The variants, because of their spread, can be destructive to mankind.
India is facing difficulties. The country's COVID-19 rate is reported to be a staggering 30 percent.
By Vinita Gupta.
Just a month ago, the Indian government believed that its people were somehow safe from COVID-19 because only 3 percent of the population tested positive, despite the flexible social distancing measures taken since last October. Then the second wave hit hard.
From what I have heard from friends, relatives and mid-level officials in India, the situation is devastating and getting worse. Infection is expected to peak in mid-May.. The most immediate need is to prevent deaths due to medical oxygen shortages.
In the state of Delhi, the government's supply of medical oxygen is only a third of what its hospitals need for its population of 20 million. At the same time, COVID-19 patients are pouring into Delhi from neighbouring states, putting additional pressure on medical resources.
Preeti, who designed my website, died of COVID-19 eight days ago. She was 30 years old, a computer designer living in the high-tech city of Gurgaon, on the outskirts of Delhi. Though she tested negative for COVID-19, she struggled to breathe and died within a day. "She died at home. We couldn't find oxygen for her," her husband said in a sombre voice during a WhatsApp call.
COVID-19 spares no one, young or old, rich or poor.
Some state elections just ended in India. In one of the most populous states, West Bengal, in northeast India, next to Bangladesh, Prime Minister Modi's party lost by a huge margin, presumably due to the government's handling of the COVID-19 crisis.
With 1.4 billion, India has four times the population of the United States. Its GDP is 30 times that of India. India spends less than 2 percent of its GDP on health care; the United States spends 18 percent of its GDP.
India spends only $100 per person on health care each year. A Delhi official told us that big hospitals should have their own oxygen plants. The cost of an oxygen plant for 200 beds in the Intensive Care Unit is $200,000. In other words, a thousand dollars - $250 per patient - could save four lives in a month. US dollars go a long way in India.
Doctors in India are doing heroic work. Dr. Neeraj Jain, a pulmonologist at one of the largest private hospitals in New Delhi, delivered a simple message in English/Hindi, on how people with COVID-19 can take care of themselves at home, when a hospital bed is not available.
The longer-term solution is vaccination, before the next wave arrives. India has been able to fully vaccinate less than 2 percent of people due to vaccine shortages.
Dr. Anthony Fauci has a sensible message sensible about India: "Treat [the coronavirus] as if we were in a war". COVID-19 can be overcome with the right measures. He recommends four weeks of total isolation and vaccinating as many people as possible as quickly as possible.
The Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest producer of vaccinesis manufacturing the COVID-19 vaccines Covishield - AstraZeneca of Oxford - and Covovax; however, the shortage of raw and packaging material is slowing down its production.
Just yesterday, on May 2, the Biden administration lifted restrictions on the export of such materials.
By Vinita Gupta is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and was the first Indian-American woman to take her company public. Since retiring, she has promoted, through her journalism, mentoring of women entrepreneurs and competitive bridge at the highest level. She has won several national bridge titles.
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