CENTRE'S FAILURE TO MANAGE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Public Health Emergency

India is now in the clutch of a Pubic Health Emergency. Social media feeds are now bombarded with videos and images of COVID funerals at crowded cemeteries, long queues of Ambulance carrying gasping patients, Mortuaries Over flowing with the dead. There are agitated calls for helps for beds, medicines, oxygen, essential drugs and tests. Drugs are being sold on black market and test results are taking days.

Lack of sense of RESPONSIBILITY

The scenario is to believe that the central Government appears to have completely flopped handling the more dangerous and infectious second - Wave of COVID - 19 (SARS-CoV-2). On Wednesday, May 5th 2021, the country registered 4,12,095 fresh cases in a 24 hour period and recorded highest single Day death - Toll with 3,917 death. The spike in India has raised eyebrows. Is this a new variant or the Total failure of Indian Government to take this Pandemic seriously?

No ACTION taken

The central Government moved slowly , despite evidence of dangerousness of the disease. By March 10, 2020, before WHO declared a Pandemic, the Government here reported about 50 COVID-19 cases, with infections doubled in 14 days. The first major step from Central Government was a l4-Hour Curfew, which was complete dramatic but not in the line with the WHO recommendations. The callous Lockdown, with four hour notice sent Hundreds & Thousands of workers on the road to their homes, moneyless, some dying by street side, some on Railway railings, many carrying Virus to their home towns & Villages.

A year into the Pandemic, India has over 17 Million people who have detected infections with 2,30,000+ 3980 deaths. The failure of Central Government is more at the Macro- Level as they failed to take some timely and accurate decisions in the interest of the nation.

The New Currency

"Can India, population 1.3 Billion, be isolated ?" The Washington Post asked in a recent editorial about India's difficulty in containing new, fast- spreading COVID-19 variants within National border. Oxygen is the new currency on India's new stock exchange. Senior Politicians, Journalists, Lawyers, student Organisations and almost each and every person who have access to Social media are pleading for Hospital beds and oxygen Cylinders. The hidden market for Oxygen cylinders is growing.

What about the States?

The Government at the centre are not providing adequate funds to 'the State governments that are fighting a Two Front War:

1) One against the Pandemic

2) Other against Economic downturn despite compiling hundreds of crores of rupees in the PM-CARES Fund. The Centre government should have allowed the "State Governments and Public Hospitals to handle the vaccine rollout".

During the assembly elections in Karnataka, people thought, it would favour the state if they voted the same party which was ruling in Centre. But unfortunately, Prime Minister has not addressed a single word regarding the worst situation of the state considering the fact that Karnataka has given 26 MP's and are in power in the state And, the result is, due to the loose and lethargic decisions by the chief Minister which created a Out of havoc amongst people, Karnataka is now the second infected state which records highest number of cases and death tolls.

END OF ALL, PEOPLE SHOULD ALSO LEARN TO ADAPT to SHORT, LOCAL LOCKDOWNS IN THE EVENT INESCAPABLE FUTURE SPIKE OF INFECTION.

MOST EPIDEMIOLOGISTS PREDICT MORE WAVE IN INDIA THAT IS STILL FAR FROM REACHING HERD IMMUNITY.