5 reasons for the deadly wave of Corona outbreak in India

What happened in India? How did the country enter a second wave of the emerging corona virus (Covid-19)? How did India, which is known as the “world pharmacy”, face a shortage of vaccines and medicines? The answer is in this report.

On March 8th , India’s Health Minister Harsh Vardan said that India is at “the end game for the coronavirus pandemic.” Today, Wednesday, the World Health Organization said that India recorded 46% of new global infections with the Coronavirus worldwide last week, along with a quarter of the deaths, so what happened in two months? Read also Corona tsunami in India threatens the world Learn about Covaxine … India’s Coronavirus Vaccine This is what we know about the Indian strain of coronavirus Scientists in India reveal mutations in the Corona virus that can avoid an immune response

The high incidence of virus in India, which includes the highly contagious Indian strain, has caused hospital beds to be completely filled, oxygen has run out, and the flow of bodies to morgues and crematoriums increased, and many died in ambulances and parking lots while waiting for a vacant hospital bed or an oxygen cylinder.

The organization said – in its weekly report on epidemics – that 5.7 million injuries were recorded worldwide last week, and more than 93 thousand deaths, and India alone recorded 2.6 million new infections, an increase of 20% from the previous week, and 23 thousand and 231 deaths.

The data is based on official statistics; This means that the proportion of India may be much higher, as many experts believe that a large number of injuries and deaths are not recorded, amid great pressures on the health system.

Although it is too early to determine a definitive reason for the current wave of Corona in India, there are factors that may have played a role in that.

Early celebration of victory

Despite the Indian Minister of Health’s statement about “the end game of the Coronavirus Pandemic,” there were warnings opposing this optimism; On 27 February, the BBC quoted experts that they feared an imminent “Covid-19 tsunami”.

In early March, a group of experts and scientists formed by the government warned officials of a more contagious type of Corona virus, which is spreading in the country, according to the BBC.

 And the announcementthe Indian Health Minister for “endgame Corona” afterdeclinenational numberdaily cases in January and February to less than 20 thousand frompeak of about 90 thousand in September / September of last year.

And all public gathering places opened, and soon people did not adhere to Corona prevention measures. While Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked people to wear masks and follow social distancing in his public messages, he addressed large crowds without masks during his election campaign in 5 states, and a number of his ministers were seen addressing large public gatherings without wearing masks. The Kumbh Festival was also allowed. Mela – a Hindu festival that attracts millions – goes ahead.

“There was a complete disconnect between what they practiced and what they preached,” said public policy and health systems expert Dr. Chandrakant Laharia. While virologist Dr. Shahid Jamil says, “The government did not expect the second wave to arrive and the celebration started very early.”

New breed

One of the possible reasons for the current increase in the number of infections in India is a mutated strain called “B.1.617” (B.617.1) that was first detected in the country, but the matter is not clear and there are insufficient data to judge.

The World Health Organization did not announce that the Indian strain was “of concern” as it did about other mutated strains that were first detected in Britain, Brazil and South Africa, but the organization said on April 27 that tracing the genome sequence of the “B1,617” strain indicates an average. Growth is higher than other breeds in India.

On the 29th of the same month, the German Robert Koch Institute warned against rushing to issue conclusions regarding the extent of the mutated Corona strain “B1.617” in India.

The head of the institute, Lothar Feller, a microbiologist, said in the capital Berlin, “We cannot at the present time definitively prove whether the virus is spreading faster or not,” pointing out that other Corona strains have an effect in India as well, but there is only limited data. .

He explained that there are preliminary laboratory tests on this strain, “but it is not the tests that worry us greatly.”

 Poor health system

The pandemic has exposed funding shortages and problems in India’s public healthcare system. Spending on health care in India – including both the public and private sectors – has reached about 3.6% of GDP over the past six years, the lowest of the five BRICS countries. Brazil spent more than 9.2%, followed by South Africa with 8.1%, Russia with 5.3%, and China with 5% in 2018.

Developed countries spend a much higher percentage of their GDP on health. In 2018, for example, spending in the United States was 16.9%, and in Germany 11.2%. Even smaller countries – such as Sri Lanka spend 3.76%, Thailand 3.79% – spend more than India, which has fewer than 10 doctors per 10,000 people, and in some states the figure is less than 5.

Delayed vaccination

India initially wanted to vaccinate 300 million people by next July, “but it appears that the government has not done enough to secure vaccine supplies to run the program,” says Dr. Lahariya.

To date, only about 26 million people out of 1.4 billion have been fully vaccinated, and about 124 million have received a single dose. India has millions of extra doses on demand, but still far less than it actually needs.

Ironically, India is known as the “pharmacy of the world” and is now facing a shortage of vaccines and medicines. The government has canceled exports, retreating from international obligations, and has recruited companies to produce vaccines, as well as provided credit support of $ 609 million to the Serum Institute in India. Who produces the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which is manufactured in India as Covishield, to increase production, but this funding should have come earlier – says Dr. Lahariya – to save lives.

“It will take months before we have enough vaccines to speed up the program. Meanwhile, millions will remain at risk of contracting Covid-19,” he adds.

Misleading news

India has witnessed the spread of a large amount of false news, disinformation and conspiracy theories on social media platforms, which raises doubts, anxieties and impedes the fight against the pandemic. Observers and activists say the authorities have not taken sufficient steps to stop this torrent of disinformation. What makes the matter more complicated is that there are public figures and senior officials as well, who are responsible for the spread of such information, according to a report in Deutsche Welle .

In mid-April, when Corona cases began to rise dramatically, he advised: Ki. Paul (a senior official in the government team in charge of responding to the Coronavirus) citizens to consult those practicing alternative medicine in the event that they suffer from mild symptoms or no apparent symptoms of the disease.

He also recommended that citizens take a nutritional supplement called “Chyawanprash”, and a drink made of herbs and spices called “Kadha” in order to strengthen the immune system.

Remarks raised in. Ki. Paul criticized doctors, who said such advice could encourage citizens to try untested treatments, delaying their quest for real medical help.

In an interview with Deutsche Welle, the former national director of the Indian Medical Association Rajan Sharma said, “This is surprising and extremely misleading, as it will encourage people to stay home and take some compounds, and when they arrive at the hospital after their condition has worsened, it will be too late.” To save them. “

This view is shared by the CEO of the Internet Freedom Foundation, Abbar Gupta, who says in an interview with Deutsche Welle: “When public authorities support such calls, it is clear that there is a state of lack of respect for science.” “How will this affect social media users?” He asks.

Moreover, rumors have spread saying that inhaling steam or eating garlic, cinnamon and licorice root may be a preventive measure against the Corona virus or to cure it, and another very dangerous idea has spread on social networking sites stating that Indians have higher immunity against the Corona virus. This idea is based on a superficial and erroneous interpretation of a single study of genetics conducted on different ethnic groups.

The claim has spread in local languages ​​in many forms, such as publications, photos and videos, says Prateek Wagger, research analyst at the Takeshila Foundation. “A lot of these videos and publications have been recycled because they easily disappear from cyberspace,” he added in an interview with Deutsche Welle. “Even after this large torrent of misinformation is disproved, there are still people who are not sure what to trust (information).”