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View Poll Results: Do you support the lockdown extension?
Yes 299 47.46%
No 244 38.73%
I'm unsure 87 13.81%
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Old 2nd June 2020, 14:06   #2281
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Re: India on full lockdown. Edit: Now extended with relaxations till June 30, 2020

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Originally Posted by srishiva View Post
True for cars. Here its a la public transport, for Covid its the public healthcare infrastructure that is being used.
It's true for everything. If something is unaffordable/unattainable, it may as well not exist for the person in question. Sad for vanity objects, downright painful for life necessities.

How many people from the migrant labor 'camps', or from slums, or those living on footpaths do you think get access to life-saving critical care (even if we forget COVID-19 even exists for them for a second)?

COVID-19 isn't the only illness harming/killing people, and even those who can afford to pay are having trouble getting it because of hospitals shutting down sections or all of their services to common folk owing to the paranoia/hysteria of the pandemic. I can't begin to imagine who is looking to cover healthcare needs of people who aren't even being provided basic existential necessities.

The poor sods were asked and expected to pay their own (inflated) fares to go home, two months after being jobless, until public furore got the authorities to back off. Then Karnataka tried canceling a bunch of trains because the construction lobby freaked out over potential labor shortage if labor was 'allowed' to go back. There are hordes of people right now waiting and trying to register for an opportunity to get on a train back home, expected to use the internet for the privilege. There are people trying to make money off even this registration process, money the penniless laborer doesn't have.

A poor person who can't afford emergency care is no more able to get it than I can walk into the nearest supercar showroom right now and buy one, hence the analogy.

If one dies on a sidewalk unattended, what difference does it make whether the sidewalk is right outside a multi-speciality hospital or a 1000 miles from it?

Last edited by Chetan_Rao : 2nd June 2020 at 14:09.
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Old 2nd June 2020, 17:45   #2282
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Re: India on full lockdown. Edit: Now extended with relaxations till June 30, 2020

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Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao View Post

If one dies on a sidewalk unattended, what difference does it make whether the sidewalk is right outside a multi-speciality hospital or a 1000 miles from it?
Guess, you didnt read what I wrote. Here, almost all care is being given by govt for covid, detection and hospitalization. I hope they are not differentiating the poor and rich.
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Old 2nd June 2020, 18:15   #2283
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Re: India on full lockdown. Edit: Now extended with relaxations till June 30, 2020

It seems there was great danger in March/April 2020 and we had Lockdown 1, subsequently Lockdowns 2, 3, 4. It seems the danger has passed and we are moving towards Unlock 1, with easing of restrictions, crowded public transports, flights/train resumption, the opening of AC restaurants. I can see the lowering of the guard. For instance, conformance on wearing masks was almost 90% in April and today is around 30%.

What was the danger in April, which has passed now?

BTW, India on the verge of 2L cases.

India on full lockdown. Edit: Now extended with relaxations till June 30, 2020-india2l.png

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Originally Posted by Amit_breakfree View Post
However, I disagree that people should have been allowed to travel to their home states in the starting of lockdown 1.0 itself. For example - I am working in Hyderabad, but I belong to a small village in Northern Bihar - near Madhubani. In 2017, there was 1 medical shop for the whole village (digest the fact that it was 2017 and not 1947). Now imagine, all the migrants rushing towards home to different parts of India. If community spread had already started by March 23, then it would have increased many-fold during the travel back home. And now finally imagine, what would have happened to such villages like my own if even one person got needed to be admitted in a hospital (forget about ICU and critical care)..
Agree with you. Now that the Shramik trains are running in May, what has changed since March, that your fear of spread in rural communities won't come true?

Last edited by msdivy : 2nd June 2020 at 18:20.
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Old 2nd June 2020, 19:23   #2284
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Re: India on full lockdown. Edit: Now extended with relaxations till June 30, 2020

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Originally Posted by smooth indian View Post
If we all dial back our memories early March then, the COVID crisis was distant with it epicenter in Wuhan. Not unlike the ebola crisis which was also serious but mostly restricted to Western Africa. I feel the Indian govt was aware but didn't want to sound the alarm and create panic. However, the govt did act earlier than several other nations in going for a lockdown and perhaps because of that decisive action the death toll per 100000 people is much lower in India
Maybe for the consumer of Indian news channels, but not in reality.
Early in the Feb, my Air India morning flight from Pune to Delhi got cancelled because of a suspected Covid carrier in the incoming flight from Delhi!

