It hit us last year when we were least prepared for it. After a bit of a lull, it hit us again to challenge our endurance and tenacity. The eruption of the gigantic second wave of COVID-19 in April created havoc all across India, gripping the country in a situation of unprecedented panic and desperation. Far more tumultuous than the first wave that locked India down for months, the coronavirus onslaught in 2021 has put the collective endurance of our nation to perhaps its biggest test ever.
One could argue that a nonchalant attitude of the public at large towards COVID-appropriate behaviour cost the nation dearly in the second wave. People let their guard down after India went into a phase-wise unlock mode weeks before last winter, following the historic nationwide lockdown that was imposed by the Centre after the pandemic started gaining momentum in March 2020.
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| image source : indiatoday.in |
The chaos that transpired between April to mid-June saw the daily cases crossing a whopping 4 lakh mark, more than anywhere else in the COVID-ravaged world. India’s COVID positivity rate in April went several notches up compared to April 2020. This time one of the biggest fears came true when the rampaging virus penetrated India’s semi-urban and rural belt with states such as UP, Bihar and Chhattisgarh reporting more than 20,000 daily cases for a prolonged period as against the relative calm of the first wave.
Reports of a shortage of medical oxygen in hospitals created a massive controversy that spread like wildfire, adding to the scare of an already petrified populace. A huge question mark rose over the ability and preparedness of the central and the state governments to counter the resurgent COVID-19 assault. The country was staring down the barrel of a colossal battle against the invisible enemy that could last months or years.
Where we are now, with the cases having plateaued between 40,000 - 50,000 per day in the last couple of weeks, the COVID positivity rate plummeting constantly due to rising recoveries and people getting vaccinated at a rapid pace - India could at best breathe a sigh of relief without claiming victory against COVID-19 by any stretch of the imagination.
Hopefully, an impending third wave would be less lethal than the second but neither the experts nor the medical fraternity could be certain about it, in which case India must brace itself for yet another roller coaster. Therefore, a departure from COVID appropriate behaviour, as was witnessed before the second wave intensified, will be a recipe for disaster.
COVID politics
Quite expectedly, the COVID situation has given an opportunity to the lobby constituted by the political opposition and the anti-Modi camp to launch a tirade of heavy criticism, albeit misplaced and unwarranted, on the Union government’s handling of the pandemic. The lobby has constantly used the crisis to its advantage by politicising the pandemic and pitting non-BJP ruled states against the Modi government to give it a centre vs state spin in what should otherwise be a collaborative fight against COVID-19.
image source : dnaindia.com
From exaggerating and spreading panic over the alleged shortage of medical oxygen to running a misinformation campaign in order to give out the fallacious impression that the government is not committed to inoculating its citizens, the propaganda machinery has been operating full time with people like Rahul Gandhi castigating the Modi government’s COVID strategy from the cozy comfort of his house without any awareness of the ground reality.
India’s COVID strategy and COVID diplomacy - a trendsetter
While it is fair to admit that India has been found wanting on certain fronts in its response to the pandemic but then so has been the developed world. Affluent countries like France, Germany, Italy, Australia, the UK and the US have all seen their health infrastructure come under severe pressure to tackle COVID-19.
However, the unfortunate part is that instead of acknowledging the government’s endeavour to make the vaccine available for all Indians in the quickest possible time despite a paucity of resources, there has been a concerted attempt courtesy of the lobby to push the country into a denial mode of the Modi administration’s sincere COVID policy. But the beauty of history is that it only remembers reality, not false propaganda.
image source : indiatvnews.com
It cannot be denied that Prime Minister Narendra Modi took COVID diplomacy to a whole new level by coming to the aid of impoverished nations through a generous donation of medicines and vaccine doses. Even middle-income countries like South Africa and Brazil have relied heavily on India’s support. The Modi government has truly lived to the age-old Indian philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family) without expecting any economic, strategic or diplomatic favours from the world in return.
Modi government’s vaccination drive outperforms the developed world
As far as the Modi government’s commitment to vaccinating its citizens is concerned, one can only say that the devil is in the detail.
With a population of nearly 33 crore, the US currently reports having administered just over 32 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine in about 200 days. Sheltering a mammoth population of 1.3 billion, India - on the other hand - has already administered more than a whopping 34 crore doses of its indigenously manufactured vaccines Covishield and Covaxin in only five and a half months. Hence, outpacing the wealthy and resource-rich United States.
image source : deccanherald.com
Juxtapose India’s tally with the rich European nations - France, Germany and the UK, each of these countries with a population of less than 10 crore, and one realises how well India has done so far by outperforming the so-called first world countries. UK and France, both having a population of approximately 6.7 crore have administered around 7.5 crore doses in over 200 days and about 5.2 crore doses in over 180 days respectively. Whereas Germany has administered a little over 7 crore doses in roughly six months.
On the diplomatic front, India has been unrelenting in its legitimate demand to include the Serum Institute of India (SII)-manufactured Covishield in the list of approved vaccines for the EU Green Pass after Covishield, a version of AstraZeneca, was left out of Europe’s new ‘vaccine passport’ programme due to lack of approval by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
The Indian government made it clear in unequivocal terms to the EU that its vaccines will similarly not be approved by India if Covidshield or Covaxin were not included in the EU Green Pass. In effect, it means that travellers from the EU would have to serve mandatory quarantine upon arrival in India. As of now Greece, Iceland, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia, and Austria are the European nations that have approved Covishield for the Green Pass while the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently came out in support of Covishield’s inclusion in Europe’s travel schemes.
So where exactly has PM Modi or the Government of India let us down in their resolve to fight and defeat COVID-19? … Nowhere! Is there a scope for improvement in the government’s blueprint? …There always is. But these are exceptional times that demand all of us, especially the lobby, to come together, shun partisan interests and support the government with deserved appreciation and sensible criticism.
Very good review of Covid 19 till date. You left out Election commission for it's nonchalant attitude.
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