COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN INDIA
BACKGROUND & SYMPTOMS –
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a serious acute respiratory syndrome. This was first detected in Wuhan, Hubei, China, in December 2019 and has contributed to a continuing pandemic. The first confirmed case was traced back to Hubei on November 17, 2019. As of July 8, 2020, more than 11.7 million cases across 188 countries and territories have been registered, resulting in more than 543,000 deaths. More than 6.41 million recovered.
Although most cases result in mild symptoms, some improvement can be precipitated by cytokine storm, multi-organ failure, septic shock, and blood clots against acute respiratory distress syndrome ( ARDS). Usually, the time from exposure to onset of symptoms is about five days but can vary from two to fourteen days. Fever is COVID-19’s most frequent symptom, but is extremely variable in magnitude and appearance, with some elderly, immunocompromised, or seriously ill individuals without fever. In one study, when they presented to the hospital, only 44 percent of people had a fever, while at some point during their hospitalization, 89 percent went on to develop a fever. Certain common symptoms include cough, lack of appetite, tiredness, shortness of breath, sputum development, muscle, and joint pains. Symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea were observed in amounts varying. Sneezing, runny nose, sore throat, and skin lesions are among the less common symptoms.
Pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), multi-organ failure, septic shock, and death may be complications. Cardiovascular complications can include heart failure, arrhythmias, inflammation of the heart, and clots of blood. Recommended infection prevention measures include regular hand washing, maintaining physical distance from others (especially those with symptoms), quarantine (especially for those with symptoms), covering a cough, and keeping unwashed hands away from the face. Health officials have advocated using fabric face coverings such as a scarf or a bandana in public settings to reduce the risk of infection, with some authorities urging their use. Health officials have confirmed that face masks such as N95 masks can only be used by healthcare staff, first responders, and others who care directly for sick people. There are no COVID-19 vaccines and no clear antiviral drugs.
RISES IN CASES –
India registered the first COVID-19 case in Kerala on January 30, which increased to three cases by February 3; all were students who had returned from Wuhan. Apart from these, there was no noticeable change in transmissions in February. On March 4, 22 new cases, including 14 infected members of an Italian tourist group, were reported. In March, after many people with travel experience to affected countries, the transmissions increased, and their contacts tested positive. A 76-year-old man with a travel background to Saudi Arabia on March 12 became India’s first COVID-19 fatality. On March 27, over 40,000 people were quarantined in 20 villages in Punjab to control the outbreak. A religious congregation event at Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi, which took place earlier in March, emerged as a new virus super spreader event on March 31, after various cases across the country were traced back. The Ministry of Health announced on April 18 that there were 4,291 cases directly linked to the incident. About 4,000 stranded pilgrims returned from Hazur Sahib at Nanded, Maharashtra, on May 2 in Punjab. Most of them tested positive, including 27 bus drivers and drivers who had been part of the system for transport. On May 13, 1,225 pilgrims had been positively checked. Talking of the present number of cases in India on July 8, the total number of active cases is 742000, recovered 457000, whereas the total number of deaths is 20,642.
As the number of diagnostic tests on novel Coronavirus in the country is growing, so is the positivity rate. It means that a larger number of people are found to be diagnosed with the disease, even among those being screened. For the first time on June 20, the positivity levels reached the 6 percent mark and rose steadily afterward. The positivity rate currently stands at around 7.09 percent. The positivity rate is a good predictor for determining the population prevalence of the disease. The increase in the rate of positivity means that the growth in the number of reported cases outstrips the growth in the studies being carried out. And this is mostly because, in most states, the evaluation requirements are still restrictive.
The further experiments that are done, as scientists have found out, the greater the likelihood of discovering contaminated cases will be. People don’t get randomly tested, though. States are being selective in testing people because of restricted research capacities. For instance, many states check either people who display signs of symptoms or others at greater risk of having the disease, including an already infected person ‘s main or secondary contacts. Today, these people are much more likely to test positive, compared to other men. And if the overall number of tests is increasing, but still only symptomatic or high-risk cases are being tested, the rate of positive will slowly increase.
IMPACT of COVID-19 –
The economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 was largely disruptive in India. According to the Ministry of Statistics, India ‘s growth dropped to 3.1 percent in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 2020. The Indian government’s chief economic advisor said this decline is mainly due to the pandemic coronavirus effect on the Indian economy. Notably, India has experienced a pre-pandemic recession, and the current pandemic has “magnified pre-existing threats to India’s economic outlook,” according to the World Bank.
