In my career as a clinician for over six decades, I have witnessed doctors battling disease, every single day, alongside their patients. There have been crises, situations that caused great panic, emergencies and alongside, enormous joy, every time a medical miracle was achieved and precious lives saved.
I was 12 years of age then, so I remember World War II quite well. It was a war, we knew who the enemy was and there was preparedness for combat. But the COVID-19 pandemic is proving to be a furtive adversary, threatening people in more than 200 countries and challenging even the most advanced healthcare systems in the world. If this is World War III, then it would go down in the annals of history and medicine as one, which in just 100 days, overwhelmed humanity and infected more than 1.5 million people and snatched 88,000 lives.
I have never seen what we are seeing today and believe that the world that I’ve known will never be what it was!
SARS-CoV-2, a 120 nm virus has brought the world to virtually a standstill. It has made us pause, stop and think. It has made us realise that the world we live in today has no borders. It has made us think that what we thought indispensable can actually be done away with. It has made us aware that we as a human race can break the barriers that we have erected and as a united force, can take on any challenge. It has made us recognise the amazing ability we have to find solutions in record time. It has made us appreciate the beauty of stillness. It has made us rekindle the power of finding solace in the arms of family members.
As I write, I am reminded of the period before India became independent from colonial rule in 1947. I was a teenager and was living with my parents in Aragonda, a small village in Andhra Pradesh. Then, the father of our nation Mahatma Gandhi was leading our freedom struggle through a movement of non-violence, and like every Indian, in spirit, I too joined the revolution.
Today, once again, I am seeing the same spirit of patriotism across our glorious nation, and I commend the Government of India and all the State governments for their relentless efforts in containing the pandemic.
India is bracing well to the challenge of COVID-19. The Government of India started preparing early (in January when there were no cases in India) and prepared well. The evacuation of our citizens from China and other countries, establishment of quarantine facilities, contact tracing, airport screening and travel advisories helped in preventing the spread of COVID-19 to a significant measure. Extensive advertisements, messages on cell phones and various social media platforms were employed like never before to reach all our citizens.
Be it augmenting capacity in testing, procurement and development of diagnostic kits, enhancing infrastructure, standardising protocols for quarantine, containment and treatment, augmenting access to personal protective equipment (PPE) and availability of ventilators, there was a strong intent with decisive action.
Doctors and researchers came together across the globe and unravelled the genome of SARS-CoV-2 in days. Diagnostic kits were developed rapidly, clinical and vaccine trials were initiated in record time. Our understanding has improved considerably in managing patients with COVID-19, we now have efficacious medication and we are at the cusp of using newer therapy. The public and private sector came together to take on SARS-CoV-2.
The Prime Minister of India has personally led the fight against COVID-19 addressing the nation three times in a fortnight. Global leaders and WHO have applauded the Government of India for its proactive approach.
A countrywide lockdown when there were less than 600 cases for a country of 1.35 billion is unprecedented in history and without parallel. This decision has met with huge support across the country and till date, 310 districts of India’s 735 remain free of the COVID-19 infection. People, even though inconvenienced, have realised that this action needed to be taken in the larger interest of the nation. There will be huge economic consequences but the decision was imperative in the larger interest of citizens. If there is health, only then can there be wealth. The lockdown is estimated to have prevented several thousand individuals from getting infected and saved numerous precious lives. The lockdown will help flatten the curve and not allow the health infrastructure to be overwhelmed.
The 1.4 million physicians of Indian origin working across the globe have been at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19, as they have done on many occasions in the past. The world is looking up to them for solutions and they will never let people down.
On 22nd March, we saw an outpouring of emotions from 135 crore Indians that would have uplifted the spirit of every healthcare professional. For doctors, patients come before all else because, at the age of 22, on graduating, they took an oath to care for humanity.
Together, we can, we must and we will be victorious over COVID-19. We are at an inflection point in our war and with a well thought-out strategy with meticulous execution, we will be victorious. As advised by the WHO, in the days ahead, we need to test, test and test, as ramping up testing is pivotal to break the chain.
On Tuesday, the 21-day lockdown period will be completed, a few States have already announced an extension till the end of the month. With the Prime Minister to address the nation, we will know the Centre’s decision on the road ahead. It is an arduous decision as they would have to weigh innumerable aspects regarding safeguarding the health of every Indian and secure the health of our economy. As responsible citizens, each of us have to abide by, respect the decisions of our administrative leaders, and do our part in staying well and safe.
Hopefully, the lessons we would have learnt about living within the parameters defined by the lockdown without dependence on what was once unimaginable, will stay with us. Who would have thought that virtual meetings can be as meaningful as they have turned out to be? Who would have thought that social distancing as a term would not only find its place in our vocabulary but also our day to day lives? Who would have thought we can demonstrate such discipline collectively? We will now have a new definition of what is normal, a new normal has taken shape in 2020. Life will never be the same again.