The question before us today is that in the race to defeat a virus, will the virus within us, i.e., our reckless behavior, prove to be a hindrance to the achievement of our goals? Or will the collective conscience of the people help in eliminating the pandemic by fighting together starting from the elimination of this virus within?
In the wake of the coronavirus spread in India and its recent progression, a complete lockdown in 560 districts in 32 states and union territories had been enforced in the country. The Janta curfew held last Sunday, on the words of our beloved Prime Minister was an utter success until some people from across the country came down to the streets in large numbers to celebrate by applauding and playing traditional instruments along with bells and thalis with the motive of showing gratitude to the front-line workers of the country. However, they ended up jeopardizing the objective of the curfew, i.e., social distancing in the process.
The times of difficulty expect a rather mature behavior in the sense of following the instructions and achieving the underlined purpose of the same—rather than enforcing it in a futile fashion. The Ministry of Health and Family welfare had long back issued the advisory on social distancing to prevent community spread of the pandemic, which overlooked by many, has resulted in the increase in the number of cases what we see today. However, with a 21-day lockdown effected by a more stringent framework, as said by the PM on Tuesday, this social distancing is sought to be achieved, but is unachievable without a rigid adherence to the rules laid down.
As has been time and again reiterated, access to essential commodities like groceries will be available; the panic to hoard a month-long stock of commodities is a thing people must avoid. The crowding of grocery stores for the same has been negating the essence and hampers the effectiveness of such a social distancing mechanism established. Besides, the government has committed to ensure the delivery of these commodities to people wherever of urgent necessity.
CM Yogi Adityanath even ensured the people of UP that 10,000 vehicles have been engaged for the purpose of delivering milk, vegetables, medicines, etc., at the doorsteps—so that people don’t step out and venture to the sabji-mandis. During these tough times, the essential goods should be used sparingly and tantrums for favorability of one commodity over the other should be done away with as it is not a time for you to sit and choose.
Even medical services are available for patients who need medical treatment on a day-to-day basis such as Dialysis. Thus, in all cases, the slogan to be followed is: ‘AVOID PANIC’ and ‘OBSERVE SOCIAL DISTANCING’ by not stepping out of your houses.
Same is the case with unnecessary panic and visits to a hospital and unnecessary ventures to the clinics in case of ordinary ailments, which as advise, needs to be avoided. Consultation on the phone with your physician wherever possible is to be encouraged. Besides, the advisories issued have refrained relatives from attending patients admitted in hospitals for various diseases, the reason being that hospitals are primary places of exposure to the virus.
According to the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, private laboratories will be able to test for COVID-19 but subject to certain guidelines and the cost of such tests has also been fixed to not more than ₹4,500 by the government. The testing of individuals is subject to the criteria laid down by the Indian Council of Medical Research. Besides this, the screening is available in the selected government institutes without any charges. Thus, with such clear facilities throughout the country, there is no need to panic, and the protocol issued by the government needs to be followed.
Another issue which tests our ability to follow instructions and it being a very serious issue needs the masses to comply strictly is that as per the advisory issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the use of the drug hydroxy-chloroquine for prophylaxis is restricted to be given only under prescription by a registered medical practitioner.
The same has been advised for prophylaxis only to asymptomatic healthcare workers engaged in the care of such suspected cases and people in household contacts of laboratory confirmed cases. These are the ones who are actually in need of the drug and hoarding the drug for self-medication by individuals who don’t require the same can lead to scarcity of the drug in the market and its non-availability to the ones in dire need.
The drug is contraindicated in persons with retinopathy, known hypersensitivity to hydroxychloroquine, 4-aminoquinoline compounds and not recommended for children below 15 years of age as said in the advisory issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on the usage of hydroxy-chloroquine as prophylaxis.
Thus, self-medication in no case is welcomed as the same even has adverse side effects the evidence being the death of a man in Arizona, USA and many others rendered critical after self-administering the drug. Self-administration is prohibited, and even if the drug is administered under prescription, one has to be vigilant about the adverse effects of the same and report using the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India helpline/app.
The WHO has issued guidelines recommending people not to self-medicate with even drugs like ibuprofen after a French study in Lancet weekly medical Journal revealed that the use of such anti-inflammatory drugs could worsen COVID-19 Infections.
Another issue which experts fear is that mass consumption of the drug, even by those who specifically are not prescribed to, may lead the virus to establish a resistance to it, and thus limit the scope of the drug’s usage against the virus in near future. Thus, many issues can be handled at once by strict adherence to these guidelines.
Once again, proving that we Indians are a bunch of hypocrites, we managed to ostracize the doctors and frontline workers a day after we showed gratitude to them for their services. The doctor-population ratio in the country is 1:1456, and in such a situation, the extreme importance of these professionals is realized. Even if then such cases occur, this shows the height of idiocy of the people of the country.
As per reports by Air India and Indigo, their staff faced ostracism because of their travel history to corona-hit destinations and the nature of their job in which they are prone to exposure. If it wasn’t for them, then the Indian citizens wouldn’t have been rescued from abroad. At the end of the day, it is those people who by risking their lives are working out in such situations for the greater benefit of the society, and they being an important pillar of the mechanism, any damage to this, is itself a case of self-destruction.
There is a responsibility that the society owes back to these workers on moral as well as legal grounds and such nuisances are against the rights of the doctors and other frontline workers as well. Their subjection to such discrimination is not a civilized way of solving people’s concern about the spread and contracting of infection. Rather intensive sanitization and protocols have to be followed in that situation, which will moreover reduce the chances of infection.
The need of the hour is that we understand our sense of responsibilities that we owe to the nation and stringently follow the protocols laid down fulfilling the purpose of the same. Or else, as the PM said , “If we don’t handle these 21 days well , our country, our families, will go backward by 21 years.” It is high time we firmly practice social distancing physically, and at the same time minimize this distance between us emotionally by fulfilling our individual responsibilities and through these small endeavors contribute to fighting this pandemic together.
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