Unemployment rose from 6.7% on March 15 to 26% on April 19 and then down to pre-lockdown rates by mid-June. An estimated 14 crore (140 million) people lost their jobs during the lockdown, while many saw wages cut. More than 45 percent of households across the nation reported a drop in income compared to the previous year. For the first 21 days of full lockdown declared after the coronavirus outbreak, the Indian economy was predicted to lose more than $32,000 crore ( US$ 4.5 billion) per day. More than a fifth of India’s $2.8 trillion economic activity functioned under full lockdown. It was estimated that up to 53 percent of the country ‘s companies would be significantly affected. With the lockout constraints in place, supply chains were placed under stress; initially, there was a lack of consistency in streamlining what a “normal” is and what isn’t. Those at the greatest risk were those in the informal industries and the daily wage classes. A significant number of farmers across the country also faced confusion when rising perishables.
The social stress caused by the lockdown also has many faces and causes resulting from travel restrictions and disruption of cultural celebrations, limited health care facilities and interruption of regular immunizations in hospitals leading to anxiety and fear among the population, social distance with friends and family, closure of entertainment and leisure facilities, unplanned closure of schools Inadequate infrastructure, leading to ill-equipped healthcare staff struggling endlessly to treat patients and at the same time protecting themselves from infection, are all quite visible. This huge failure and unpreparedness result from years of neglect on the part of the health sector. Disabled hospitals and overwhelmed primary health care are essential factors for so much suffering for a disease in the population that could be avoided with a little consideration and preparation.
One of the cruelest and highlighted issues in this pandemic was the issue of migrant workers, where millions were made unemployed and stranded without money, food, and shelter, crisscrossing the country’s highways to return to their villages and many meetings with accidents and deaths on their way. Unemployment has left a significant segment without guidance, leaving both social health and the economy in shambles.
MEASURES TAKEN BY GOVERNMENT –
India’s government has announced a variety of measures to address the situation, ranging from food security and extra funds for healthcare and states to sector-related incentives and extensions of the tax deadline. Several economic relief initiatives for the poor were announced on March 26 to total more than 170,000 crores ( US$ 24 billion). The next day, the Indian Reserve Bank also announced a range of steps that would make available to the financial system of the country some 3374,000 crores ( US$ 52 billion). The World Bank and Asian Development Bank have accepted India’s funding to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
India ‘s numerous lockout phases up to the “initial unlock” on June 1 had varying degrees of economic opening. On April 17, the RBI Governor announced further steps to combat the pandemic’s economic effects, including special funding to NABARD, SIDBI, and NHB for some 50,000 crores (US$7.0 billion). On April 18, the government changed India’s foreign direct investment policy to protect Indian firms during the pandemic. Both capital investments were placed on hold by the Department of Military Affairs until the start of the financial year. The Chief of Defense Staff has announced that India should minimize expensive defense imports and give domestic production a chance and ensure that “operational requirements are not misrepresented.” On May 12, the Prime Minister announced an overall economic package worth about 20 lakh crore ( US$ 280 billion), 10% of India’s GDP, with an emphasis on India as a self-reliant country. He added that for laborers, farmers, honest taxpayers, MSMEs, and cottage industries were a special economic bundle. Modi added that India’s five key pillars are on – economy, infrastructure, governance structures, vibrant democracy, and supply chain. The finance minister revealed the specifics of the economic package over the next five days. Two days later, the Cabinet cleared up a range of economic package plans, including a free food grain plan. Several economic indicators showed signs of stabilization and recovery by July 2, 2020.
In January, security measures were applied for the first time. On January 21, India started the thermal screening of passengers arriving from China. This was initially performed at seven airports, then extended to 20 airports by the end of January. The screening was extended to passengers from Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea during February. By the end of February, Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia had been added to the list. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) admitted that screening at the airport alone was insufficient during February.
The government had drawn up plans to deal with a worsening of the country’s pandemic by early to mid-March. This included working together seven ministries to create additional quarantine and treatment facilities across the world. The containment plan was notified to States and twenty ministries, including Home, Defence, Railways, Labor, Minority Affairs, Aviation, and Tourism. Plans had also been created to prevent a panic-like scenario. The textiles ministry was to ensure that protective and medical materials were available. The Pharmaceuticals Department was in charge of ensuring the availability of necessary medicines. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution have been asked to ensure essentials are available. On March 17, India released an advisory, asking all Indian states to take social distancing steps as a preventive implementation strategy until March 31. A government order has been released calling for all Central Armed Police Forces to enter combat mode; all non-essential leave has been canceled; A task force on economic response to COVID-19 has also been established. Union and state governments establish numbers for the national and state aid lines.
Large Indian cities and several states made it mandatory to wear face masks. On April 29, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued guidelines for the states to allow the stranded persons to travel interstate. States were asked to appoint nodal authorities and to establish protocols for receiving and sending certain persons. States were also asked to record, quarantine the population, and regular health check-ups.