By the evening, it was clear that the patient did not have the Covid symptoms, but the aircraft was grounded, sanitized, and the crew kept out of flying duties.

Every Govt (including India) was extremely complacent (and perhaps "rightly" so because they were mislead by the Chinese and WHO) - but steps could've been taken to eliminate the entry of virus into India.
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Old 3rd June 2020, 00:09   #2285
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Re: India on full lockdown. Edit: Now extended with relaxations till June 30, 2020

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Originally Posted by ABHI_1512 View Post
.. This thread will remain as a proof of the monumental blunder that we witnessed and a cursory glance over it will show the skewed ratio of people having voted for the lockdown and yet having a thread where rationality and pragmatism took over by logical reasoning.
Correct. But, if it is any consolation, some of us have always maintained that a lockdown was / is worse than Covid. Here are a few posts from way back when -

There are plenty more posts here by other people who have made cogent and lucid cases for lifting the lockdown.


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Originally Posted by v1p3r View Post
...Those who do not remember history are condemned to repeat it.
Indeed. I remember how we were among the small minority arguing against this idiotic lockdown. Now, there is a groundswell of support for that line of thought.

I feel that this entire Covid episode is one giant con that was inadvertently perpetrated by a bunch of people. Someone noticed a new flu and asked some questions; and soon that inquiry took on a life of its own and royally rogered the world. For its part, our government never took the time to ask the right questions and to evaluate its options. Even worse, the government refused to initiate a course correction after lockdown 1.0, or even after lockdown 2.0. The migrant crisis was all too visible then, and it was getting worse by the day. But, instead of examining the cost of their choices everyone frantically pointed at Italy and suggested that we were at the cusp of an apocalypse.

Just for reference, here is Italy's population pyramid..

India on full lockdown. Edit: Now extended with relaxations till June 30, 2020-italy.jpg

Italy Population Pyramid, 2019


And here is ours...


India on full lockdown. Edit: Now extended with relaxations till June 30, 2020-india.jpg

India Population Pyramid, 2019

No one bothered to ask or discuss the potential costs of a lockdown as a counter measure. Especially in a place like India which is fraught with inequality. Anyone questioning the lockdown was labelled "greedy" or as someone "more worried about money than about life". What utter nonsense was being propogated in the public discourse, and even here on this thread!! There was not even a perfunctory effort to dwell on what an economy actually means and on how it affects the crores of people in this country; many of whom barely eke out a living.

To all those people who say that it is hard to foresee the migrant crisis or other problems that came with the lockdown, I say, no, I don't think that it is that hard at all. Here (Many parts of India are in curfew) is a post from March 23rd. I wrote this just 2 days before Lockdown 1.0. If I could foresee it, surely the many smart people in government certainly can.

A lockdown is a heady cocktail of social injustice, economic catastrophe, and nightmarish logistics. But, above all the pragmatic arguments against the lockdown, there is the one of principle. A lockdown is essentially undemocratic. A lockdown is about forcing choices on people who simply cannot afford those choices. Why should someone stay indoors and forsake their daily bread because you and I want to feel safe? Is this disease so deadly that it is worth surrendering our freedoms, and worth subjecting the poor to unspeakable cruelties? Not one person bothered to ask these questions.

Instead, the government was busy announcing this economic package and that economic package. All for nought. Because without the basic information of when and how people would be back at work, all those packages mean nothing.

The notion being bandied was that the lockdown was only temporary and that in 3 to 5 weeks, we would see infections falling. Well, that sure worked out, didn't it? Even a child would have predicted that a pathogen with this much versatility and stamina is going to be around,.... well forever.

Result, we corralled ourselves into a lockdown that we had no clue how to exit. All this for a disease that is nothing more than a variation of the flu. More deadly the average flu, yes. But, not so deadly that we have to lock down 1.3 billion people and wade right into human tragedy of our own making. That is for sure. As (Dr.) vivek95 here has said, we live in a sea of microbes. More often than not, the microbes lose. Not the other way around.

