Amid soaring COVID-19 cases and deaths in the Capital, MUSBA HASHMI speaks with doctors and experts to bring you a report on why Delhi is struggling in navigating the third wave
On Thursday, the Delhi Government informed the High Court that it is considering lockdown, night curfew in order to curb the virus. The fact that Delhi is one of the worst-hit States obviously leave the Government with no second choice.
But, what has led Delhi to this troublesome zone? Is it irresponsible public behaviour, festooning of throats with masks to escape penalty? Or is it the decision to relax the lockdown in the face of crashing economy, joblessness and societal depression?
Whatever the reason, fatalities have rocketed. Alarmingly, experts fear this is just the tip of the iceberg.
With 5,000 fresh cases daily and deaths peaking to over a 100, in the Capital a whopping 6 lakh have been impacted by coronavirus infection.
“The increasing death toll is a matter of worry for everyone. No one specific reason can be attributed for this surge. The causes are diverse and need to be dealt with accordingly. The toll is proportionate to the infected cases. Due to the rising number of cases, the hospitals are overburdened, hence providing timely treatment to all the patients is a big challenge. This can be one of the reasons for the deaths,” Dr Shiba Kalyan Biswal, Consultant, Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, Narayana Hospital, Gurugram, tells you.
Another reason can be that although COVID is a respiratory disease, it affects the immune system and the blood vessels as well. Such conditions aggravate co-morbidities that a person may have. Hence, if a person is suffering from some underlying disease, he is more prone to suffer from a serious condition after he contracts COVID infection. Such patients are also unfortunately adding to the toll,” he said.
The ongoing festive and wedding season has added to the danger.
“Many people attended gatherings and social meetings. This also added to the problem. Also the fall in temperature can propagate any flu or infection. Dense population is also another factor in big cities and often people fail to follow social distancing norms. The lockdown was lifted because of economic constraints but as a result, the careless attitude of people in public places is reflected. It is time people avoid stepping out if unnecessary,” he said.
Hans Raj Hans, Member of Parliament, North-West Delhi, said that Government laxity along with several other factors has led to high number of cases in the Capital.
“Poor mask discipline, the decision to open all the markets, more than 50 people at weddings and other related functions, social gatherings during festivities, the deteriorating air quality index and rising respiratory disorders are reasons for the rise of COVID-19 in the National Capital. Besides, the casual approach of Delhiites is also one of the reasons for this rise. The Central Government is working with the State Government to control the situation in Delhi, but the residents should cooperate by taking all possible care. Without this cooperation, the situation will not abate anytime soon,” Hans said.
It’s been only nine days since the Delhi Government implemented a fine of `2,000 for not wearing a mask in public and within four days of the rule, the Delhi Police collected nearly `1.5 crore as challans. According to the data shared by the Delhi Police, a total 7,655 challans have been issued from November 20 to November 24. The figure, which then started to see a dip, is sufficient to explain how masks is not at all an option worth considering for Delhiites, who seemingly don’t fear the deadly virus.
Varun Gupta, a social activist and environmentalist, agrees with Hans and says that Delhiites are extensively responsible for the current situation.
“To a great extent, Delhiites are responsible for the increase of COVID in the Capital. People should consider their mask as the only vaccine at present. During the festival time, what I analysed was that people almost forgot that the world is fighting a pandemic. The markets and some of the public places were crowded just like it used to be in the pre-COVID time. Adding to that, maximum people were not wearing masks or the same was and is below their nostrils. Such cases were seen in the metro too. Not only this, even vegetable sellers, shopkeepers, food stall owners, rickshaw man were seen without masks. Government, doctors, academics, social organisations, police, media and others keep telling peoples to take precautions, but people are living in oblivion. I would just say to everyone that there is still time to protect yourself,” Gupta said.
Dr Shuchin Bajaj, Founder Director, Ujala Cygnus Group of Hospitals, tells you that the intensity of the second and third wave of a disease is always much widespread and it is the time when people need to take more precautions.
