India Coronavirus Dispatch: What explains spike in cases in some states?

Delhi's post-Covid clinic for those who have recovered, tests for lockdown violators in West Bengal, Mumbai dabbawalas to move Maharashtra govt for help--news on how India is coping with the pandemic

Post-Covid clinic: Delhi now has a post-Covid clinic for those people who have recovered from the disease and are suffering from after-effects of the ‘long-haul’ Covid. The symptoms can range from bouts of anxiety, insomnia and difficulty keeping your food down. In some cases, people have reported a worsening of their underlying health conditions. One patient who doesn't have any underlying health problems says he now suffers from acute chest pain that refuses to subside even weeks after his recovery from the virus. The clinic has already seen over 60 patients. It’s still not known what causes these effects in some patients while sparing others. But doctors at this clinic have been documenting the after-effects of the ‘long-haul’. Read more here...

Tests for lockdown violators: Officials in West Bengal are adopting a new strategy to deal with those violating lockdown restrictions: escort them to a centre and perform a rapid antigen test (RAT) on them. In a Malda camp set up to test people, over one-third of samples collected on a day are from violators. The strategy, local officials say, has been successful in discouraging people from violating the norms in place. At least one violator till now has tested positive for the virus. Read more here.,,

Mumbai’s dabbawalas: The famous dabbawalas of Mumbai are now planning to approach the Maharashtra government for help. They have been hit hard by the pandemic and the subsequent shift to work from home. The Mumbai Dabbawala Association is now seeking the reopening of Mumbai’s local trains at the earliest or a subsistence of Rs 3,000 per month. While some offices have reopened, the dabbawalas are unable to reach all their clients without local trains. While some trains have been resumed, only those engaged in essential services have been allowed to board. Since the pandemic hit, only about 20 per cent of the 4,500 dabbawalas are left in the city as most of them went back to their villages after being rendered jobless. Read more here...

In Numbers

Cases shoot up: In many states, the daily addition of new cases has grown significantly. In some, like Telangana, Karnataka or Odisha, this rise could be attributed to a simultaneous increase in testing. But this is not true across the board. The most interesting case, however, is Delhi. The national capital had been witnessing a consistent decline in daily growth rate for over a month and had reported a high number of recoveries as well. However, it has now witnessed a turnaround in the last ten days. Some people have attributed this new spike to an influx of migrants from neighbouring states. With the Metro starting in a week and gatherings of over 100 people getting the green signal, it is widely expected that the infection growth rate will shoot up further. Read more here...

Comment

India in denial: India has been ahead of all other countries in terms of daily new additions for the past few days. About a fourth of the world’s new cases are being reported here. Further, recorded infections in India are a small fraction of the total actual infections. While this is true for the rest of the world as well, sero-surveys in India have shown very clearly that this gap is wider here than other countries. The silver lining is that India has so far reported a low fatality rate. However, this too could spike as non-Covid health care services have taken a hit. Plus vast swathes of the population inhabiting states like Bihar have seen their incomes come to a grinding halt. But despite this, the columnist argues, governments — local and central — continue to be in a state of denial with respect to the pandemic. Read more here...

Understanding Covid-19

Stay away from the Kaadha: There has been a flood of home remedies since the pandemic hit. Herbal concoctions claiming to be the antidote are particularly popular in the country. One of the most popular among these is a Unani concoction from Malegaon, Maharashtra. Malegaon itself was successful in containing the pandemic because of state government-led interventions. In popular imagination, however, it’s the concoction that’s responsible for the curbing the spread. The kaadha does have mucus-clearing properties and officials of a local college have claimed that it can provide some relief in patients suffering from the disease. However, the Kaadha should be avoided unless medically advised. Besides, moderation is key. People with gastrointestinal issues should be especially careful when consuming strong concoctions. The writer warns that some people have actually reported serious conditions like rectal bleeding after heavy consumption of Kaadhas. Further, makers of the Kaadha also do not provide directions for usage. Read more here...