[ramzsys]

If anything, covid only accentuated the pathetic lives we are living already.

Overpopulation, being the elephant in the room which brings down number of doctor/beds/oxygen cylinder per 1000. Also, on any ordinary day pre-covid, the culture of political bickering and blame games in the night television news; This has resulted in a sharp polarization; find someone/something to blame for all woes and that's about it and the populace amused by this drama.

What's even worse is this pandemic and the fear of life didn't bring an iota of change in the way we live.

This is very much like our roads with insane number of vehicles struggling for breathing space, honking at will out of sheer restlessness and frustration with the road to home nowhere in sight.
Batten down the hatches and try to find a way to keep breathing through this and any successive waves.

[Diesel9999]

Might be a slightly off-topic post but I'd like to add my two cents to this thread. I have had the most humbling and scary experience today, thanks to the current Covid situation in our country.

To give a perspective, I work in the entertainment and advertising sector. Luckily, we have been doing fairly well for the past couple of years. Last year, when the lockdown was imposed, our Industry was one of the hardest to be hit. We were also one of the last sectors to get permission to open up. So from about March to September, we had literally zero revenue.

But I am proud to say that God gave me the strength and the means to take care of all of my employees through the period. I did not cut any of their salaries and though the office was closed, they all got their money. From October, business started slowly picking up and we actually had a good 2021 so far.

I was always proud of my "connections". Even when I saw reports of shortages in the media, it never occurred to me that I would be at the receiving end one day. But today was that day!

Someone in my extended family fell seriously ill, to the point where they are now on a ventilator. First, to get a ventilator, I had to move heaven and earth and run from pillar to post. I found one with great difficulty and after enormous tension. Then the docs wanted Remdesivir ASAP. And with all of my "connections", I couldn't find it!

I had to beg. I tried calling in favours. I did everything I could. But all doors closed on my face. Luckily, a good samaritan helped me out in a different city. Now the vials are being brought by road in the hope that they'd do their magic.

Our society is not just staring at economic disaster from closure of businesses. We are staring at economic disaster induced by exorbitant hospitalisation costs. Despite the "warnings" from authorities, hospitals are making merry with massive bills. Beds, medicines, oxygen.. everything is selling at a premium and people are being forced to sell properties to survive. If this is not a social disaster, I don't know what is.

I don't know if any surveys or economic reports will ever quantify this damage that is being inflected on a massive section of our society. And I shudder to thing about the longterm after effects of this.

We had the chance to start vaccinating early and prepare for round 2. Instead, we gifted and sold millions of doses to other countries before inoculating our own citizens. The politicians of this country have blood on their hands.

[dragracer567]

The Indian middle-class was already gutted by the lackluster growth since 2017 due to the shock-treatments by our leadership. Something as basic as hunger hasn't been addressed properly while we still chronically underspend on health and education which leads to the loss of valuable human capital. Perhaps, apart from in certain graphs + infrastructure, I feel India has barely progressed itself in the 2010s as compared to the 2000s when it comes to human capital.

Originally Posted by pkk077

While we must target politicians of the ruling party in Centre, please don't forget the public discourse just 3 months back when, the same political parties begging for help from centre now, were raising doubts over the efficacy of the vaccines.

Well, approving a vaccine before its trials were done was a very unorthodox move and in any country with a fairly independent civil society, questions would've risen from the opposition parties and experts. We may trust our companies and scientists but that doesn't mean that we should trust the vaccines till the data is out (I must stress that the Phase 3 trials of COVAXIN have concluded and it has an efficacy of 78-81% + works on mutant variants, but we didn't know that 3 months back). I really don't understand people getting annoyed at the civil society for raising genuine questions! Look at China where because the people can't complain, they have to put up with subpar vaccines (again COVAXIN is an excellent vaccine but we didn't know it 3 months back).

[xcentrk]

Originally Posted by v1p3r

I am sorry for your situation. You seem like a decent person. I hope your business pulls through.

Thanks for your kind words. People often forget how consoling others help them. All I get so far is "You deserve this loss", "I told you so", "You should have stayed in your IT job, now you suffer because of your decision".

