- The pandemic has had a free run for the past year is stating the obvious. Many developed countries in Europe and the West have had multiple waves striking the nations resulting in heavy loss of lives and livelihood. As the economies of every country struggle to recoup from the hammering received for more than a year, efforts at taming the virus in the form of vaccination drive on the back of some path-breaking inventions have had a humbling beginning. Different variants, mutations, and strains being reported are bound to challenge the scientific and medical community which is straining every sinew to present a reasonable counter to subdue the virus.
PC: David Rey
- The Indian Government was lauded universally for its efforts at keeping the virus at bay though back home, the measures like stringent lockdown were strongly vilified by the opposition that severely constrained the marginal and deprived people of their livelihood. As the vaccine candidatures gained emergency approvals and necessary inoculation drive underway to cater to the categorized people, there are enough indications about the possible second wave making its ugly presence yet again in a few of the pockets across the country. This should raise alarms for the Health Authorities to initiate adequate measures to curb the virus from spreading disturbingly.
- The state of Maharashtra is witnessing a definite surge as also Punjab, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and few other states must battle it out to not let the situation go out of hand. It is a no-brainer that economic activities cannot be halted nor disallowed much to the detriment of the nation’s fiscal health. At the same time, allowing a free run for the virus to create havoc cannot be brushed aside as the country cannot afford to revert to debilitating lockdown measures. Therefore, the onus rests equally on the people as well to strictly adhere to the safety and health guidelines in observing the prescribed protocols.
PC: Amy W. Anzilotti
- Name it as lackadaisical attitude, ineptitude in assessing the current situation, sheer negligence, or misguided ignorance, majority of the people are foregoing the most potent weapon of keeping the virus far away i.e. wearing of personal mask covering mouth and nose, maintaining social distance, and frequent washing of hands. Alongside vaccine, these precautionary measures are sacrosanct and cannot let our guard down when things were looking up after what the country underwent economically. As we are aware, the vaccination drive underway appears promising but will take several months of sustained efforts to cover the humongous population density.
- Therefore, it is incumbent on the part of Health Authorities as well as people to diligently contribute their might in ensuring the potentialities of the second wave of the virus is suitably addressed. Extending the vaccine benefits to more people on a war footing should be the way forward for the Health Authorities and in the same vein, people resorting to observing laid down guidelines voluntarily without a forceful nudge from the former would go a long way in mounting equitable challenges to thwart the spread.
