International Aid To India & Cooperation Between Governments
•International Aid:
India received a huge amount of international support from over 43 countries in the second wave. The support included oxygen concentrators,liquid oxygen, raw materials,ventilators,oxygen plants, masks, respirators,diagnostic kits,oxymenter,financial aid and a large amount of medicines.
Img 1.3 - Country Wise Oxygen Supply Concentrators**
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Img 1.4 - Ventilator Supply** to India
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NOTE1 : The above data is limited to the second wave only till 15th May, 2021 and is subjected to further change
[1] Policy shift in procuring chinese aid
Indian government decided to import aid and resources from China and chinese companies which is a major policy change. State governments are also free to procure these life-saving devices and medicines from foreign agencies, and the Central government will not get in the way.
[2] Help From America
This is being noted differently from other countries because the USA had not been helping any country in terms of vaccination. But the USA uniquely helping India in its vaccination program needs to have mention. A team of professional medical staff from the Central US defence had arrived in India to coordinate between the governments.
[3] Indecisiveness on Pakistan
India has not accepted the Pakistani offer to provide relief support, including ventilators, to India to help the country fight the deadly wave of Covid-19.
•Corporate donation :
In the second wave, India received huge donations from giant corporations like Amazon, Google,TATA, Microsoft,Zomato,etc. Nearly every big corporation has contributed to India during this time.
[1] Effect of new rules
Foreign currency regulation act (FCRA) came into effect from September 2020. Recently many NGOs are facing a fund crunch and have urged the central government not to suspend foreign funding under FCRA.
[2] Inter-state Relations
In these times, India has seen cooperation between its federal units although some cases of disputes exist. Many states have shared their resources with other states both willingly or through intervention of central government and courts.One such instance is Gujarat coming to rescue in the oxygen crisis of Madhya Pradesh.
Post COVID Recovery & Biological Effects
Some symptoms of COVID 19 may persist in patients even after getting recovered from infection. These include fatigue, difficulty in breathing, cough, joint pain, brain fog etc. Older people with severe pre-existing conditions are more prone to facing such issues, but may be faced by the younger population too.
Other than these general symptoms, COVID may also affect multiple body organs; these effects may include conditions like multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) and autoimmune disorders. MIS is a condition in which different parts of the body may get swollen. The same is observed in autoimmune diseases.
It may cause lasting damage to heart muscles, increasing the risk of heart failure and other complications in future. It may or may not affect the lungs directly but, the type of pneumonia usually associated with COVID can cause long-lasting damage to the alveoli, leading to many breathing problems in future.COVID-19 can cause strokes, seizures and temporary paralysis, called Guillain-Barre syndrome, and may elevate the risk of encountering Parkinson’s and Alzheimer's. diseases Moreover, it may also cause blood clots in the heart, lungs, legs, liver and kidneys, and weaken the capillaries, which may cause leakage and potentially contribute to long-lasting problems in the liver and kidneys.Other than this , the country has been facing an escalation is ‘Black Fungus’ cases and cases of White Fungus and Yellow Fungus have also been reported.People suffering from chronic ailments who are most likely to be given steroids ,which makes them more prone to these infections.
For More Detailed Information : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Bfwev88Rij6whvWsSEF5A9jxdPEwh3A1hVmxds9g5sc/edit?usp=sharing
Conclusion
Throughout this newsletter, we have explored the 2nd wave of COVID 19 from different angles and studied its implication on various sectors. We searched the predictions and signs for the 2nd wave and found that enough warning signs were pointing to a situation we experienced. We hoped for the best and let ignorance drive us to relaxations and ignorance of covid protocols when the rest of the world was suffering.
The seeds for the spread were sown during the mass exodus of migrant workers during the first wave, making the urban problem rural. Election rallies and social and religious gatherings just added to the problem. Under the mass burden placed on us by the second wave, we observed a huge shortage of Oxygen and an overburdening of the healthcare system like we have never seen or experienced before. In addition, there were several economic setbacks; major was the shrinkage of the middle class and negative growth rate in the first quarter of FY 2020-21. Children too were affected by the second wave in contrast to much lower incidences in the first wave, possibly due to mutant strains and not having a vaccine option.
But even during these trying times we see several rays of hope in terms of advancement in medicines and drugs. There were also several covid heroes who came forward to help with oxygen supplies, home cooked meals, digital education equipment. They certainly deserve an applause, along with our hardworking frontline covid workers, our doctor’s, nurse’s, ambulance workers and policemen. It is due to them that we can be confident of overcoming these trying times.
As much as going through the covid second wave is a reality now, the chances of the emergence of a third wave cannot be ignored; hence we must analyze, so let us know what, according to you, could be improved upon and what preparations need to be done?
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