Jubilee Post News & Views
Mohan Sinha
Even as the nation recorded 80 plus lakh vaccinations on Yoga Day on June 21, Maharashtra’s vaccination figures lagged. Madhya Pradesh administered 16,69,174 doses, followed by Karnataka at 11,11,682. Uttar Pradesh came third with 7,15,746 doses, with Bihar at 5,19,735 in fourth place and Gujarat with 5,09,415 at fifth place. Maharashtra was in sixth place with 3,82,909 vaccine doses registered.
However, the next day, the State made up for that lapse by vaccinating5.55 lakh persons of which Mumbai’s tally alone was well over a lakh. People are queuing up at the vaccination centers all over Maharashtra again after the initial rush in March and April and the subsequent slump thereafter due to the unavailability of vaccines. However, the much-needed urgency to get people vaccinated in larger numbers seems to be missing even as the new Delta variants loom large in the state. The state had been consistently touching 10,000 cases nearly everyday until recently till the count began dropping slowly. Tuesday’s COVID-19 cases in the State numbered 8,470 with deaths at 188.
Even as they began lifted lockdowns restrictions in a phased manner in most places starting from June 7, the State health officials warned of an impending third wave that was about to hit the state in the next few weeks. However, the populace seemed unconcerned and did not take the warning seriously. Malls are again flooded and the long queues are a testament to the fact that no lessons have been learnt from the lockdown. Social distancing norms are being flouted as people trek in large numbers to hills that house the forts of the Maratha warriors. One of them is the fort at Sinhgad near Pune, among the favorite trekking sites for the city folk. The fort is an intrinsic part of the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his various battles against the Mughals.
Unfortunately, amid the pandemic caused by a virus, when the country and the state was being hit hard, trekking or shopping in large numbers, and that too without masks, was hardly advisable. On June 20, the Pune Police decided to ban entry to tourist spots at hill stations, dams and forts. However, elsewhere in Maharashtra, people continue to flock to tourist sites. The twin hill stations of Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani in Satara district, some 120km from Pune, which are popular with holidaymakers from Mumbai, Pune and surrounding areas, have warned tourists that if they wished to stay overnight only those with negative RT-PCR or rapid antigen tests taken not more than 72 hours before arrival will be allowed in.
Tests will be conducted at the entrance to the hill stations as well. While markets will remain open, all ‘points’ from where the scenic beauty of the hill stations can be admired will be shut. The police in every town and city have their task cut out. Fines are being imposed on those who flout social distancing norms and are if they are seen without masks.
On the other side of the vaccinations is the politics being played out over its availability. In early April, charges were being traded by the Central government and the State on the number of doses supplied to the state. Even as the State’s cases rose alarmingly often touching 90,000 to one lakh cases daily, it accused the Centre of not supplying it with enough vaccines. The State government demanded nearly 40 lakh doses for just a week and claimed that it was running out of stock. The State’s health minister claimed that they urgently required 40 lakh doses per week if they wished to reach their monthly target of vaccinating 1.6 crore people.
The Centre countered that with allegations of vaccine wastage. They claimed that nearly five lakh vaccines of 23 lakh sent, had been wasted by the health personnel in the state. For those unclear about this, each 5ml vial of the vaccine has 10 doses. Once the vial is opened, within four hours all 10 doses have to be used. The ‘wastage’ accusation stemmed from the fact that since there were not enough people to vaccinate, health personnel allegedly dumped the vaccines. So, while charges were being traded, thousands of new cases were reported and the death count continued to mount alarmingly. The numbers have mercifully dropped but Maharashtra is not out of the woods as yet because another wave looms with the deadlier Delta variant of COVID-19 virus.
Also Read : Rare for world, turtle born in Lucknow
Also Read : In U.P. Now Shops on sale, but who will buy
On June 22, of the 40 cases reported from around the country,21were reported across six districts in the state. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the highly contagious variant is the fastest and fittest coronavirus strain that will “pick off” the most vulnerable. Delta has the potential “to be more lethal because it is more efficient in the way it transmits between humans,” said Dr. Mike Ryan, Executive Director of the WHO’s health emergencies programme.
The variant has the potential “to be more lethal because it is more efficient in the way it transmits between humans and it will eventually find those vulnerable individuals who will become severely ill, have to be hospitalized and potentially die,” he said.
Does it remind you of the line from the Hollywood thriller about a killer shark, “Jaws”, released in 1978 that said, “Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water”?