“Historically, the intensity of second and third waves are always much widespread in case of any pandemic. People are now tired of the guidelines and are coming out in large numbers this leads to a much extensive viral load and more chances of getting exposed to the virus. If you remember, in the beginning of the pandemic the deaths of doctors were much higher because they had the higher viral load and they didn’t know much about the virus. They didn’t know the exact way of donning and doffing the PPE kits. But doctors have learnt rapidly and are following all the precautions. But the general public doesn’t know the etiquette of wearing a mask. They keep taking it off just to speak and never shy away from touching the outer surface of the mask. So doing all these things proves to be very dangerous especially in crowded settings like markets and offices,” he said.
He tells you that Delhi is now open to people accessing healthcare from the nearby cities which was not the case earlier. “People were not allowed to cross State boundaries during the first wave. Usually people come to Delhi when their case is critical and that’s why the mortality in Delhi is higher,” Bajaj added.
Bajaj feels that the guidelines of marriages should have been made permanent instead. “I feel that the limited crowd in weddings help us as a community also. It prevents poor people from getting exploited and also curtails the unnecessary expenditure. Undoubtedly, during COVID it prevents marriages from acting as super spreaders of infection,” he said.
He points out that aggressive testing is necessary in any pandemic. “We can’t keep chasing the virus all the time. We have to test and identify the people upfront those who are symptomatic. That’s the reason South Korea got a handle on the pandemic very quickly because of the massive aggressive testing policy that they implemented,” Bajaj said.
Even when Maharashtra and other States of India saw a surge in cases, Delhi managed to keep the case count as low as 2,000. Dr Sandeep Nayar, Senior Director, Centre of Chest and Respiratory Disease, BLK Super Speciality Hospital, tells you why things have gotten worse now.
“There are many factors, one of which is overcrowding. Now that all the markets are opened, people are out there and not following any social distancing norms or proper hygiene. If you see the scenario outside, people are climbing on each other. Not even 10 per cent of the people are wearing their mask properly. It is something that has troubled us. It goes without saying that this has contributed in the rising cases,” Nayar explains.
The second reason is that because of the pollution the symptoms are getting worse. Earlier patients with mild symptoms were opting for home quarantine, but now COVID along with pollution is resulting in worsening of the symptoms and patients are rushing towards the hospital.
He believes that the high cases are not only a result of aggressive testing in the State. “States like UP have also increased the testing rate. Our positivity rate has gone up to 13 per cent. Aggressive testing is happening but then about 25 days back, the occupancy had come down to 70-80 per cent. Now things have gone from bad to worse and we had to add more beds. It is not only because people have tested positive, but because they are in a bad shape and have to be rushed to the hospital,” Nayar tells you.
He adds the increasing mortality rate in Delhi can be attributed to the severity of the COVID-19 symptoms. “We are witnessing about 100 deaths everyday. This is not acceptable by any means. The severity of symptoms have increased and people are not getting beds easily. The patient is moving from one hospital to another in search of a bed, this too and fro will surely make their symptoms worse. We are worried about this situation,” he said.
The new rules implemented by the Delhi Government should help in curbing the cases. “These regulations should help. Initially, there were a limit of only 50 people in marriages. But then they removed it and now they have come back to it again. They have realised their mistake,” he said.
Our society, Nayar says, is divided in two groups of people. One, who wears masks and the others who don’t. “The ones who wear masks think that the later ones are fools and vice versa. They think that just because of one disease they will not wear a mask. It is only when they suffer from it they realise its severity. It is just that they learn the hard way,” he said.
When can Delhi expect a decrease in the cases, Nayar says, that we can only hope for it. “Many European countries went for a second lockdown. Who knows we too have to take some stern steps. I am not saying we should go for a lockdown, it is purely the Government’s call. But some strict steps should be taken to tackle this situation. Though, the Government has recently revised some rules, they have to be very strict and make sure that they are also implementing it. Just announcing won’t make a difference,” he said.
Lastly, he has a request to make to the general public. “Masks are a must. Take care of yourselves. Keep your body hydrated. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Avoid junk food,” he said.
