Vaccination jokes

Vaccination is a serious matter. In the current Covid-19 situation, it seems to be one of the key factors that would be responsible in getting the pandemic under control, reducing severity of the disease, minimising the need for hospitalisation, and allowing us to continue to live.

Our government has made quite a mess of the vaccination plan for the country, through the vaccination policy it announced in the middle of April, amidst the gasps for breaths of oxygen and hunts for hospital beds.

Announcing early victory over the virus (sans vaccination made it a big accomplishment), delay in ordering vaccines, high-handedness with vaccine makers, vaccine mockery, handing over vaccine acquisition to the states, differential pricing, changing vaccination schedules and regimen … Every area that could be messed up, has been messed up.

As we enter the month of May

Thousands of humans are dying in India because we allowed COVID to spread like wild fire, without being prepared to handle so many people falling ill at the same time.

No normal hospital beds. No ICU beds. No ventilator beds. No medicines. No injections. No ambulances.

More than anything else – no oxygen to breathe. No oxygen cylinders. No refills. No oxygen concentrators.

Doctors and nurses are tired. They not only attend to patients, but also decide whom to prioritise for treatment, given the resources in their hands.

Tomorrow is just another day

The year 2020 is one that we will not forget. Covid-19, of course will get all the credit.

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On top of my mind are two personal losses. My good friend Ahmed, suddenly succumbed to Covid in July. Not a day has passed when he and his family haven’t been on my mind.

And earlier in May, my uncle Bala moved on after a few years of battling illness.

We haven’t travelled out of Mumbai in a while. Haven’t been to Bangalore in over 16 months! (Though my husband Srivathsa did on a family emergency.) We catch up with mom and the rest of the family on the phone and on face time.

Immune response

Ever since Covid-19 took over our lives, we have all been looking for ways by which we can save ourselves from getting the virus. Face masks and shields, hand hygiene – washing and sanitising, social distancing – avoiding people and staying home.

A COVID-19 Viewpoint report by the University of Minnesota (30th April 2020) says that we must be prepared for at least another 18 to 24 months of significant COVID-19 activity, with hot spots popping up periodically in diverse geographic areas. The report also says that given the transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2, 60% to 70% of the population may need to be immune to reach a critical threshold of herd immunity to halt the pandemic.

The last 100 days

Half of 2020 gone, and over half of this under lockdown/unlock with restrictions. Yesterday July 2, was the 100th day of lockdown that started nation-wide on March 25 in India.