While I am not one to dwell on such words, it hurts to see how many people enjoy your downfall. Even within your close circle of friends and family.

Originally Posted by v1p3r

Prepare for one, starting in May.

Everyone is so sure that there will be another lockdown and that is what made me hold on to all my purchases even though I know there are orders.

If we would have followed basic safety guidelines we wouldn't be in such big mess. We brought this upon ourselves and now we suffer!

[ZenMaster]

India is paying for its arrogance. Arrogance at the Govt. Level thinking that since numbers are going down, it can afford to look away and focus on their next round of political musical chairs, thinking that the govt's background machinery can take care of everything on "Autopilot"

&

The Arrogance of the general population, that it can go about just like it used to (no moral obligation to observe discipline or show any sort of civic sense even in an emergency.) I still remember theories floating around regarding Indian populations Magical immunity to the virus ranging from BCG vaccine to our uncleanliness and even superior genetics. While there may be 2%truth even in any random theory, we took it as an opportunity to show off our "Superior Immunity" while laughing at "Weak" westerners. I confess that I myself have at time believed these at times hoping its true.

Also, the second semester of WhatsApp University seems to have started again with tips and trick and concoctions to keep corona away and the usual political blame posters. So, watch out for those too and please try your best to not spread them further than they have.

[Kln]

Originally Posted by Diesel9999

Our society is not just staring at economic disaster from closure of businesses. We are staring at economic disaster induced by exorbitant hospitalisation costs. Despite the "warnings" from authorities, hospitals are making merry with massive bills. Beds, medicines, oxygen.. everything is selling at a premium and people are being forced to sell properties to survive. If this is not a social disaster, I don't know what is.

.

To call it 'making merry' is offensive to the endless service doctors and hospitals are doing, sorry to be blunt. All hospitals are stretched thin to the bone trying to manage COVID patients. They do not have upstream resources themselves for all the patients. Hospitals, like any other business, need money to survive.

The government has had more than ample time to ramp up public hospitals and open new ones. Instead, they have intentionally weakened and crippled the existing ones and passed the buck on to private players. Not only that, they have gradually destroyed incentives for private players as well. So, most of the hospitals are just getting through. Noone wants to innovate or do good. This two hit phenomenon - weakening public hospitals by not funding them, and killing incentives by overregulating private hospitals is why we are in the mess that we are.


I strongly believe that healthcare cannot be 100% privatised. Socialized healthcare is the need of the hour in countries like ours. In fact, in times of crises, it is the public teaching hospitals that have proven to be the backbone of the society. The government has killed any incentive for a young or old doctor to join a govt. hospital, and has refused to fill vacancies over years and years. Words cannot describe my disdain for the govt babus who have destroyed a once robust public healthcare system India had.

[drift87]

I wouldn't want to be one of them who thinks the lock down has not made a huge dent in our already reeling economy. What is sad, and perpetual is that its always the middle class that bears the brunt due to the wrong decisions made at individual/administrative level. Much has been said about how unprepared we are for handling such a crisis, because of the gross mismanagement of our establishment. This can mostly be attributed to the value that we give to human life in our country. Anything and everything is based on the insatiable hunger for power/authority, which I feel is the same case in other parts of the world. In my opinion, this is going to get worse over the period of time and we may see a huge cultural shift with one of the worst economic disparity. And things are not going to get better unless there is a drastic change in education levels. I really do not foresee a healthy future.

[Diesel9999]

Originally Posted by Kln

To call it 'making merry' is offensive to the endless service doctors and hospitals are doing, sorry to be blunt. All hospitals are stretched thin to the bone trying to manage COVID patients. They do not have upstream resources themselves for all the patients. Hospitals, like any other business, need money to survive.

The government has had more than ample time to ramp up public hospitals and open new ones. Instead, they have intentionally weakened and crippled the existing ones and passed the buck on to private players. Not only that, they have gradually destroyed incentives for private players as well. So, most of the hospitals are just getting through. Noone wants to innovate or do good. This two hit phenomenon - weakening public hospitals by not funding them, and killing incentives by overregulating private hospitals is why we are in the mess that we are.


