India Coronavirus Dispatch: Why pandemic is still surging despite lockdown

Pneumonia, Covid co-infections: In Haryana’s Palwal, authorities found that 50 per cent of the pneumonia cases detected at a Civil Hospital are related to Covid-19 patients. The district health department has decided that if a patient is suffering from breathlessness and chest pain but tests negative for Covid-19 then they will have to undergo chest X-ray. If anomalies are found in the X-ray, then the patient has to undergo a CT scan. The hospital has even set aside specific hours during the day when those suspected to have contracted pneumonia and are Covid-positive can undergo testing. Palwal has been witnessing a steady surge in the number of Covid-19 cases over time. Authorities are now also focussing increasingly on Post-Covid treatment measures. Read more here. 

How child marriages were stopped: After the pandemic hit, many poor families in the country were pushed further into financial distress. Many of them then decided to marry their underage daughters off in an attempt to save money. A school in one UP village, however, decided to intervene and stop the weddings from happening. Girl students began suffering as soon as the lockdowns were imposed as they did not have access to online education. Familial pressure began adding to their woes. School authorities either communicate with the families of the student or alert the Child Welfare Committee about the situation. Realising that the pandemic would make the lives of these girls more difficult, the schools formed networks to keep tabs on their students. Read more here

Why India is an epicentre: India now has the second-highest number of coronavirus cases in the world. Yet, compared to the US and Brazil, its response to the pandemic was quite different. India went in for an early lockdown and encouraged social distancing and other measures, unlike the Trump and Bolsonaro govts. The writer says one must keep in mind that a lockdown is not a magic wand and is just a step towards flattening the curve. Secondly, India also faces the issue of dense housing. As sero-surveys across different cities showed, these housing conditions lead to greater spread of the virus. Administrative incapacity — the current oxygen shortfall being an example — added to the problems. Further, contact tracing efforts were overwhelmed by the surge in cases. India still lags behind in terms of tests per million compared to other high-caseload nations. Lastly, limited state relief to the country’s poorest added to the pandemic’s woes. Read more here. 

IPL with social distancing and digital cheerleaders: IPL has begun amid a raging pandemic. The first match gave a glimpse of what this means. The most noticeable change was the empty stadium. Social distancing measures were put in place in every aspect of the game, from dugouts to the toss. English cricketers are donning headbands to avoid sweat from trickling on to the ball, despite sweat-on-ball being allowed by ICC guidelines. The game also saw digital cheerleaders on a long digital signboard spread out to mask the absence of a real crowd. Even the team dug-outs replaced traditional bucket seats with foldable chairs spaced some distance apart. A few occasional lapses were seen, like players going in for handshakes and hugs instead of fist bumps which are now the norm. Read more here. 

Interview

School reopening: In this interview, a principal of a Delhi school speaks about her plans to reopen the school. Social distancing measures will have to be adopted right from the entrance, she says. An all-in-one-machine will check the student’s temperature, their mask position and sanitise their hands. A touch-free dispenser will then sanitise their hands and their shoes. Queue managers and stickers have been put in place to ensure social distancing across the campus. Only 10-12 students will be allowed in a classroom at any given time. Teachers, meanwhile, have been directed to not come in physical contact with the students. The school has also put in place two isolation rooms complete with nurses and oxygen supply. Read the interview here. 

Health

‘Mass trauma’: Across the board, people have been complaining about exhaustion. This, mental health experts say is an indirect consequence of the pandemic. Whole swathes of the population are undergoing what they call ‘mass trauma’. The pandemic and its myriad of fallouts have simply been too much for people to process and deal with. The ‘new normal’ is characterised by anxiety over contracting the virus, being surrounded by tragic stories and constant fear of job loss. Health experts say we’re not wired to deal with constant stress. Generally, experts say, resigning from your daily schedule and lack of interest in interacting with others are the first signs of things ‘being off’. If daily activities like eating or sleeping start seeming stressful then it’s definitely a sign of mental distress. Creating work/life boundaries, no matter how impossible it might seem right now, is the key. Further, reaching out for therapy could be necessary if daily functioning is hampered. Read more here.