The best thing to do is to stop testing altogether and just treat symptomatic patients. No social distancing. No quarantine. No nothing. Just treat this as another flu and move on. Because that’s essentially what this is.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aditya_Bhp View Post
..This is the new normal. We should be ready to accept it. Until a vaccine comes up or the virus mutates to a weak one, this is how we should live. Lockdowns and quarantine will be part of our life till then.
I think you are living in an alternate reality. The disease may be far from done; but we certainly are done with lockdowns. It's over. The lockdown shouldn't have been there in the first place. But, it is certainly over now. Best to wake up to that reality.

Don't believe me? Look around you.

If the disease is truly so deadly, there is no way that the government does a virtual U-turn. They may still use the term lockdown 5; but in reality the effort is to get everyone out and back to their lives. You can clearly see that in the tone and substance of public discourse from the government. Here is a video of Akshay Kumar asking people to get out and work.



This same Akshay Kumar was chastising people about coming out during the lockdown. That should tell you something about what the government feels about this disease now -

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Old 3rd June 2020, 00:48   #2286
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Re: India on full lockdown. Edit: Now extended with relaxations till June 30, 2020

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Originally Posted by mohansrides View Post
I think you are living in an alternate reality. The disease may be far from done; but we certainly are done with lockdowns. It's over. The lockdown shouldn't have been there in the first place. But, it is certainly over now. Best to wake up to that reality.
First of all, only the central govt has given up. Not the state govts. The state governments continue to practice localized lockdowns, which have successful.

This is what the Kerala chief minister had said today--
"In containment areas (121 hotspots in the state), curfew will be imposed till June 30 and only emergency services will be allowed. “In containment areas, lockdown will be complete. It will be a curfew. There is no room for any complacency in such areas,” he said."

So even when Central Govt is 'unlocking', there are regional lockdowns happening across the country.

Total lockdown with testing, contact tracing and quarantining is and will always be the best way to limit the disease spread and further prevent community transmission. But once community transmission has happened, there's no point locking down further, as contact tracing and quarantining is a waste, hence the central govt has given up.

Do remember, if the people are disciplined, obeys the instructions given by experts, avoid unnecessary travel and meetings, then a lockdown is not necessary.

So the only way to prevent another lockdown? Show the government that the citizens are disciplined, practice social distancing, wash hands, remain at home and only venture out for essentials and work.

Fyi: this is not just another flu. This thing is highly contagious. It may not affect people sitting in infront of computers, but this disease is definitely giving nightmares to the millions of healthcare workers in India and around the world, and they are working overtime and sacrificing their lives for the patients. If it was just a flu, the hospital beds wouldn't have been filled with corpses.

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Old 3rd June 2020, 01:23   #2287
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Re: India on full lockdown. Edit: Now extended with relaxations till June 30, 2020

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Originally Posted by Aditya_Bhp View Post
First of all, only the central govt has given up. Not the state govts. The state governments continue to practice localized lockdowns, which have successful.

This is what the Kerala chief minister had said today--
"In containment areas (121 hotspots in the state), curfew will be imposed till June 30 and only emergency services will be allowed. “In containment areas, lockdown will be complete. It will be a curfew. There is no room for any complacency in such areas,” he said."

So even when Central Govt is 'unlocking', there are regional lockdowns happening across the country.

Total lockdown with testing, contact tracing and quarantining is and will always be the best way to limit the disease spread and further prevent community transmission. But once community transmission has happened, there's no point locking down further, as contact tracing and quarantining is a waste, hence the central govt has given up.
Yes, you are right. Micro areas are in lockdown supposedly. But, the progression tells the story. Our housing society of 600 flats was shut unconditionally because one guy tested positive. Now, the order is that only the floor in question will be sealed. There is further word that in 2 more weeks, only the said flat would be sealed.

Fact is that we are waking up that the resources that we are expending in containing Covid is simply not worth it. This disease is simply not that deadly.

By the way, the guy who tested positive in our society is back in a week. All fine. We were thinking that they would keep him for 3 weeks or at least 2 weeks. Nope. He is good. "Go home", they told him.

Even the vigilantes in the housing society are waking up to the unsustainability of a lockdown. We have plenty of seniors walking now.

Initially, the states said no to air travel. Just a day later, they accepted limited flights. The number of people travelling is steadily increasing. Similarly, states came out with all kinds of rules for inter-state travel. Now, all that has been set aside, save for some precautionary instructions. The pace at which we are easing rules is quite fast. Thankfully so.

