The sudden 21 day lock down announcement made by Indian Prime Minister on March 24 2020 to prevent the spread of corona in India appears to have done little to India with reference to the purpose of lock down. Many even ardent followers of Modi also have expressed their displeasure and anger against Modi for his unplanned lock down and his habit of giving nation, a surprise at short-notice.
Scientifically the 21 day lock down was a thoughtless measure, because we took such measure much before understating anything about the ecology of corona in different populations in India but simply we followed the rule of how to prevent an epidemic and pandemic like a copycat.
Without mapping the behaviour of corona in human body from inoculation to the manifestation of all signs and symptoms of COVID 19, the infectivity and spread of the disease in such individuals, the spread cannot be prevented.
A medical or clinical point of view was essential than the rule of how to prevent the spread of any pathogen of epidemic to pandemic proportion.
Just by paralyzing India, its economy and people, we cannot shock or shake corona.
If corona were that susceptible to human intervention, it would not have ruled the world by travelling from Wuhan, China. Perhaps China would want to rule the world; it looks like, corona has not let down China from such perspectives, although such connotation is unworthy for the time being.
The recent study of NIH (National Institute of Health) USA has proved that novel corona can survive in ex-human habitat for prolonged period of time. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/new-coronavirus-stable-hours-surfaces. The survival of corona in the air for a while is also well known.
The question that plagues out mind is that have we increased the survival chance of corona by accidently increasing the quality of our air as a result of 21 day lock down? If such possibility is true even partly, then have we not defeated the purpose of preventing the spread of corona between people through lock down and social distancing?
The proportion of viral spread through direct contact although we would have reduced by 21 day lock down but by the consequent effect of lock down led air quality improvement, have we not increased the chance of survival of the virus in the air?
When the whole world was shaken and shattered over novel corona, India should have learned a little more about corona ecology than rushing to procure ventilator and genome sequencing. After understanding a bit about corona a reasonably workable and acceptable measure could have been implemented.
But Modi has put all his eggs in one basket and in one go? The result is, corona is still active, may bounce back vigorously in coming months, India is left with little option.
Our medical professionals are specialized only treating the patient and are less aware of diverse India or Indians. Otherwise, why Modi should abolish MCI and brought a new bill called NMC 2019, which was opposed and protested at national level by our medical fraternity.
India lost too much in preventing the spread of the virus for a while but missed to understand other vital facts that are necessary to deal the epidemic till the near total elimination or attenuation of the virus is achieved.
Who knows the better quality of life, purity of air, low humidity, near zero exposure of the population to various pathogens in European countries and in US might have favoured corona in a better way in those countries and therefore adopting the measures taken by them, India would achieve nothing.
Imagine, if the air quality improvement due to lock down is going to positively favour the survival time of corona means, what have we achieved through lock down?
The global data on corona suggests that India has not yet seen the true face of corona in India and only coming months, we may see the true medical challenges due to corona. The corona disaster is not yet over and it may continue for another 3-6 months, the least.
Modi has exhausted the best and supposedly the last weapon called lock down of the country prematurely and too early and lost the game.
Coming days are going to be tough both medically and economically thanks to the overzealous measure over corona. Intension may be good; definitely the outcome is no way in proportion to the cost.