The second wave
Learning from the experiences of India
This pandemic easily qualifies to be the most testing times of our lives and we need all our defences up and ready to battle it out. – Dr Dubey –
TWO months back in March it had almost been a year to the nationwide shutdown because of COVID-19 in India — as well as in Fiji. Things were looking promising and upwards, the economy slowly getting back to pre-COVID-19 era and the fear and anxiety regarding the pandemic was slowly fading away.
Little did we know, the second wave of the pandemic was arriving to haunt us.
The months of April and May 2021 have been horrific for India, to say the least.
The number of COVID-19 positive patients went through the roof, let alone the number of deaths.
The situation in the country was devastating because of the increased demand for oxygen cylinders, ventilators, medicines, beds and other resources.
While people may call it a mismanagement, let us all agree that no one had imagined this scenario two months back and would have surely laughed it off in preCOVID-19 era.
While it is still debatable whether India did its best for COVID-19 management or not, one thing we surely can conclude is that this phase has given us a lot to ponder upon and get prepared for the third wave of COVID-19.
Learning from the experiences of a country with population more than 140 crores (more than 1.2 billion), where some states have more population than majority of the countries of the world, can be really beneficial in terms of pandemic management.
Since I have experienced the second wave in India personally, in this article I have tried to jot down some of the important issues that Fiji needs to resolve so that we can escape this pandemic smoothly.
1. The sooner, the better
I have seen majority of the cases in India getting worse just because they never came out with their symptoms.
The people decide on different kinds of medication while the symptoms were developing and took too much time to realise that they need help.
It is really important that once you realise the symptoms are similar to COVID-19, you need to come out and seek medical help.
Remember, the recovery rate of COVID-19 is more than 98 per cent, so it really helps if you start getting treatment during the early stages rather than allowing the virus to infect and damage your lungs;
2. Do not panic —
In the second wave of COVID-19, India witnessed a major panic attack throughout the states.
As a result, people resorted to heavy stockpiling of medicines.
People bought medicines which they never had to use.
The only question that seemed relevant at that time was, “what if I am infected with COVID-19, I would definitely need this”.
This resulted in a situation where even simple paracetamol was hard to procure in big cities of the country.
Please make sure that you have the medicines which you need and do not stockpile. It may be used for some other needy people.
3. Stand together
India prides itself in the fact that there is unity in diversity among the population of the country.
So many religions, castes, tribes, and languages yet when the situation demanded, they came together. In the two months of the second wave in India, there hardly seemed to be any difference that affected the situation adversely.
While it is unfortunate that mainstream media could not cover more of these events, the ground reality showed that in this war there are only two parties, COVID-19 and humanity, and you will have to choose the latter, rather than your religion, color, caste or language.
Fiji is yet another country which follows the concept of unity in diversity.
Be strong, be united. That needs to be mantra of the time.
4. Recovery takes time, be patient
One thing that has to be accepted in the purview of Fiji is that the COVID-19 recovery takes time and family members as well as the patient will have to be patient.
The virus has the potential to break you down not only physically, but also mentally.
The psychological after effects of COVID-19 have to be dealt calmly and patiently.
The body itself takes about four-six weeks to recover fully so it will be better if the brain is given some more rest.
In the scenario the role of family members will become vital and they will have to ensure that the patient gets enough rest holistically;
5. Get vaccinated
This issue has been gaining enough traction in almost every country and the conspiracy theories popular behind it are just ridiculous.
The percentage of the number of deaths due to vaccinations worldwide does not seem significant enough to skip the vaccination process.
The evidences strongly suggest that the approved vaccinations all over world offer enough immunity against COVID-19.
While there are positive cases reported even after both vaccinations, the counter argument says that majority of them had enough immunity that they sailed off smoothly.
It is of utmost importance that the citizens of the country get ready to be jabbed and develop immunity to the virus; and
6. Be alert, be safe
While it may take some time to let go the second wave of COVID-19, remember that the risks of the virus may exist forever.
The best solution of this scenario would be to take precautions all the time with masks and social distancing being the new normal of the society.
One of the probable reasons the second wave is affecting the world is that we let our defence down and underestimated the potential of this virus.
We need to make sure that this is not repeated, or else the results can be disastrous.
Testing times
This pandemic easily qualifies to be the most testing times of our lives and we need all our defences up and ready to battle it out.
I heard that testing times bring out the best of humanities and I have literally seen that in context of India.
Now, I am vouching it for my second home, Fiji.
Toso Viti toso!