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How Prepared Is India to Control the COVID-19 Pandemic?
The SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19, has reached many places in India, from Kerala to Kashmir. With local spread occurring from infection seeded by importations, a nationwide epidemic of unprecedented seriousness is imminent. The Prime Minister should assume leadership immediately and a full-time war-room, run by a task force with the best national experts, must be set up, and immediate, medium- and long-term strategies designed and implemented. We have lost one month already.
The epidemic of the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, instils fear and anxiety for four reasons: rapid spread, reports of many deaths, lack of specific treatment, and gaps in our knowledge about its spread and behaviour. The current epidemic is unlike all previous ones—mighty spreader, moderate killer. Pandemic influenza H1N1 (swine flu) on the other hand was a rapid spreader, but weak killer. India has faced several such “new disease” outbreaks in the last three decades. How has India fared against them? What lessons have these outbreaks taught us?
A History of Outbreaks
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