In two more weeks, we will see where this goes. As I said, they will continue to use the term "lockdown" as they would look silly telling people that they were wrong. But, the situation will be far from a lockdown. Because, if we go back to lockdown, we can forget about feeding people.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aditya_Bhp View Post
Do remember, if the people are disciplined, obeys the instructions given by experts, avoid unnecessary travel and meetings, then a lockdown is not necessary.

So the only way to prevent another lockdown? Show the government that the citizens are disciplined, practice social distancing, wash hands, remain at home and only venture out for essentials and work.
I don't have to remember anything. None of this is going to happen. If we follow all this, there would not be an economy left. No food for anyone. Yeah, we can socially distance our way all the way to a situation like sub-Saharan Africa. Maybe we should try telling the millions of people who use Mumbai's local trains to socially distance themselves as they are muscling their way into the train to get to their jobs!!

What a joke!! Like I said, most people who think that these measures are possible in India are living in an alternate reality.

Even the government doesn't stress on it. Notice that in the Akshay Kumar video, he dismisses the chance of getting infected, and then further dismisses the seriousness of the disease even if he were to get infected. That should tell you a whole lot about the message that the government is trying to convey to the people that it scared into staying indoors.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aditya_Bhp View Post
.. If it was just a flu, the hospital beds wouldn't have been filled with corpses.
Hospital beds are crowded because almost everyone infected are being taken to hospitals. Most of them need no care at all. Result, we are treated to visuals of bodies lying around.

The truth is that no city ever has as many beds as citizens. So, if we plonk a whole bunch of people with mild symptoms in hospitals, then the ones who die are going to make it look like the disease is a catastrophe.

This disease kills no more than any other. In fact, as a percentage it kills a lot fewer than others. But sure, let us give it God status and choke our hospitals and make sure that even treatable sicknesses are left untreated. And while we are at that, let us also sink the economy that feeds and clothes a billion people.
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Old 3rd June 2020, 02:34   #2288
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Re: India on full lockdown. Edit: Now extended with relaxations till June 30, 2020

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Originally Posted by mohansrides View Post
This disease is simply not that deadly.
If it has killed 3.8 Lakh people in 4 months, it is deadly, if it weren't deadly, why would doctors and nurses wear PPEs? They can wear regular clothes, it would be more comfortable and they will be able to work longer.

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Originally Posted by mohansrides View Post
By the way, the guy who tested positive in our society is back in a week. All fine. We were thinking that they would keep him for 3 weeks or at least 2 weeks. Nope. He is good. "Go home", they told him.
Its because of the flawed ICMR discharge policy, many states have rejected it. Its followed in some states to free up the beds and also improves recovery numbers.

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Originally Posted by mohansrides View Post
Even the vigilantes in the housing society are waking up to the unsustainability of a lockdown. We have plenty of seniors walking now.
We follow "Reverse Quarantine" here. The seniors and the weak stay at home, they are being protected as the virus strikes the hardest in them.


Quote:
Originally Posted by mohansrides View Post
In two more weeks, we will see where this goes. As I said, they will continue to use the term "lockdown" as they would look silly telling people that they were wrong. But, the situation will be far from a lockdown. Because, if we go back to lockdown, we can forget about feeding people.
Even in lockdown (1.0), the most strict one, there was no shortage of food. Farm produce was being procured and was sold in the markets. Infact food items were plenty here and cheap too. Essential services were always exempted in the lockdowns.


Quote:
Originally Posted by mohansrides View Post
I don't have to remember anything. None of this is going to happen. If we follow all this, there would not be an economy left. No food for anyone. Yeah, we can socially distance our way all the way to a situation like sub-Saharan Africa. Maybe we should try telling the millions of people who use Mumbai's local trains to socially distance themselves as they are muscling their way into the train to get to their jobs!!

What a joke!! Like I said, most people who think that these measures are possible in India are living in an alternate reality.
India is not just Mumbai or Delhi. There are villages and towns in India which have done a better job than the 'modern' cities of India. The alternate reality exists in these villages and towns. Most people are wearing masks, using sanitizers, and avoiding public transport, yet people there are going to work, and buying essentials.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mohansrides View Post
Even the government doesn't stress on it. Notice that in the Akshay Kumar video, he dismisses the chance of getting infected, and then further dismisses the seriousness of the disease even if he were to get infected. That should tell you a whole lot about the message that the government is trying to convey to the people that it scared into staying indoors.
No one listens to Akshay Kumar here. He is an actor and is not a qualified person to speak on issues such as this. This is not an advertisement. This is a serious matter that has brought the world to a stop. If its a reputed institution like AIIMS, which has said Covid19 isn't serious, we should think about it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mohansrides View Post
Hospital beds are crowded because almost everyone infected are being taken to hospitals. Most of them need no care at all. Result, we are treated to visuals of bodies lying around.

