The Persistent Rise in India Covid Cases
As India surpasses the grim milestone of 1 million COVID-19 cases, the world struggles to understand how India’s health care system is struggling to contain the spread of the disease. The Indian healthcare system is overwhelmed in its capacity even to provide basic care for the mounting cases of Covid-19, with many of the medical facilities unable to cope with the influx of infected people. It’s a wake-up call to close the influx of the virus and prioritize resources in order to not only combat this disease, but better prepare India’s health system for future outbreaks that may arise.
Current State of India COVID Cases
India is currently the fourth most affected country by the pandemic after the United States of America, Brazil and Russia with a total of 1,025,737 confirmed cases as of July 14, 2020. The death toll in India remains at over 25,000, making it the 12th highest amongst countries with Covid-19 cases. With an average daily case rise of more than 28,000, India has recorded the highest daily toll in the world over the last ten days . This increase in the number of daily cases has largely been attributed to the lockdown restrictions being lifted, allowing people to go about their daily lives.
Potential Reasons for Rise in Cases
One of the key reasons for the alarming rise in the cases of Covid-19 in India is the rapid easing of lockdown restrictions and normalizing activities with no prior preparation, leading people to believe that the virus is no longer a threat. Vaccine trials are still in the early stages of development and without large scale mass vaccinations, the situation is highly likely to remain dire in the country.
Another factor that could be influencing the spread of Covid-19 in India is the exhaustion of the medical staff. All medical professionals are being pushed beyond their limits. Furthermore, lack of personal protective equipment has left a number of healthcare workers at risk of contracting the virus.
Migration between states as people attempt to get back to their places of work or return to their hometowns has also attributed to the surge in the cases. People traveling for work or for leisure purposes have exacerbated the situation by carrying the virus back to their respective hometowns and villages.
Lack of Awareness
Lack of awareness regarding the severity of the virus and its implications is also a key factor in the rapid rise of Covid-19 cases in India. Despite the government’s attempts to increase awareness, a large segment of the population is still unaware of the virus and its dangers, especially in rural areas. The lack of proper infrastructure in rural areas has also been a major contributory factor.
Government Responses
The government of India has taken several initiatives to tackle the spread of Covid-19. A national lockdown was declared on March 24th, which led to most of the population staying at home during that period. However, due to various reasons such as economic impact, further easing of the lockdown restrictions occurred in some of the states in stages, leading to an increase in the cases.
The government has also initiated a Universal Immunization Program in order to supplement the already existing health care system. Some of the major initiatives taken by the government include handing out free masks and sanitization kits, launching a contact-tracing app and launching a telemedicine app.
In addition to this, various health insurance schemes and relaxation in filing of medical bills are also being offered by the government in order to provide relief to the citizens.
The rise in India Covid-19 cases is an alarming trend and one that needs to be contained as soon as possible. For that to happen, it is important that the government, medical institutions and citizens come together to ensure that the virus is contained and steps necessary to protect the citizens and curb the spread of the virus is taken. Government initiatives such as public awareness campaigns, telemedicine apps, free masks and sanitization kits needs to be taken up in order to help India combat this deadly disease.
