Instead of waiting with bated breath, we need to resist the fatigue that tends to overcome a long fight against an epidemic. A new public campaign asking us not to lower our guard may help
It seems only a matter of time for India to attain the dubious distinction of topping the global charts of daily covid deaths and new coronavirus cases on a sustained basis. On Monday, it had the world’s highest tally for both. Our upward trend of infections has been relentless, and we have a lot more people than Brazil and the US, which had led those counts for months, so that is not much of a shock. Our large population also means that the scenario doesn’t look very grim if the numbers are viewed as a ratio of the total population. Yet, it could also mean that India is in for a longer haul than smaller countries. The corona curve needs to flatten.
An air of fatalism, however, seems to have settled upon the crisis. In many places, lockdowns and other restrictions remain in place, but few see an end to the trauma until a vaccine arrives. Indeed, such high hopes are being pinned on an immunity jab, but we could end up disappointed by the relief it eventually offers. Instead of waiting with bated breath, we need to resist the fatigue that tends to overcome a long fight against an epidemic. A new public campaign asking us not to lower our guard may help.
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