Vogue Warriors: Meet the scientist who is building the COVID-19 testing and treatment protocols in India

In 2009, when H1N1 or the Swine Flu pandemic was making itself felt across the globe, India had just two viral research and diagnostic laboratories—one at the National Institute of Virology in Pune and the other at the National Centre for Disease Control in Delhi. The warning signs that viral outbreaks (this was post-SARS) would be a regular feature of the 21st century were looming, for which India was grossly underprepared for.

A small team of scientists at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), came together to establish more labs for the easy diagnosis of viral infections. Dr Nivedita Gupta, now a senior scientist at ICMR, spearheaded the project and has been at its forefront ever since. “I created the network and the concept and worked with making these laboratories operational. We set up 15 world-class laboratories with all kinds of molecular virology specialities,” she says. Over the years they have battled a range of viral outbreaks including Dengue, Chikungunya, Zika and Nipah.

In January this year, the 45-year-old Dr Gupta knew she was facing the greatest challenge of her career—she had to make India ready for COVID-19, a virus that was fast crippling medical and health systems and networks world over. Since then, she has augmented the COVID-19 diagnostic capacity from 13 to 502 labs and counting.

When I speak to her over the phone, it’s about 10pm, she is still in the office with hours to go before she can head home. She isn’t exhausted, instead, she is cautiously elated because she and her team have been able to operationalise two laboratories in Nagaland. “There’s lots more to do,” she warns, “but we have to take time to appreciate the small milestones as well.”

Minding the gap

Dr Gupta’s job right now is at the crossroads of science and management. Overseeing the treatment and testing protocols, she holds a significant portfolio in India’s fight against the pandemic. Her priority at the moment is to set up an equitable distribution of labs with all the quality controls in place, she says, “If I look at states like Bihar or Rajasthan, the size of the state doesn't match with the number of laboratories that they have. Places like Ladakh and Lakshadweep are again underrepresented as far as testing laboratories are concerned. My first priority is definitely to understand the gap areas and to try and operationalise laboratories or testing facilities there.”

But tracing and understanding the disease to create a treatment protocol requires reliable data, which is proving to be their other big challenge. Dr Gupta explains, “Our network of labs have rapidly scaled but it’s not just about testing. We also need correct and timely data. This is the only sector of surveillance in the country which will tell us where we are heading, and in which phase of this pandemic we find ourselves.”

But this is the first time Dr Gupta and her team are directly answerable to the PMO and the Prime Minister himself. Does this change the work dynamic, on the ground? “For this outbreak, we are answerable to the highest level and are being watched by the highest level. They are concerned and actively helping with data entry, lab and testing issues. From the politicians to the bureaucrats, to the state and central governments working together—I have never witnessed this kind of political attention and diligence in our work before. It is truly amazing,” she says. She recounts how choppers have been organised to fly her techs in to set up laboratories across the country and how red tape has retreated as plans are implemented at a moment’s notice.

Leaning in

The Lucknow girl who moved to Delhi to pursue her MBBS from Lady Hardinge Medical College, followed by a PhD in molecular medicine from Jawaharlal Nehru University has come a long way, through sheer hard work. She isn’t afraid to lean in and is now determined to fight the pandemic and stay at the top of her field.

Though, some of her challenges are more personal. She explains, “As a working mother, the biggest challenge is to strike a balance between your kids and your work, and of course the household responsibilities. I have never been this detached from my family and my household.” She spends just a few hours each day at home, catching up on a bit of sleep before she heads right back to work. She worries for her two sons, aged 13 and 8. Then, she tells me she’s lucky because she has a support system rooting for her, her parents and her brother, and her in-laws and her neurosurgeon husband.

Dr Gupta continues her meticulous work, setting up labs, creating a new protocol, tracking quality control, even as she understands the virus and keeps herself updated on global scientific findings. She and her team have worked seven days a week, from the beginning of January and she doesn’t see them slowing down anytime soon.

As we slip into phase four of the lockdown, Dr Gupta shares what this means for everyday life. She says, “Lockdowns can delay the spread and also reduce the number of mortalities to a particular extent. But a virus that is so highly transmissible, and has a high infectivity rate, will not suddenly go away. What I personally feel and this is just my personal view,” she emphasises, “Is that people will have to live with this and social distancing will have to become the norm now. Basically, preventive steps are important. Changing the mindset of people and engaging with communities to make them understand how you can protect yourself from the virus, that is how you can best improve the situation in an overcrowded country like India.”

Vogue Warriors shines the spotlight on the women at the medical frontlines and essential services—doctors, nurses, scientists, innovators—alongside behind-the-scene heroes working tirelessly to help us through the ongoing pandemic.

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