Lockdown! Looking inside! Looking Forward!
I know social media is filled with tonnes of information, advices, memes, jokes, fake news, panic about COVID 19. There are numerous # stay home# stay safe trending all over.
Phone calls, discussions with the family and friends are filled with numerous questions. What next? How long is this epidemic going to last? How long is the lockdown? Are we safe? Bigger question are we getting out alive?
As of now there are 873 confirmed cases and 19 deaths due to corona in India and the numbers are going up exponentially each day. The world has recorded more than 21,000 deaths among 470,000 infected with novel corona virus. Around 15% needing hospitalisations, 5-7% ICU care and 4% have died. The numbers have risen nearly 50% in countries like USA, UK and Italy over the past 4 weeks. India so far is doing well thanks to government's proactive decisive measures like early containment through travel restrictions and quarantine, followed by unprecedented lockdown from March 24 th for 3 weeks. Truly we can't afford a steep climb all our resourses would have run out in matter of weeks. Lock down, social distancing are only measures to break the chain and also gives us time to line up our resourses so we have some fighting chance against the virus. The reality is quite grim, even the private corporate hospitals are already falling short of PPE( personal protection equipment) without that we are exposing our frontline health care workers absolutely vulnerable and we just can't afford that. Globally lots of health care workers have lost their lives to COVID 19, there are heart wreching stories all over.
Will the problem be really over in a month?
Clearly COVID-19 isn't going away anytime soon, unless effective treatment and vaccine becomes available. Few of my friends were curious about herd immunity and how it can help? Herd immunity is a form of indirect protection from infectious disease that occurs when a large percentage of a population has become immune to an infection, whether through previous infections or vaccination, thereby providing a measure of protection for individuals who are not immune. This means around 60% of the population needs to develop immunity to it by actually getting infected. At this point it would be disastrous and put severe strain on health care not ruling out that eventually this might happen and tame the COVID 19 virus. Zika virus fizzled out because of herd immunity. Obviously its not a strategy we can wait for at this point. Vaccine is not near the horizon yet. So the only and only strategy is to break the chain and for now lock down is the only strategy we have. I don't even want to take a guess on how long the lockdown will be needed? and whether we can afford it?
Uncertainity all over and only strategy during these times is to embrace uncertainity!!!!
There have been as many plagues as wars in history; yet always plagues and wars take people equally by surprise.”
― The Plague
Lockdown undeniably is giving people what they complained about most " time"
It probably and hopefully only time in our lives we will be faced with this kind of situation. Make most of this time, I am sure when everything returns to normalcy you will miss these lazy and cozy days. Looking inside! Time to make that inner journey!
May be a month of lockdown would be necessary after that 3-4 months of targeted approach of containment, resources should be directed towards vulnerable groups, ban on travel to and from countries with active cases, avoid mass gatherings and even small group gatherings, Social distancing should continue.
A big salute to all frontline workers!! kudos to them for doing such selfless work!!
Pray!! I believe all prayers will be heard
“And indeed it could be said that once the faintest stirring of hope became possible, the dominion of plague was ended.”
― The Plague
Phone calls, discussions with the family and friends are filled with numerous questions. What next? How long is this epidemic going to last? How long is the lockdown? Are we safe? Bigger question are we getting out alive?
As of now there are 873 confirmed cases and 19 deaths due to corona in India and the numbers are going up exponentially each day. The world has recorded more than 21,000 deaths among 470,000 infected with novel corona virus. Around 15% needing hospitalisations, 5-7% ICU care and 4% have died. The numbers have risen nearly 50% in countries like USA, UK and Italy over the past 4 weeks. India so far is doing well thanks to government's proactive decisive measures like early containment through travel restrictions and quarantine, followed by unprecedented lockdown from March 24 th for 3 weeks. Truly we can't afford a steep climb all our resourses would have run out in matter of weeks. Lock down, social distancing are only measures to break the chain and also gives us time to line up our resourses so we have some fighting chance against the virus. The reality is quite grim, even the private corporate hospitals are already falling short of PPE( personal protection equipment) without that we are exposing our frontline health care workers absolutely vulnerable and we just can't afford that. Globally lots of health care workers have lost their lives to COVID 19, there are heart wreching stories all over.
Will the problem be really over in a month?
Clearly COVID-19 isn't going away anytime soon, unless effective treatment and vaccine becomes available. Few of my friends were curious about herd immunity and how it can help? Herd immunity is a form of indirect protection from infectious disease that occurs when a large percentage of a population has become immune to an infection, whether through previous infections or vaccination, thereby providing a measure of protection for individuals who are not immune. This means around 60% of the population needs to develop immunity to it by actually getting infected. At this point it would be disastrous and put severe strain on health care not ruling out that eventually this might happen and tame the COVID 19 virus. Zika virus fizzled out because of herd immunity. Obviously its not a strategy we can wait for at this point. Vaccine is not near the horizon yet. So the only and only strategy is to break the chain and for now lock down is the only strategy we have. I don't even want to take a guess on how long the lockdown will be needed? and whether we can afford it?
Uncertainity all over and only strategy during these times is to embrace uncertainity!!!!
There have been as many plagues as wars in history; yet always plagues and wars take people equally by surprise.”
― The Plague
Lockdown undeniably is giving people what they complained about most " time"
It probably and hopefully only time in our lives we will be faced with this kind of situation. Make most of this time, I am sure when everything returns to normalcy you will miss these lazy and cozy days. Looking inside! Time to make that inner journey!
- Stay hydrated keep sipping water through out the day.
- Exercise/yoga/pranayama/meditation atleast an hour everyday. (okay I know the excuses) you can even dance!!!
- People who are Diabetic/ Hypertensive/ Hypothyroid/ Heart disease or any other chronic health conditions please continue your regular medicines as prescribed. Most doctors are ready to do phone consultations if you have some problems.
- Vulnerable population like post transplant, patients on immunosuppresive drugs, autoimmune diseases, lung diseases old and very young need to be extra cautious.
- Don't panic with all the social media news, please follow only authorised information to keep yourself informed.
- Visit a hospital only if its an emergency.
- Everyone knows about the most Do's and Dont's with respect to the hygiene, please follow that diligently.
May be a month of lockdown would be necessary after that 3-4 months of targeted approach of containment, resources should be directed towards vulnerable groups, ban on travel to and from countries with active cases, avoid mass gatherings and even small group gatherings, Social distancing should continue.
A big salute to all frontline workers!! kudos to them for doing such selfless work!!
Pray!! I believe all prayers will be heard
“And indeed it could be said that once the faintest stirring of hope became possible, the dominion of plague was ended.”
― The Plague