN THE CURVE.

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ARCHIT SRIVASTAVA

STUDENT

INDIAN & WORLD POLITICS