I strongly believe that healthcare cannot be 100% privatised. Socialized healthcare is the need of the hour in countries like ours. In fact, in times of crises, it is the public teaching hospitals that have proven to be the backbone of the society. The government has killed any incentive for a young or old doctor to join a govt. hospital, and has refused to fill vacancies over years and years. Words cannot describe my disdain for the govt babus who have destroyed a once robust public healthcare system India had.

I'd like to apologise if my comments have offended you. I am in no way talking about the immense personal sacrifices being made by our frontline workers and medical staff. This country owes them a lot.

And I do agree that there is enormous pressure on private hospitals due to the decades long negligence in beefing up public healthcare.

But when I said hospitals are making merry, I am merely talking about hospital managements who definitely are using this situation to their advantage by charging over and above what is needed or what is usual. At least in our city that is the case. And this is not just my observation. It seems to be a common issue being faced by many.

[krishnakarthik1]

See guys, this is the actual problem- "India Has 8.6 Doctors, 5 Hospital Beds For Every 10,000 Population"

India is ranked 155th in the index and there are only twelve countries in the world that have an even worse record. This is a Dec 2020 Human Development Report report and I sure those stats are the same today.

Simple supply and demand market economics working here. Too much life hence too little value. Why invest in trying to change a low value product? Hence no one invests in affordable healthcare. So what ever you do if a disaster strikes nothing can be done in our country.

But this wave is purely caused by the media and death mongering urban elite. Their hatred of one person has turned into the hatred of the country. Just because a vaccine was given emergency approval it was touted to be a scam and that laid the seed for the vaccine hesitancy campaign. If ten or twenty in a crore had a complication only those cases were highlighted.

It has penetrated so much that even my domestic help and her entire colony won't get vaccinated. Even if a vaccine was 1% effective, it's still better than 0 and gives some strength to fight. For a few clicks or a few eye balls or some retweets or hatred towards one person this was done.

Solutions-
1. Get vaccinated asap. On May 1 when it opens to the majority of us lets get vaccinated by paying that 600 or 400 or something and not crib about that money and lets share that we got vaccinated.

2. Please eat out or take home few times a week. Those folks too got families they need to feed.

3. Debunk every anti vaccine argument. Putting on 100 masks or bathing in sanitizer won't help but vaccine will.

4. If someone is really rich try thinking about building hospitals for the long term.

Be positive. Just as fast as these cases went up, they will come down in a few weeks. Sanity will prevail.

[matizcrazy]

I think this pandemic is sparing no one from any strata of society or any country.
As a nation with an immense population of which only a few pay taxes, it is not practical for the Govts to fight the pandemic, provide free hospital facilities, free medicine , free quarantine etc to 99 pc of the population, assuming 1 pc can fend for themselves.
People need to take all precautions prescribed; blatant disregard of medical advice for Covid by the vast majority from September 2020 has led to this massive surge.
Regarding the financial part, every human being is responsible for their own financial well being. In the name of YOLO etc, people are indulging in needless expenses and pay the price ( pun not intended).
I live well within my meager income and have survived 2020 quite well; the austerity of the 70s and 80s are lost on the present generations, even among the lowest income groups. Aspirational living is a big contributor to this financial crisis.
I drive an old Tata Nano and avoided car EMIs for the last few years. Frugal living is not poverty, nor is it a financial crisis.

[dragracer567]

Originally Posted by ZenMaster

While there may be 2%truth even in any random theory, we took it as an opportunity to show off our "Superior Immunity" while laughing at "Weak" westerners. I confess that I myself have at time believed these at times hoping its true.

I couldn’t have put it better myself. I was so sick of people saying ‘hum desi log hain, humko kuch nahi Hoya’ (means ‘we are desi people, nothing will affect us’). We Indians considered ourselves exceptional and now we are paying for it.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by pkk077

Fair point. But then vaccinating about 10% of our population in such a short time actually should be considered a reasonable success than a failure.

