India crossed the one-million mark of coronavirus cases in over three months, but it took it just three days to log another one lakh cases. On Monday, a single-day record high of 40,425 new cases was registered. With 681 fatalities on Monday, the total death toll now stands at 27,497. The trajectory of the virus is uneven and uncertain, with new hot spots emerging while old ones claim relief. On Monday, the West Bengal Government decided on a complete lockdown in the containment zones in some areas while State Health Minister Alapan Bandyopadhyay claimed that community transmission was noticed in some parts. Both Mumbai and Delhi seemed to have slowed down the spread of the virus but the situation was still far from returning to normal. In Maharashtra’s Aurangabad district total coronavirus cases rose to nearly 11,000, with the number of deaths recorded touching 400. There were nearly 4,500 active cases in Aurangabad alone while over 6,000 had recovered. Pune too was experiencing a fresh spurt. So was Bengaluru which has now been put under a stringent lockdown. Though the growth rate of infections was tapering in Delhi but the capital is still not free from the virus.
In Kerala, there is a renewed spurt in certain parts, with the State reporting 821 fresh cases on Sunday, the highest single day rise so far. Fearing a second surge next month, the State is making arrangements for treating 50,000 cases. Notably, Kerala was feted in the national media for having handled the pandemic the best of all other States, with its Health Minister K K Shailaja showered fulsome praise. Even in the case of Bengaluru, the State government had claimed success until the virus again surfaced to torment the city. On Monday, Delhi recorded 954 fresh cases, taking the total to nearly 1.25 lakhs, with the death toll over 3,600. After the alarming inadequacy of the Arvind Kejriwal Government to cope with the pandemic, the central government steeped in to partner to fight the virus collectively. In recent days, the effort seems to have borne fruit with the number of daily cases falling from the high four figures to three figures in the last couple of days. Delhi now felt emboldened to open up further but the markets and eating places generally bear a deserted look. Also, testing has improved in recent days, but overall it is not enough. The number of actual cases might be far in excess of the official figures since the lack of testing and non-availability of basic healthcare facilities in large parts of the country is a huge constraint. Meanwhile, given the continuing spread of the virus, and the official measures taken to prevent it, economic growth is bound to suffer in the current financial. An independent ratings agency estimates that the GDP loss could be over nine percent. Despite the staggered opening of the economy, the disruption caused by several localised lockdowns impacts the supply chains. For instance, air and rail travel is either suspended or subject to periodic shutdowns due to the coronavirus. The West Bengal Government, for instance, had stopped air travel earlier in the month. Ditto for a few other States.
Meanwhile, the race for a sure-fire vaccine to kill the virus continues apace. India has a special interest in the vaccine now being developed and tested by the Oxford University since it will be mass-produced by a famous Pune-based company. More than a hundred government laboratories and pharmaceutical companies across the world, including those in China, are engaged in developing the vaccine. Whoever succeeds in hitting the market first is bound to reap a windfall, though given the havoc caused by the virus to the human race it is moot whether its commercial exploitation is morally appropriate. The other alternative is for the WHO to intervene and undertake supply of the winner vaccine at affordable prices globally. Of course, we cannot expect China to bear the costs for the global supply of such a vaccine even if the virus had its origins in Wuhan. Humanitarianism does not concern the Communist czars.
