By Vineet Malik | May 11, 2021 | London, England
While India is going through a dreadful apocalypse that is taking away lives like a monster, Dr. Jacob John throws light on the current dismal state of affairs and more in India.
What is the technical name of the Covid-19 variant that has hit India ?
The Indian Covid-19 variants are called B.1.617 and B.1.618. But, we also have the UK, South Africa and Brazil variants. The emergence of variants is a function of virus transmission and replication on a large scale.
How effective is the Covid-19 vaccine in terms of efficacy ?
As a matter of fact, there is no Indian data on efficacy. From Jan 17 this year, the government of India has been vaccinating people under "emergency use authorisation".
No data seems to have put forth by the government as far as I know. So you may refer to the international data on efficacy and safety. Two doses at the interval of four weeks safeguards upto 50-55 percent efficacy and at the interval of 12 weeks, about 80-85 percent against the COVID-19 disease.
Where did the authorities go wrong ?
"We are fighting a war with the Prime Minister as the War General, but he has rather odd ideas about the virus and the pandemic. He depends mainly on the National Disaster Management Agency and various Ministerial agencies however, no one can be pinpointed for accountability."
Indian authorities all throughout 2020 did not develop a roadmap for the vaccination as an epidemic control intervention. India has been supplying developing countries with inexpensive measles and rubella vaccines and Sub-Saharan African countries with high-tech meningococcal vaccines against annual epidemics at the cost of half-dollar a dose.
So, in March-April 2020, India had a golden opportunity to catalyse vaccine production and plan for supplying all low income countries with the Indian vaccine.
Today, when India is in dire need of vaccines for our own citizens, government remains inept to provide adequate volume of vaccines for Indians.
What should government do at the moment to control the pandemic ?
India should adopt the Blitzkrieg application of "social vaccine". Social Vaccine is what we used to control AIDS epidemic. It consists of effective communication of basic facts for people to understand the biology of the disease and more focused behaviour change education.
If 100% percent people will wear masks, the spread can be immediately slowed down. To avoid crowded places is part of public education. We have so many media channels.
All of them must be used for propagating the social vaccine idea.
How can further deaths from the pandemic be immediately stopped ?
One - Blitzkrieg of treatment protocols should be adopted by all the healthcare institutions. Two - The government must ensure oxygen supplies. Three - Establish temporary hospitals to deal with the emergency. We are beginning to face rural outbreaks and all above three measures are crucial to respond to the current state of emergency in India.
When will this pandemic subside ?
The second wave will subside in eight weeks in India. The peak time was around 6 May, this year. So, by end of June, the second wave will be over. From July onwards, we will re-enter endemic phase. Sometime soon in 2021, the pandemic will transform into pan-endemic / global phase.
What is your advice for people ?
People should always wear a mask when they are out of home. They should maintain social distancing of two to three feet, get themselves vaccinated and avoid going to crowded places.
If you are caught unaware and perceive the risk of getting exposed, you should conduct nasal wash as explained in the Edinburgh’s Viral Intervention Study.
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