Jubilee Post News & Views
Prof. Ravi Kant Upadhyay
Corona virus is highly mutable virus that can attain both negative and positive mutations according to changing climatic conditions. Since it was first reported in Wuhan, China, it has changed 70 times.
Corona virus is genetically susceptible to changing weather conditions, antibiotic drugs and internal environment of human body. It is regularly changing its genomic arrangement and generating climate induced seasonal mutant variants.
Climate has no effect on virus control and transmission. In India corona virus transmission has been largely occurred due to inhalation of air droplets from the vicinity of covid-19 patient. Among all the factors of its spread in India is air travel, religious activities and tourism. Significant in its spread are unlocking of lockdown.
Countries who delay lockdown have faced havoc of Covid-19 as large number of untimely deaths occurred due to current pandemic round the globe.
In beginning pandemic G-7 countries have taken this Covid-19 very lightly and put economic reasons first rather than thinking about this much vulnerable disastrous issue. These repetitive mistakes created havoc in these countries as space in grave yards has been lapsed to make the last rights of dead people. In India no doubt imposing of lockdown was a safety step, but method of lockdown was quite wrong, because sudden imposition of lockdown stopped migrant workers in their place and they remain held up for more than 45 days.
At the time of imposition of lockdown these migrant workers were uninfected and their deportation was safe. The right time of lockdown was 25th of February; it was delayed by one month. It is hard truth that overseas Indians, Jamaaties and tourists are solely responsible for this spread of this Covid-19 disaster in India. This is a serious negligence on the part of NRIs and religious hubs who have tried to hide every fact about their where about from the people of country.
Today more than 22% of migrant laborers reached to U.P. and Bihar were found corona positive. In Eastern U.P. and Bihar there were only 4-25 patients till 21st April. Condition changed with the influx of corona positive migrant workers, as few of them reached to their villages and remain unreported. Till date, due to discrepancies in reporting of cases, delay in sample testing and unauthentic screening results have increased the seriousness of this disease in rural areas.
It is the right time when lockdown is being necessarily required to curve on the disease successfully. It could only way to lower downs the chances of community transmission in rural India.
Initial infection in different Indian states was spread due to unreported movements of Tablighi Jamaat cluster. From these hot spots new more clusters were emerged, since then a regular increase in cases is going on.
Unknowingly or knowingly have created serious problem to the entire community; as they were remain hidden and non responsive and their presence in hide outs resulted in hotspots.
They have spread infection by visiting religious places, education centers and live with their families without being tested.
After seeing the reports of last 15 days now it becomes a very challenging task to control transmission of this deadly virus in near future in India. It is noticeable that among all modes of transmission human mistakes have increased the severity of disease as super spreaders unknowingly visited the public places or come in to the contact of people.
It has enhanced the accidental risks in high density population zones because social distancing norms are not easy to follow. that become unmanageable today.
However, it becomes very risky to control corona virus infection in slums where In a very small size room or chowl or polythene and tin shade hut more than ten people reside.
The main reason is narrow lanes in the area contributing to cases. No social distancing rule was followed in such pockets and heavy spread of virus occurred in Mumbai, Chennai, Pune and Delhi.
Total tally has reached to 199,613 infected (active cases are 101,462) recovered 95852 and deaths 5610. At any level carelessness and negligence of any type will put every one of us in a danger. Today 13 Indian cities are worst hit by corona virus.
Today reality is that corona virus is spreading in urban, suburban and rural areas of the country. In Gujarat (1038), Maharashtra (2286), Tamil Nadu(173) and Delhi (473) deaths have been occurred till 30th May. Virus has no effect of rising temperature as the cases in four cities of Rajasthan have been increased alarmingly in last twenty days.
Why cities are becoming hot spots
The main causes are close contact of persons to purchase things or items from contaminated hands of covid -19 career either it may be supplier or a vegetable vendor or a kirana store operator. In cities public movement is more and chances of increase in contact transmission are more in hospitals, vegetable vendors, petrol pumps, banks, suppliers, and bus and train sheets.
Breakage of social distancing is seen in buses, trains, subzi mandies, weekly markets, hats, and social and religious rituals proved costly.
Now no rule has been seen in maintaining physical distancing or social distancing in market places. People show laxity in social distancing and bearing masks by knowingly or unknowingly it will help virus for cross transmission. Just after unlocking people are not taking social distancing seriously even they know about its consequences.
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Mask is only way to protect from flying aerosols in open place and gloves provide protection from contaminated surfaces. Stay at least 6 feet in market is now become a joke else nothing. This is the main reason that number of steep rise in cases has been seen in Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmadabad, Thane, Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Indore, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Chengalpattu and Tiruvallur. These 13 cities will continue to see the restrictions similar to those clamped in containment zones.
(writer is senior professor in the department of Zoology, DDU Gorakhpur)
