Governments are at their wits’ end when it comes to tackling Covid-19, as the infection figures rise by the minute worldwide, within nations and within cities. The more the world tries to shrug off the menace in of the pandemic, the more its lethality, reach and spread. The latest shock on the Indian side is that top film personalities like the Bachchans – Amitabh, Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai – have been hit alongside a child in the star-studded family. It goes to show that even the well-protected are not safe from Covid’s reach. In several cases, how people contracted the virus despite the great care and social isolation they practised for themselves and their families remains a mystery.
Worldwide, the scenario remains grim. In the worst-hit US, the daily rise in infection is now of the order of 66,000 – taking the total number of the sick to a high of 3.185 million. In other words, the most-developed nation accounts for one fourth of the total 12.5 million infections worldwide. Worse, the US is reporting some 800 Covid-linked deaths a day.
India has seen a more forceful surge in recent days, with the number of total infected crossing the 8.5 lakh figure by Sunday; its rise being at the daily rate of over 28,000 and deaths in the range of about 600 a day. Some comfort is derived from the fact that the recovery rate is steadily improving at around 63 per cent, and recovery figures are outnumbering the active Covid tally. Maharashtra and Delhi remain among the worst-hit, and Tamil Nadu too, while Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh are battling the situation with further strengthening of the lockdown provisions in a new frenzy both from the government and from the pandemic.
A vaccine for Covid-19 is still in the realm of hope. India too is trying to develop its own vaccine via labs of major pharma firms, and time is of essence. Hope is that a vaccine might be a reality a year hence. The problem is how to keep the show going thus far, without a total collapse of the global and national economies. Issues persist too. The call from top philanthropist Bill Gates to plan out a distribution pattern based on equity and wider reach rather than market interests, once a vaccine is ready, points to the likely greed on the part of those from developed nations to seek first priority for use. This, in view of the billions they are putting investing to develop an effective vaccine against the pandemic. Rather, this rather is time to care and share.
