It might be thought a bit of technical analysis of disease spread on networks would be topical in the current times, but the multiplicity of experts and technical opinions is daunting, and one more is certainly not needed. So here is a nondaunting blog post.
First, a bit of appreciation for the Tamil Nadu Health Department. They have been on the ball since February. They also deserve a round of applause for having anticipated events. The machinery swung into action at least a week before the nationwide lockdown, getting schools and colleges closed, hostels vacated, and giving a bit of thought to the preparation of quarantine facilities. Also, going by our locality, they have also disinfected buildings, carried out day to day monitoring of residents, kept the streets clear and made any number of public health announcements. The state government also deserves some credit for giving the state a good 24 hours to get prepared for the lockdown. This might be one reason why the lockdown has been really well observed in the state. Finally, though the number of cases has been large, the number of deaths has been small (touch wood), which speaks well for the level of medical treatment. Kerala has done even better on this front.
The nation, on the other hand, has bumbled on in its usual way. The overall implementation has been good, with a little bit of the usual right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing. However, the adherence to the opinion of the health professionals has been heartening. It is of course, another story that even medical professionals have been foxed by the corona. It may be a year or two before what was done right and what was done wrong becomes clear. It appears that the severity of the disease and its spread in different populations is different, whether due to social, climatic or genetic reasons. It is also possible that more than one strain of the virus is floating around, although by now every strain would have reached everywhere. This is another mystery that only further analysis will resolve.
Lastly, a distressing fact. The present time is a time of not just a national but a global calamity. Here is an enemy of humanity which is unseen and unknown, and hence not susceptible to the usual demonisation. At a time like this, one would expect not just the nation, but humanity to hang together. Instead, there is xenophobia, communalism, and a lack of sympathy, not just for sick and suffering people, but even for their valiant caregivers. This is cause for headbanging, not just thali banging. Hopefully, more thoughtful consideration will show the light. (Please stand by for date and time).
This blog post is by Neelima Gupte and Sumathi Rao.
First, a bit of appreciation for the Tamil Nadu Health Department. They have been on the ball since February. They also deserve a round of applause for having anticipated events. The machinery swung into action at least a week before the nationwide lockdown, getting schools and colleges closed, hostels vacated, and giving a bit of thought to the preparation of quarantine facilities. Also, going by our locality, they have also disinfected buildings, carried out day to day monitoring of residents, kept the streets clear and made any number of public health announcements. The state government also deserves some credit for giving the state a good 24 hours to get prepared for the lockdown. This might be one reason why the lockdown has been really well observed in the state. Finally, though the number of cases has been large, the number of deaths has been small (touch wood), which speaks well for the level of medical treatment. Kerala has done even better on this front.
The nation, on the other hand, has bumbled on in its usual way. The overall implementation has been good, with a little bit of the usual right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing. However, the adherence to the opinion of the health professionals has been heartening. It is of course, another story that even medical professionals have been foxed by the corona. It may be a year or two before what was done right and what was done wrong becomes clear. It appears that the severity of the disease and its spread in different populations is different, whether due to social, climatic or genetic reasons. It is also possible that more than one strain of the virus is floating around, although by now every strain would have reached everywhere. This is another mystery that only further analysis will resolve.
Lastly, a distressing fact. The present time is a time of not just a national but a global calamity. Here is an enemy of humanity which is unseen and unknown, and hence not susceptible to the usual demonisation. At a time like this, one would expect not just the nation, but humanity to hang together. Instead, there is xenophobia, communalism, and a lack of sympathy, not just for sick and suffering people, but even for their valiant caregivers. This is cause for headbanging, not just thali banging. Hopefully, more thoughtful consideration will show the light. (Please stand by for date and time).
This blog post is by Neelima Gupte and Sumathi Rao.