The truth is that no city ever has as many beds as citizens. So, if we plonk a whole bunch of people with mild symptoms in hospitals, then the ones who die are going to make it look like the disease is a catastrophe.
The patients need hospital care because the clinical progression in Covid19 varies between people. Also enough studies aren't there to say, who lives and who doesn't. The problem with Covid19 is that even asymptomatic patients can progress into ARDS in short duration. Why does this happen? Not much data is available. So its better not to take the risk and all of them need hospital care.

Other diseases like Bacterial Pneumonia, the progression is linear, and is well documented. And if its a deadly disease, necessary interventions can be done beforehand. This is not possible here. No one knows if a Covid19 patient will live or die tomorrow.


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Originally Posted by mohansrides View Post
This disease kills no more than any other.
The mortality may be less, but then no one can predict who lives and who dies. If I get infected today, a doctor cannot assure me that I will be there tomorrow.
Death rate is more in elderly, immunocompromised, hypertensives etc, so we should protect them by practicing Reverse quarantine.

Last edited by Aditya_Bhp : 3rd June 2020 at 02:37.
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Old 3rd June 2020, 03:01   #2289
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Re: India on full lockdown. Edit: Now extended with relaxations till June 30, 2020

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Originally Posted by hothatchaway View Post
However, I am yet to understand what was achieved by a dramatic announcement shutting everything down in a tiny window of four hours. What were people expected to accomplish in those few hours? Rush home, hoard essentials, visit ones fiancee, all of the above and some more?
I think the idea was that by not giving a long time between announcement and implementation, we would prevent the move of migrant population across the country. At least I think that was the rationale. To limit the spread, we need to limit movement - between states and between cities and the hinterland. And to be honest I think that the Prime Minister stressed on this several times - stay where you are. Also the message about landlords not to take rent etc.

In Italy the news of lockdown leaked a mere day before it was implemented and by then lakhs of people had moved across North and South. This became a big problem to control the spread and caused a second cluster.

So I can see the merits of a surprise lockdown.

For the migrants to stay put though we needed a coherent plan where the net migrant positive states (here I mean Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Delhi), the migrant source source states (West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and UP) and the center to decide on a mechanism of immediate cash relief (perhaps a dole given at banks against Aadhar cards), shelter and food. This step was completely missing and the rest, well, kind of snowballed from there when people started to walk rather than starve.

Last edited by digitalnirvana : 3rd June 2020 at 03:04.
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Old 3rd June 2020, 03:30   #2290
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Re: India on full lockdown. Edit: Now extended with relaxations till June 30, 2020

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Originally Posted by Aditya_Bhp View Post
If it has killed 3.8 Lakh people in 4 months...The mortality may be less, but then no one can predict who lives and who dies. If I get infected today, a doctor cannot assure me that I will be there tomorrow.
This is the problem. Looking at the world through one lens only. Please understand this clearly. No one is supposed to make it out of here alive. Everyone dies of something.

Covid is not the only killer out there. There are plenty more waiting for all of us. Roughly 1.5 lac people die every day. In the 6 months since Covid began, that translates to roughly 300 lac deaths. Out of those 300 lacs, 3 lacs are Covid deaths. So, the logic of shutting down entire societies to protect people from a possible Covid death is downright stupid. You can argue that deaths would have been more without a lockdown. But, how much more? If you are going to shut down entire societies and put more than 90% of the workforce out of work and push them to the brink of starvation, then the disease better be really really deadly. That certainly is not the case with Covid.

Today, the government broke out more data showing that our death rate is very low, and even in that low death rate, 50% of the deaths are occuring in 10% of the population. Slowly, they are realising the cost of the trade-off of a lockdown vs. the actual disease.


