Resurgent Covid-19 brand

How long should we remain afraid of the pandemic? Some quarters want us to fear the pandemic for a long time as it proved to open massive business prospects for some. We appear silly where we have to be afraid of, and we overwhelmingly fear something that may be silly.

We never asked ourselves how often we are concerned about people dying on the road for many reasons including climate-induced disaster, pollution, poor quality food, malnourishment, besides accidents from faulty road-making. Does anyone count the number of deaths and run a ready-reckoner on the fatality? Death by pollution is much higher than death by any infection. But we have set our eyes on viral infection which has an effective natural remedy. 

Who is going to be the beneficiary of the Covid-19 resurgence? In every suffering of people, there are some beneficiaries. Without any economic interest nothing will come up .why is the media getting into the trap, and who is forcing it to run the story of Covid-19 with a banner headline? Media stories create a fear phobia among people. No one knows the dark hands working behind the media that runs stories enough to create a phobia. Unfortunately, some individuals involved in the COVID business intermittently open and close it to exploit the situation for personal gain.

No one calls for people to wear masks to save themselves from pollution, which is the cause of most deaths in the world. But there are calls for people to wear masks, even compulsions. State governments began to issue terms for people to follow. The pandemic has been a nightmare for the infected ones, but not as much for those who lost their livelihood.

Earlier, no one counted the cases of viral infection in hospitals and dispensaries across the country. India recorded 22 crore cases of Covid-19 infection and the death of over half a million people. The US reported double the number of Covid-19 deaths out of half the number of infections India reported. The overall COVID-19 mortality rate in India was less than three per cent, one percentage more than malaria-related deaths.

Most of the deaths in India were due to medical negligence, confusion of the medical fraternity about the treatment for the victims in the absence of targeted medicine, overdose of untargeted medicine and poor diagnosis. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and national medical regulator kept changing treatment protocols. Pathology labs had a roaring business. As the count of infections began, pathology labs made new calculations. Victims were under trial. Some victims had unbelievable deaths as if death amidst a clinical trial. Some returned home bankrupt after many days on ventilators. Insurers burned their fingers and began to reject even deserving claims ruthlessly.

Three years ago, we saw behind the gloomy scenario working many dark hands, medical mafia, ruthless self-governing authority and politicians-traders nexus. The production of personal protection kits, face masks, sanitisers and some variants of medicines boomed. The high-octane propaganda scared the people, making them run for protection. As the government began to count cases, people started demanding masks.      

At the end of the fourth year of Covid-19, it seems to have returned with a new variant named JN.1, more infectious but less risky. Doctors say the infection that overcomes the immune system subsides without medicine. It means the infection does not cause severe illness and requires no hospitalisation. But the propaganda overruns everything. The State governments and Central government send signals to be cautious without calling it alarming.

Interestingly, hospitals have begun to prepare for managing a possible rush. The daily count of deaths is enough to intimidate people with comorbidities, while many people may neglect the propaganda. However, people are more afraid of government restrictions than the new variants of Covid-19.