The whys and hows
These are difficult times for sure; people are finding it hard to remain positive with COVID-19 positive cases surging globally every day. While we in India are still going slow, from various quarters a sudden rise in cases is also being speculated. But some experts are also hoping that the impact of the Coronavirus will be low in India. Only time will be able to tell what actually happens. But till then, it is important to stay positive, and motivated enough to continue with the preventive measures. While the immediate risk of being exposed to this virus through community spread is still low and is being studied, it is important to take precautions. If the virus outbreak expands, the country will be at the greatest of all risks it has ever been exposed to. A 100% compliance with government orders of lockdown is required by all of us. So let us stay indoors, resolving to go out only in case of urgency and buying essentials.
Over the last few days I have been reading a lot about pandemics, viruses etc. From the studies of various scholarly and research documents, I tried to sum up the pandemic, its causes, treatment and impacts. I would like to put it here for the benefit and consideration of readers.
Pandemics of respiratory disease like the current one, follow certain progression phases. They begin with investigation phase, is followed by recognition phase, then initiation phase, and then the most dreaded acceleration phases when the peak of illnesses is reached. The next phase is the deceleration phase, when there is a decline in positive cases. One may note that at any point of time different countries can be in different phases of the pandemic, and it is also possible that different parts of the same country are in different phases of a pandemic.
“There is no denying the fact that with no confirmed cure at the moment, we all are at risk now. However the biggest threat of the virus is now on aged people and those with underlying serious chronic medical conditions like Heart disease, Diabetes, Arthritis and Lung disease and the Cancer survivors...”
So what is a pandemic?
A pandemic is a global outbreak of disease that happens when a new virus emerges to infect people and spreads between people. Because there is little to no pre-existing immunity against the new virus, it gradually spreads worldwide. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are commonly found in different species of animals. On rare occasions the animal coronavirus infects people and then spreads between people. The earlier such coronaviruses discovered were MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, and the latest one, a new variety, has been named SARS-CoV-2 or Novel Coronavirus. All these three viruses have their origins in bats.
There is no denying the fact that with no confirmed cure at the moment, we all are at risk now. However the biggest threat of the virus is now on aged people and those with underlying serious chronic medical conditions like Heart disease, Diabetes, Arthritis and Lung disease and the Cancer survivors. If you are healthy, the virus may not really affect you as your immune system can fight with it, but the elders or diseased ones at home may be prone to be impacted and you may end up being the carrier of the virus to them. None of us would like to do that, I am sure. Hence, it is all the more important to stay at home, maintain social distancing, take precautionary measures.