Finally, after some four months of global scare, signs brightened this week about the success of vaccine trials with University of Oxford reporting first significant success, while several similar attempts are going on at labs around the world. Over 14 such trials are under way, and keenly watched by WHO.
India’s first candidate, Covaxin, has entered the stage of human trial this past week. Hopes about efficacy of drugs to treat Covid-19 are also high of late. This apart, non-allopathic medical branches like homoeopathy and Ayurveda are also coming up with their own prescriptions. All these, within a matter of a few months!
Notably, new vaccines will raise questions of safety even as they are certified to be effective. The long-term effects on the human body need to be ascertained before the final nod comes from responsible national and international health regulators. While these would take time, what needs emphasis is also that these are times when hopes are high that the pandemic can be neutralized sooner than later.
India reported a daily tally of 37,000 Covid infections by latest count, with the total infected so far numbering over 11.5 lakh, and the nation ascending to the third slot in global pandemic growth – after the worst-hit US and Brazil. In a month’s time, as per current trends, India could emerge as the worst-hit nation on the global Covid graph.
A relief is that, of these, some 7, 30,000 patients have recovered from the virus hit. The death toll remains at a modest 28,000, signifying less of lethality in Indian conditions, and the daily toll being in the order of 580. Tuesday was the third consecutive day the infection tally remained higher than 30,000; and the south is contributing substantially to the rise while Delhi saw a taming; and so did the worst-hit Dharavi in Mumbai. Notable also is the fact that, of the total deaths, nearly half came from Maharashtra alone. The state has also reported about one-fourth of the total infections. Meanwhile most north-eastern states have fewer infections possibly because they are less crowded than the cities.
Overall, there is both hope and despair. The rapid pace with which global agencies are working for a vaccine is reassuring. The free-wheeling manner in which the pandemic is turning the world upside down is still a major worry. Economies are in a shambles and the future is unpredictable as long as the virus is alive and kicking or if it makes an exit of its own as did SARS years ago.