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Originally Posted by Aditya_Bhp View Post
We follow "Reverse Quarantine" here. The seniors and the weak stay at home, they are being protected as the virus strikes the hardest in them.
This should have been the approach from day 1. People who are vulnerable and people who are fearful can stay in. But, those who need to go out to ear their daily bread must have been allowed. It is their life and their risk. They should not have been held accountable for other people's safety.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Aditya_Bhp View Post
Even in lockdown (1.0), the most strict one, there was no shortage of food. Farm produce was being procured and was sold in the markets. Infact food items were plenty here and cheap too. Essential services were always exempted in the lockdowns.
All the initial availability of food essentials were because a lot of the supply had already reached destinations. Subsequent availability was because the relaxations were provided to keep the supply chain running. Even during those times, prices of vegetables and other commodities surged really high here and in Pune. Here are three articles that discuss it.

https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/bu...h-5171351.html

https://www.newindianexpress.com/sta...a-2127776.html

https://indianexpress.com/article/in...arket-6346498/


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Originally Posted by Aditya_Bhp View Post
India is not just Mumbai or Delhi. There are villages and towns in India which have done a better job than the 'modern' cities of India. The alternate reality exists in these villages and towns. Most people are wearing masks, using sanitizers, and avoiding public transport, yet people there are going to work, and buying essentials.
Well, that may be so. But, the metros are the economic drivers. All social distancing rules are simply not realistic in metros. And if you think that people are following social distancing in most rural areas, I would wager that you are wrong. Take a drive to most rural areas in the country and you will find varying degrees of compliance; and the rate of compliance is weakening by the day.


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Originally Posted by Aditya_Bhp View Post
The patients need hospital care because the clinical progression in Covid19 varies between people. Also enough studies aren't there to say, who lives and who doesn't. The problem with Covid19 is that even asymptomatic patients can progress into ARDS in short duration. Why does this happen? Not much data is available. So its better not to take the risk and all of them need hospital care.
Fair enough. So, what about the N other patients with thousands of other treatable sicknesses? Should we flush them all down the toilet so that a Covid patient can feel safe? And what about our ability to pay for healthcare? With very few people working, how do we compensate our healthcare people adequately?


Quote:
Originally Posted by Aditya_Bhp View Post
No one listens to Akshay Kumar here. He is an actor and is not a qualified person to speak on issues such as this.
Sir... This is not that other bathroom cleaner commercial from Akshay for some private company. This is a public interest announcement done by the health ministry. The government does indeed want you to listen to the message in the video. That is the whole point of making it.

Remember that the original narrative was that we will ease lockdown when the curve flattens. But, our infections are going up every day, and yet, the government has chosen to initiate Unlock 1.0, and to make this ad with Akshay. That is the clearest sign of things to come.

Bottom line = You can continue to believe that your world will end with Covid. That is your choice. But, the rest of the world is moving on and opening up. No amount of argument is changing that. Period.

Last edited by Aditya : 4th June 2020 at 07:57. Reason: Repeated words deleted
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Old 3rd June 2020, 08:31   #2291
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Re: India on full lockdown. Edit: Now extended with relaxations till June 30, 2020

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Originally Posted by mohansrides View Post
Bottom line = You can continue to believe that your world will end with Covid. That is your choice. But, the rest of the world is moving on and opening up. No amount of argument is changing that. Period.
Prevention is better than Cure.
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Old 3rd June 2020, 11:02   #2292
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Re: India on full lockdown. Edit: Now extended with relaxations till June 30, 2020

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Originally Posted by Aditya_Bhp View Post
Prevention is better than Cure.
Except, that there is no cure.

To be honest, we need to stop falling into this hysteria which media has created for this virus. With a mortality rate < 3 % (it might be actually a lot lower, given the fact that there are no antibody tests done in India right now), we need to seriously move on with life now. We cannot be locked down forever. There are no signs that this virus will ever leave us or even if it disappears won't come back.

The focus should now be on stopping the fear mongering, building a healthy personal immune system and gradually getting our lives back to normal. Vaccine may take time, herd immunity (if at all applicable) will take time, that doesn't mean we keep ourselves locked down forever.


And you also mentioned in your previous post that every person who tests positive should get admitted to the hospital. This would prove catastrophic for the overall health system not only in India but in any country. We know right that there are N number of difference diseases far more dangerous and requiring hospitalisation, than corona virus ? Infact, the Delhi CM mentioned in his press briefing yesterday and insisted (rightly so) that asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients should observe home quarantine, and for a change i agree with Delhi CM.