If, if indeed we have vaccinated 10% then yes it is a sizeable number in the time available. But that is a very big if. I do not know if these Govt figures can be relied upon. Fact is the figures on deaths and infections have been fudged by some or most State Govt's with tacit and active support of the Central Govt. The fudging is so blatant that it is worse than a joke. So how can we say that the very same Govt's are putting out accurate or even reasonably accurate numbers about the vaccinations.

[enginesoul]

Originally Posted by ramzsys

If anything, covid only accentuated the pathetic lives we are living already.

Overpopulation, being the elephant in the room which brings down number of doctor/beds/oxygen cylinder per 1000. Also, on any ordinary day pre-covid, the culture of political bickering and blame games in the night television news; This has resulted in a sharp polarization; find someone/something to blame for all woes and that's about it and the populace amused by this drama.

What's even worse is this pandemic and the fear of life didn't bring an iota of change in the way we live.

This is very much like our roads with insane number of vehicles struggling for breathing space, honking at will out of sheer restlessness and frustration with the road to home nowhere in sight.
Batten down the hatches and try to find a way to keep breathing through this and any successive waves.

You stole my words. I think insanity on roads is mere reflection of restlessness in our lives and homes. There is not one thing we can do in India without being at the mercy of some officer be it RTO, Traffic Police etc.

Though I appreciate the tremendous efforts being put by our medical staff, I have personally seen them ripping off patients specially if they have insurance.

I think change will only come if we educate our new generation about morality in their young age. Ex: Swach Bharath has not affected who have already crossed 40/50 years of age but I see the change is school going children as they are taught about cleanliness seriously in schools.

[vinit.merchant]

A few points I would like to make

On 10% vaccinated already- vaccine was made available to general public on 01 March, but limited to 60+ population & 45+ if having co-morbidities. This part of the population will receive their second dose in April (4 weeks for Covaxin and 6-8 weeks for Covishield). Only then they can be called vaccinated.
Those seniors who received covishield in march, are still not vaccinated thanks to this revision of 4 weeks to minimum 45 days.
Hence I do not think 10% are actually fully vaccinated. First dose is not vaccination.

Another issue I want to point out is that last year, majority numbers reported were fake, and I would not go into details but it had a lot to do with the 1.5L INR grant per case from Centre to State. This played a game on people's mentality. People thought that thousands per day last year and nothing happened to us, so there is nothing to worry much.
This time, the numbers are real, people are actually getting sick and the reported numbers are visible around us. This was realized a little late and I think people now are realizing their mistake and taking precautions.

Society in which I live mostly has educated population. Adults were all playing cricket without masks and what not, up until 2 weeks back. There was a general disregard of precaution everywhere. And we live in an age where one cant really ask people to follow rules, not even politely.
Then one got infected, then another and now they are all in their homes taking precaution. I hope this realization is happening everywhere and people are realizing what they need to do.

Otherwise, when I go out, in general there is no civic sense followed. No masks, social distancing, no precaution. People in my city have this very frustrating habit of spitting, even when not eating any pan or guthka. They just keep spitting everywhere, as if they had been taught in childhood not to gulp down their own saliva.

End of Day, Civic sense will help people fight it more than the vaccine or the hospitals or the government. As pointed earlier, asking people to follow rules is not easy, and then governments have to opt for the utterly dangerous lockdowns.

[rm_arjuna]

Originally Posted by Kln

To call it 'making merry' is offensive to the endless service doctors and hospitals are doing, sorry to be blunt.

what was mentioned is infact the ground reality , where i had witnessed in close quarter in last month . The Hospital managements are minting money in name of Covid . My uncle had to undergo Bypass surgery at a wellknown Corporate Hospital and final bill had 1.2 lacs towards Covid tests and useables for 12 day stay .

My Entire inlaws family of 9 including kids of 9-3 yrs tested positive .My brother in law & father in law were hospitalised last week due to covid and every hospital at Tier 3 town were asking to sign an undertaking towards expenses which was 65k - 1 lac a day . Finally thru our contacts managed to get beds at Govt Hospital and they are recovering . If not for timely help we would had to spend atleast 8-10 lacs in last 10 days towards treatment .