It was not rocket science and in fact, a catastrophe just waiting to happen.
Considering the population, vaccines were always going to fall well short of the requirements. So also, vital mediations, oxygen cylinders and hospital beds where we all knew that demand would outstrip supply if not handled intelligently .
Then what was all the drama about exporting vaccines, being large hearted and helping others? Who advised who?
Shouldn’t we have helped ourselves first? If it was publicity stunt, it has backfired, and now there are many people left with the custard smeared all over their face. If it was a political gimmick to show India as the saviour of the world – it failed miserably.
If it was a genuine gesture of goodwill, which it could have been ,it was not the right time to be magnanimous or large hearted.
Someone has miscalculated or been overconfident.
If that were not enough, we had massive political rallies by different parties – all attempting to outnumber the other- another utterly ridiculous move, which anyone with an iota of common sense would have agreed, should never have been permitted in the first place. All parties are to blame here .
And then came the Maha Kumbh Mela- where hundreds of thousands of devotees gathered at Uttarakhand's Haridwar to offer prayers. It was one of the largest religious congregations in the world and that was the icing on the cake. Covid surged & raced mercilessly through the milling crowds, who wore no masks and cared little for social distancing. Priests, devotees, ministers, and the like were all infected in a matter of days.
There were also festivals, which were celebrated with gusto, with shoppers and party animals who lowered their guard and were out and about, mingling with their friends as if there was no tomorrow. Covid had not been eradicated, but somehow most people behaved as if was gone forever and there was a general erratic feeling of excitement, exhilaration & euphoria which was not surprising ! This was a blunder of epic proportions and people are now paying the price.
Where vaccinations are concerned, for various reasons, those eligible, including healthcare and frontline workers, were hesitant to get vaccinated due to rumours and stories which were circulating about how they would cause more harm than good. There were also the Whatsapp doctors who played their part as always .
Those above 60 also did not show enough eagerness even though cases had started going up by early March. The vaccine drive needed to be handled better.. More awareness was the need of the hour – building confidence in the masses was key.
As it stands today, India is topping the charts in almost all Covid statistics and this could have been predicted months ago by the way things were going.
Now there is panic, a total break down of systems and untold suffering which is so sad – a lot of this pain and sorrow could have been avoided. Not surprising that everything is in short supply and everyone is blaming everyone else- so very typical.
It is easy to point fingers but that is not the solution right now.
If the first wave was bad, the second is deadly. Are we waiting for the third to finally get the message?
Shouldn’t some high-power committee be formed immediately to handle the situation? Shouldn’t state & party politics be put aside, elections postponed, and priorities listed to save the country and its citizen from further suffering?
Will someone stand up and say enough is enough – this is what we are going to do to put an end to all this tomfoolery?
By what we read, see and hear, there is no concrete plan as yet, politicians are not cooperating, and people are dithering- that is a dangerous trend indeed.
I am not implying that the government is not concerned & worried – they probably are, but it is a trifle too late for just concern & worry now –what the country needs, is intelligent, concrete, military like precision, planning and action and ‘IMMEDIATE ’ is the word. There is no other way to reign in this pandemic and reign it in we must.
This is a humanitarian catastrophe of gigantic proportions and it must be treated as such, lest things get worse and totally spiral out of control.
And for the record, while this is primarily a post about India, I must go on record and say that I don’t think many countries of the world have yet got it right. The moment cases come down, everyone becomes slack, the number of cases skyrocket and things go back to square one. This is foolhardy.
We must continue to abide by rules, be patient, cooperate with the authorities and protect ourselves while protecting others – ALL OVER THE WORLD.
We pray that good sense prevails.
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