Bottom line is that we need to live with Corona. We need not and cannot run away from it. And, there is no need for the sought of panic which media has created.
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Old 3rd June 2020, 12:17   #2293
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Re: India on full lockdown. Edit: Now extended with relaxations till June 30, 2020

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Originally Posted by msdivy View Post
Agree with you. Now that the Shramik trains are running in May, what has changed since March, that your fear of spread in rural communities won't come true?
I agree it is happening even now, however, the village authorities have taken some steps to control it. We have a school outside the village which has been turned into a shelter and anyone coming from outside is being asked to stay over there for 14 days and then 7 days home quarantine. Additionally they are being paid as well to control the dissatisfaction from not working.

They had some time to think through it and prepare.
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Old 3rd June 2020, 12:27   #2294
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Re: India on full lockdown. Edit: Now extended with relaxations till June 30, 2020

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Originally Posted by srishiva View Post
almost all care is being given by govt for covid, detection and hospitalization. I hope they are not differentiating the poor and rich.
Let me share a personal first-hand experience for the benefit of others.

Our Company Driver doing material deliveries comes back from Jaipur last week and feels body ache on return, he comes the next day to the office and we notice high fever. We send him back home and tell him to see a Doctor. He goes to a nearby Doctor in the locality and he gets some blood tests done for Typhoid and few other things. Everything comes negative. He was prescribed Paracetamol to keep his fever in check.

We tell him to go and report to the nearest COVID Hospital (found that Gurgaon has only One COVID Hospital currently!!) Not surprisingly, no one checks him and tell him to come back if his fever persists. I call SRL to get the private testing done but they need a prescription from a doctor before they can take a test. Fine, so he goes to a larger hospital, they write the Test and we send the documents to SRL. They reject, asking Doctors name, EMail, and Cell Number. He goes back to the hospital and they refuse to give details and instead give Landline numbers and a general Mail ID of their hospital. SRL does not accept that. Next Day, I spoke to that Hospital, asking the way out when they offer to organize a test at their own hospital, we pay fees and our person goes and wait for the mobile unit to turn up. After a long wait (3-4 Hours) they take the sample.

The Report came Positive yesterday.


Apart from body ache, this guy is well and lives with his wife and a small kid in a one-room house. Hospital, where he got the test done, does not accept the COVID patients and nor does any other hospital here except a Government ESI center. He goes there and after 2-3 hours of wait is prescribed some medicines and sent home and told to maintain distance from the family. None of his family members were tested. He was prescribed - Cipcal D3, Paracetamol-500 & Vitamin C Chewable tablets.

Out of abundant caution, I have got 6 of our staff (from total 12) from that branch tested. This time, we went with Medanta. They charge Rs 200 for registration, Rs 1000 for Doctor prescription & Rs 4500 for COVID. Took almost 5 hours to complete the formalities and by the time they could find the sample collection place, which is somewhere outside the hospital, the doctors had left for home. They work 930-430.

Today morning, samples are given as I type sitting alone in the office as I have asked everyone to remain at home until test reports come.

Last edited by Turbanator : 3rd June 2020 at 12:36.
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Old 3rd June 2020, 12:49   #2295
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Re: India on full lockdown. Edit: Now extended with relaxations till June 30, 2020

Most people have no idea about the seriousness of the matter. They are safe from Covid-19 as they stay in front of the computer most of the time, and also have Work From Home options as well. The only ones who are suffering are the resident doctors, the nursing staff, and other health care workers. Most of them do not even go home fearing the disease might spread to their family. They still do not have sufficient quality protective gears. They are humans, and are suffering from depression, stress and anxiety. They are basically slaves as of now. And India has done little for the health care workers. The least we can do is to prevent further transmission of the disease by social distancing, washing hands and avoiding unnecessary travel, and protect the health care staff.

If educated people cannot follow basic precautions, I don't think its necessary that the doctors and nurses need to work overtime and sacrifice their lives for patients. The health care workers can sit at home, sit in front of the TV and watch people die. The virus is here too stay, but that doesn't mean we should loosen the guard.

There is going to be an explosion of cases in the coming 1 month. By June 30th, we will have almost 5 lakh cases at the current rate. With relaxations, the numbers will be more. Unless the govt acts swift, India will be doomed.

Last edited by vb-saan : 3rd June 2020 at 13:06. Reason: Post trimmed; the anger is understood, but please avoid comments against fellow members - generic or personal.
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