20th March is my sister Gayathri's birthday. (We named our home at Karaikudi after her when she was born when house was under construction)!
Gayathri was here that week, on 20th March 2021 to see Mother, as it was apparent that mother was in her final stretch.
I clicked a picture of me, mom, Gayathri, Veni, (Right to left) along with Lalitha before Gayathri and Veni left for Airport. That was final picture of Mom. She passed away on 1st April 145am.
After so much near miss, chaos, non availability of slots, Radha today managed to get her first round of Vaccination done. Covishield was administered at Vikram Hospital through walk in process! Her colleague who lives near the hospital noted the event happening and informed her to get the vaccination done! Radha's 2nd dose shall be after 15th Aug 2021.
Meanwhile Lalitha's 2nd dose is now pushed back due to new Government directive to around 29th June 2021.
I am hearing cases of people passing away even after 2 rounds of vaccination. We lost our relative this week, aged 74 due to such situation. (Google Breakthrough infection!).... So all of you take care, keep distance, avoid crowds, and stay safe!!
Karthik
25th May 2021.
The entire issue of India today this week, May 17th, (except few of 66 pages which is to Elections) is covering Covid situation!! I am not troubling you with all pages! I am sending a few pictures which speak for itself!+ First time in the magazine, India today History, an Editor has used up more than 1 page to give his piece of mind to the government / Administration!!!
You may also read, if you wish, this week editorial of "Lancet" (#1 Science) global Magazine on COVID In INDIA!!
In addition to death in the family of my Aunt, and a critical close relative now, I am now beginning to lose neighbours in the apartment, close friends & colleagues, due to COVID rampage!! So the enemy is at the doorstep!
I sincerely hope that we see light at the end of the tunnel in the coming weeks or months.!! *I have never ever prayed for the country, as I always believed, each is on his own and you take care of yourself, the country takes care of itself!! Also, we (I, the 1960ers) are successful, IN-SPITE of the inept government, and system!* That thinking of mine, now appears, a thing of the past, dead and buried. With the government and administration failing so spectacularly; the resultant spill over may be coming to haunt us, with we nowhere to RUN AND HIDE. The mortal fear is real for the county and people, should there be just one instance of bad luck !! We all shall hang in there and overcome, U all stay safe! GOD BLESS!!!
*Strangely, I had this unknown anxious feeling exactly 50 years back, 1971, when the 9 day War broke out!! We overcame that, thanks to Leadership!!*
EDITORIAL| VOLUME 397, ISSUE 10286, P1683, MAY 08, 2021
India's COVID-19 emergency
The Lancet#1 Science Journal taking the Indian Government to cleaners!!! I totally agree!!!
The scenes of suffering in India are hard to comprehend. As of May 4, more than 20·2 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported, with a rolling average of 378 000 cases a day, together with more than 222 000 deaths, which experts believe are likely to be substantial underestimates. Hospitals are overwhelmed, and health workers are exhausted and becoming infected. Social media is full of desperate people (doctors and the public) seeking medical oxygen, hospital beds, and other necessities. Yet before the second wave of cases of COVID-19 began to mount in early March, Indian Minister of Health Harsh Vardhan declared that India was in the “endgame” of the epidemic. The impression from the government was that India had beaten COVID-19 after several months of low case counts, despite repeated warnings of the dangers of a second wave and the emergence of new strains. Modelling suggested falsely that India had reached herd immunity, encouraging complacency and insufficient preparation, but a serosurvey by the Indian Council of Medical Research in January suggested that only 21% of the population had antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. At times, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Government has seemed more intent on removing criticism on Twitter than trying to control the pandemic.
Despite warnings about the risks of superspreader events, the government allowed religious festivals to go ahead, drawing millions of people from around the country, along with huge political rallies—conspicuous for their lack of COVID-19 mitigation measures. The message that COVID-19 was essentially over also slowed the start of India's COVID-19 vaccination campaign, which has vaccinated less than 2% of the population. At the federal level, India's vaccination plan soon fell apart. The government abruptly shifted course without discussing the change in policy with states, expanding vaccination to everyone older than 18 years, draining supplies, and creating mass confusion and a market for vaccine doses in which states and hospital systems competed.
The crisis has not been equally distributed, with states such as Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra unprepared for the sudden spike in cases, quickly running out of medical oxygen, hospital space, and overwhelming the capacity of cremation sites, and with some state governments threatening those asking for oxygen or a hospital bed with national security laws. Others, such as Kerala and Odisha, were better prepared, and have been able to produce enough medical oxygen in this second wave to export it to other states.
India must now pursue a two-pronged strategy. First, the botched vaccination campaign must be rationalised and implemented with all due speed. There are two immediate bottlenecks to overcome: increasing vaccine supply (some of which should come from abroad) and setting up a distribution campaign that can cover not just urban but also rural and poorer citizens, who constitute more than 65% of the population (over 800 million people) but face a desperate scarcity of public health and primary care facilities. The government must work with local and primary health-care centres that know their communities and create an equitable distribution system for the vaccine.
Second, India must reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission as much as possible while the vaccine is rolled out. As cases continue to mount, the government must publish accurate data in a timely manner, and forthrightly explain to the public what is happening and what is needed to bend the epidemic curve, including the possibility of a new federal lockdown. Genome sequencing needs to be expanded to better track, understand, and control emerging and more transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants. Local governments have begun taking disease-containment measures, but the federal government has an essential role in explaining to the public the necessity of masking, social distancing, halting mass gatherings, voluntary quarantine, and testing. Modi's actions in attempting to stifle criticism and open discussion during the crisis are inexcusable.
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimates that India will see a staggering 1 million deaths from COVID-19 by Aug 1. If that outcome were to happen, Modi's Government would be responsible for presiding over a self-inflicted national catastrophe. India squandered its early successes in controlling COVID-19. Until April, the government's COVID-19 taskforce had not met in months. The consequences of that decision are clear before us, and India must now restructure its response while the crisis rages. The success of that effort will depend on the government owning up to its mistakes, providing responsible leadership and transparency, and implementing a public health response that has science at its heart.
