Opinion | How the second wave of Covid pandemic is spreading across India
India on Thursday recorded the highest single-day count of fresh Covid cases (59,117) in the last 159 days, with Maharashtra leading with 35,952 new cases on a single day.
India on Thursday recorded the highest single-day count of fresh Covid cases (59,117) in the last 159 days, with Maharashtra leading with 35,952 new cases on a single day. On Thursday, 255 Covid patients died in India, while active cases have increased by over 52,000 in the last two days. The total number of active Covid cases has now crossed 4 lakhs, the fastest ever rise by one lakh in the last five days.
There are reports that the second wave of Covid pandemic may peak towards the end of April, and it may last till May. The pandemic is spreading fast in Maharashtra, Gujarat (which registered 1,961 new cases on Thursday), Punjab, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh. So, we are back to square one, where we were last year.
India TV reporters in Ahmedabad, Surat, Bhopal, Chandigarh and other cities tried to find out the reasons behind the spread of the pandemic. The most shocking report came from Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad. This institute, reputed for its management skills across the world, failed in Covid management. Our reporter Nirnay Kapoor reported that the IIM became a Covid hotspot because of five of its students. By March 16, all the five students knew they had been infected with Coronavirus, but they concealed this information because they did not want exams to be postponed.
These five students freely mixed with others, became super spreaders, and, by the time, more students were found Covid positive, mass testing was ordered. Twenty two students and a faculty member were found Covid positive. The question then arose why the top management failed to know that five of the students were Covid positive. It so happened that these five students got themselves tested from private labs, and instead of giving their IIM hostel address, they gave addresses of their home states. Because of this, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation failed to trace the students in IIM.
Dr Mehul Acharya, Deputy Health Officer of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, said, the five IIM students had gone to Narendra Modi stadium on March 12 to watch the India versus England cricket match. Four days later, they were found Covid positive. Since a large crowd went to watch the match, it is now practically impossible for municipal authorities to trace those who could have been infected.
In Gujarat’s Sabarkantha district, two wardens at a residential school for poor children run by Sahyog in Rajendra Nagar were infected with Covid virus. When mass testing of all the 292 school children was carried out, it was found that 39 of them were Covid positive. The question arose, how the two warden got infected, as they were staying in the residential school. It could be because of milk, vegetable and other essentials that were brought it. Tracing the vendors is now a tough task.
There was another instance of 34 auto drivers in Surat found Covid positive. On checking, it was found that since the municipal corporation had banned plying of buses inside the city, people were using autos for travel, and this led to spreading of the virus. In order to rake in money, the auto drivers, instead of taking two passengers, were taking more than five at a time, and the virus was spreading fast. Nearly 2.5 lakh people used to travel in 741 buses in Surat, but after the bus service was banned, the autos became the carriers of the virus.
Clearly, the pandemic is spreading because of negligence on part of the people. If the government stops plying of buses, people pile into autos for travel, if authorities close down parks, people travel on roads, if people are fined for not wearing masks, they carry masks but do not cover their faces. Now that different strains of Coronavirus have mutated, most of the people infected do not show any sign of cough or fever. Nearly 80 per cent people found positive in Nagpur and Bhopal were asymptomatic.
In Bhopal, nearly 400 people were found positive on Thursday, out of them more than half were asymptomatic. Asymptomatic Covid patients are a riskier lot. They can unknowingly spread the virus. In Nagpur, more than 206 Covid patients were found carrying the mutant strains of the virus. Out of 3,500 people found Covid positive in Nagpur on Thursday, nearly 2,800 people had no symptoms. The same is the case in Mumbai, where more than 5,500 new cases are being reported daily. Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar says, people are unwilling to go in for Covid tests, because they fear that if they are found Covid positive, their apartments could be sealed.
The situation is also alarming in Bengaluru. Out of the 2,300-odd people found positive, more than 1,400 were from Bengaluru Urban. India TV reporter T. Raghavan spoke to experts, doctors and municipal officers. Most of them blamed people arriving from Maharashtra and Kerala for bringing the virus. They took part in social gatherings and parties, and spread the virus. Nearly 70 per cent cases have been found among people living in apartments. Most of these people took parts in weddings and social gatherings.
In Delhi, too, the virus is spreading fast. A week ago, the daily spike was hardly 300 cases, but on Thursday, it topped 1,500. Most of the cases are symptomatic, but the problem is: instead of having earlier symptoms like cough and cold, the new symptoms are nausea, stomach ache, vomiting and diarrhoea. Dr B. L. Sherwal, director of Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital said, the number of Covid patients having new strains of the virus is increasing fast. The new variant is affecting lungs, neck and brain, and because of this, patients are complaining of stomach ache, diarrhoea and vomiting.
The biggest culprit behind the spread of pandemic is: negligence. India TV reporter Puneet Parinja spoke to devotees who had assembled for Hola Mohalla at Anandpur Sahib on Thursday. Most of them were moving in crowds, and were not wearing masks. Speaking on camera, most of the devotees said, the spread of the pandemic is a rumour, there was nothing like a Covid disease. Many of them questioned how thousands of people attend rallies addressed by leaders, and are yet free from the virus. “Corona is a sarkari drama”, one of them said.
How can one respond to such a ludicrous remark? If people start saying, Corona is a political “stunt” and “drama”, the dangers are obvious. It is true that huge election rallies are being held in Bengal and Assam, from where spike in Covid cases has not come. But it is also a fact that the pandemic is viral in Kerala, where election rallies are being held. Some people may say, where is the need to fear Corona, now that people are taking vaccines? My reply to them is: The virus is fast mutating into different strains, which are more lethal. We must be on our guard or ignore the warnings at our own peril.
This is the second wave of Covid pandemic, and could be more dangerous. We do not even know the details about the new variants of mutations that are taking place. Our reporters risked their lives to report from these Covid hotspots, so that we can open the eyes of those who are adopting a cavalier and negligent attitude. Now that your have seen their reports, one thing is clear: Negligence is the main cause behind the spread of the virus. In places, where people did not take the warnings seriously, the pandemic spread very fast. People across the world agree that vaccination is a must to protect yourself from the virus, wearing of masks and social distancing are a must, otherwise you will be putting your life and the lives of your near and dear ones at stake.
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