Facts will unravel the truth

Facts alone pave the way for unraveling the truth

The US alone contributes to 29% of the global burden of COVID-19 positive cases. As against, the US, India has a paltry 0.5%. I liked PM Modi’s lockdown, despite the criticism. Any crisis moment is likely to have its collateral damage. However, a leader has to weigh the big picture and make the right decisions at the right moment. I am not a great fan of PM Modi but let us not be partisan at such critical times. Figures talk, and they talk a lot. You cannot hide those in a country like India. If the lockdown persists for another 3 weeks, India would have controlled the giant virus adorably!

Various schools of thought are rife with speculation. Some think Indians have a healthy immunity, while data from the UK points towards a specific predilection for the Asian Indian population. From the get-go, I (Shashank Heda) have been holding a grouse against China (not the Chinese ethnicity) that they have tried a more diminutive and (an unknowingly an attenuated strain) against India. Given India’s porous borders and the uncontrolled travel and social interaction, it is possible that India was already infected with a milder version sometimes back, and now Indians have an immune response to some of those Spike proteins or possibly the hemagglutinins. Time alone will reveal the telltale genetic fingerprinting and the genesis of this virus.

In the interim, it is definitely not the time to drop the guards. Let us educate our folks for –

• Social distancing (no social/community/outdoor activities)
• Isolation and shelter at home
• Masks and decontamination precautions

Most important, they need to remember to

• destress themselves,
• implement a balanced life,
• keep active and connected and
• sleep well.

They need to be reminded that, they are not alone, 40% of the global population is going through the same routine.

Excerpts from BBC below –

“Our [infection] growth rate is highly contained although we are actively chasing the fire,” she told me. “Almost all of our testing has been driven by protocol, starting with people with travel history, contact tracing of people in touch with them and so on. The probability of getting more positive cases [from this cohort] would have been much higher.” Many are also pointing to the lack of reports about any surge in hospital admissions with influenza like illness and Covid-19 patients, which would hint at a rapid community transmission.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-52265061