Is our Covid19 preparedness enough to save us from Doom?

 

Thus far, India has lost 185 thousand people due to Covid19, that figure is likely to rise precipitously. There is also a distinct possibility that these numbers are underreported owing to the vastness and chaos that is India.

The recent resurgence of Covid19 has caused dread and desperation everywhere.

Some are frantically seeking a hospital bed or an oxygen cylinder or a ventilator. Some fear that they have contracted the disease. Some had recovered from Covid19 but have contracted it again. Some have been vaccinated but have contracted Covid19. Almost everybody is worried about the newer deadlier mutation and is seeking to get vaccinated. 

Some have recovered from Covid19 but their olfactory senses haven’t returned for months. Some say that they developed heart problems or permanent breathing problems after Covid19. Some say that they feel drained out and acute pain despite the recovery. It is impossible to deduce which symptoms were pre-existing and which was because of Covid19. 

Our healthcare system is overburdened. Our doctors are overworked. Our public authorities are helpless. Covid19 is a national emergency, a clear and present danger to the wellbeing of our nation.

We read the human stories and the inexorable pain beneath them. The departed could have been a breadwinner or a homemaker or an elderly individual or a child or a parent. The loss is irreparable and the void will never be filled.

The second wave of Covid19 has restored the fear in minds of the people which makes compliance with restrictions easier. But the prolonged prevalence of Covid19 and its associated restrictions has caused mental fatigue in the past and will cause it again. It is human to want to break free and it is inevitable complacency to creep in.

There are those who have suffered huge financial losses and are desperately looking for a path to recovery. For some, it is a question of existence and avoiding hunger and homelessness. To expect people to remain indoors forever is unrealistic and inhuman. There is desperation to survive in general addition to protection from Covid19.

It is therefore most astounding that our elected representatives and their supporters seem to be living their own bubble.

Months ago many among our representatives had proclaimed that India had triumphed over Covid19. Weeks ago, a state Health Minister proclaimed that Corona was no longer an issue and there was no need for masks. Most political parties continue to conduct their campaign rallies and roadshows without any restrictions or compunction. 

The center and state governments continue to indulge in bitter squabbles and finger-pointing. The ruling and opposition parties continue their display of partisanship with name-calling and petty tiffs. 

Those outraged about the crowds at Kumbh Mela are silent about the crowds at the farmer protests. Those fuming about Modi rallies but go silent about rallies from other parties. Some post photos about the crematorium in Gujarat being overwhelmed with dead bodies due to Covid19 with jubilation. Some post stories of Maharashtra and Kerala is the state with the highest number of Covid19 with glee.

Their goal isn’t to resolve problems but instead to score political points.

The tone-deaf indifference, partisan sparring, and blatant hypocrisy are insensitive and revolting. It is petty, peevish, petulant, and pitiful. 

It worsens the panic among the general public. It is comparable to rushing to the fire brigade to report a raging fire but the firemen are brawling instead of reacting to you immediately.

Yes, it is essential to know who is to blame for this unmitigated catastrophe and why we were not prepared, so it can be avoided in the future. But now is emphatically not the time. When you are on a sinking ship, you do not investigate who is to blame for the catastrophe, you look for lifeboats immediately.

This is unlike any other crisis the nation has faced, this is omnipresent and rampant. Hence coordinated and sustained PR campaigns or sloganeering or living in denial or attacking constructive critics or whataboutery will not resolve the problem.

This isn’t just about the combating virus, the pandemic has several serious calamitous consequences such as the destruction of the economy, high unemployment, the mass exodus of daily wage workers, deterioration of mental health, and the trampling of civil liberties.

In an emergency such as this, the least you can expect our elected representatives to unite to combat an enemy that doesn’t discriminate. 

We need them to speak in one voice and offer their commitment to dedicate themselves and their copious resources to combating this deadly pandemic. 

It is clear that the old-school thinking of politicians, bureaucrats, and government personnel has been unsuccessful at combating Covid19. All they do is attend meetings, post photos of them on social media, and recommend all-pervasive measures that are not only impractical but also have serious long-term side effects. Their approach is reactive and not proactive. Their reactions are often delayed and the implementation is abominable. 

What we need now both long-term strategic thinking and short-term tactical planning. It may be a good idea for the government to set up an empowered elite task force of strategists, business people, medical personnel, economists, and scientists who can tackle the problem from multiple perspectives.

Much like what President Trump did during his Operation Warp Speed, the private sector needs to be roped in. All gratuitous regulations need to be relaxed, and incentives such as tax breaks should be given so that they can assist in every available way in the rapid manufacture of Covid19 relief drugs or vaccines to combat the shortage. 

Slapping mandatory caps on the prices of drugs may be an instant crowd-pleaser and provide momentary relief for patients. But if the manufacturer cannot sustain their cost of production or make a profit, they eventually stop. 

There is a slim possibility that this will occur because the powers that be seldom want to relinquish power or share credit with others, but we can always dream of utopia.

Judging by what we are witnessing, the division will continue to prevail and even grow to widen. It seems like an increasing probability that we will suffer severely against what seems like a deadly mutating, almost infallible biochemical weapon.