Experts working to ensure Covid-19 cases don’t ‘explode’
As the novel coronavirus spreads far and ugly, leaving nothing but social distancing as the only way to save mankind, US presidential candidates and poll managers too are realising that this is the only way to keep democracy afloat in America for the November 2020 polls. The compulsion for social distancing has come from the yet unaccounted for and un-estimated expanse of human damage worldwide, including in the United States, where the death toll has touched 200 already and counting, and also because of the inability of poll organisers in both Democratic and Republican camps to get people to poll rallies. It is feared that voters may not even be able to get to the polls and exercise their rights safely.
The end result—use technology to reach out to voters, as the world witnesses the US polls going completely virtual this time.
As the US goes virtual to keep the poll fervour kicking, while it tries to beat the corona fever, there are others too devising ways to vote or delay the process itself.
In England, local level and mayoral elections have been postponed for a year as Covid-19 cases skyrocket; Israelis
under quarantine had to vote at special drive-through polling sites, leading to complaints of long lines and confusing instructions.
In the US, rallies have got cancelled, which many say that they haven’t seen since the Spanish Flu pandemic interrupted the midterm campaigns of 1918.
Also, amidst the concern about the health of two septuagenarians—democratic former Vice President Joe Biden, 77, and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, 78—whose advanced ages make Covid-19 particularly hazardous for their own safety—and with President Donald Trump himself getting tested amidst news of his meeting a corona positive guest at a get-together recently, will have effectively stopped holding
Medical experts who are in the forefront of probing the Covid-19 spread in India are working at speed to ensure that the epidemic does not “explode” in the country in the coming days. They are worried that people have still not realised the gravity of the situation that the country is facing.
These experts told The Sunday Guardian that though Covid-19, as of now, has not started spreading through community transmission, that situation is likely to change in days if people do not practice social distancing.
“People are still seeing this as a paid holiday. We are getting reports that people are mingling with their friends and relatives. The price of this carelessness will be very big,” a Delhi-based expert who has been probing Covid-19 samples for the last 45 plus days told The Sunday Guardian.
As of 9 a.m. on Saturday, as per data put out by the Union Ministry of Health, out of 285 cases, 22 were discharged and cured of the virus across India, four have died, while 231 people still remained active. The experts warned that the time for “sugar coating” the massive impact of not following social distancing was over. India had reported its first case on 30 January.
“We do not have beds to treat even 1% of Delhi’s population if they fall ill at the same time. If Covid-19 starts spreading in the community, the only option that the government will have is to make sure that patients stay inside their homes. We simply do not have the resources to treat even 1 lakh people if they fall ill at the same time. (The population of Delhi is over 2 crore.) That is why people need to be told that their lives and the lives of the people around them are in their hands. We will not be able to help them once the disease breaks,” said an official with AIIMS, Delhi. As per the Economic Survey of Delhi 2018-2019, the total number of hospital beds in Delhi was not even 1 lakh. As per the survey, the total number of beds was 57,194, with 29,301 or more than half of the total beds being