A new graveyard filled with a new grave of Covid-19 victim in Manaus, Brazil. Photo: Sky News. More than 1.5 years since the attack of Covid-19, the world is now witnessing two opposing scenes. In some countries, such as the UK and the US, many people, after being vaccinated, happily hug their loved ones after a long separation. In India, Brazil, and most of South America, thousands of people desperately count down their time, suffering families watching their loved ones leave. Subjectivity is the biggest reason According to Dr. William Schaffner, an advisor to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), although the pandemic has been around for nearly 1.5 years and the world has made every effort to repel the epidemic, Covid- 19 is still a big challenge. Mr. Schaffner told Zing There are 4 main causes for this condition. The first is the increasing emergence of new strains, which are able to spread more easily and quickly. Next, the health systems in many countries are weak or insufficient to care for and cure patients. The next reason is inadequate vaccine supplies. The ultimate cause lies in how each government responds to the epidemic, and the consciousness of its people. However, he said that the main reason why the epidemic in many places not only did not settle down, but also progressed more complicatedly, was the carelessness of people. “Subjectivity is the biggest reason for the current viral spread in most countries around the world,” Dr. Schaffner said. Zing . Professor Andrew Easton, University of Warwick, UK also agrees. “We are usually quite vigilant for a period of time, then we are distracted, subjective and relaxed, especially when there is nothing serious,” he said. Dr. William Schaffner, longtime advisor to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Photo: Vanderbilt University. Italy is the first country to suffer from a pandemic in Europe, with the first Covid-19 wave coming in March 2020. Despite heavy economic and human losses, the country quickly managed to control the epidemic and was hailed as a model for international learning. The ban was quickly lifted or eased in many places. The beaches, cafes, nightclubs, and dance floors get crowded. A lot of people do not wear masks regardless of whether they are on the street or at these venues. By November 2020, the number of infections in this country began to increase sharply. At one point Italy overtook England to become the country with the highest number of deaths because of Covid-19 in Europe. By the end of 5/5, Italy had recorded a total of over 4.06 million cases of Covid-19, of which over 122,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University (JHU), USA. In Brazil, during the pandemic, President Jair Bolsonaro always underestimated the severity of the virus. He regularly calls for the lifting of restrictions and blockade orders, despite the country’s steadily increasing number of new infections and deaths. Peru, Mexico, and many other Latin American countries have a similar scenario: outbreaks – control – ban bans are lifted and people gather – more serious outbreaks. India is emerging as the most serious epidemic in the world today. Just three months ago, Indian leaders were happy to announce they had weathered the worst of the pandemic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi even declared the defeat of Covid-19, asserting that it is difficult for any country to match India’s success. At the end of March, the government allowed millions of Hindus to participate in this great religious festival. Social distancing measures are rarely implemented and very few people wear masks. In early April, millions of people also went to the Ganges to perform Hindu prayer rituals. Dr Vineeta Bal, an immune system researcher at the Indian Institute for Scientific Research and Education in Pune, commented that India’s current situation is due to “management failure, failure in planning. guesswork, failure in planning, with that is the thought that has conquered the virus “. India’s biggest religious festival in late March and early April is believed to be one of the causes of the current Covid-19 crisis in the country. Photo: Reuters. The race does not stop Reply to your interview Zing Dr. Schaffner agrees that the race between vaccines and viruses is unlikely to be over. “Viruses will not disappear. We will probably have to deal with it for many years to come. Like the flu, Covid-19 will live with us and we will have to deal with them, ”he said. With a good start, vaccines have given the world a lot of hope in quickly fighting a pandemic. However, in parallel with the vaccine development, new strains of the dangerous and “wiser” SARS-CoV-2 virus began to appear everywhere. Most notably, strain B.1.1.7 was first discovered in the UK and strain P.1 in Brazil. They are both believed to spread faster, and are already present in dozens of other countries around the world. Even the P.1 strain in Brazil is thought to be able to “elude” antibodies from the vaccine and potentially cause reinfection. The number of people dying from Covid-19 is constantly increasing, Brazil has to dig up the old grave to make room for the victim of Covid-19. Photo: AP. Variant B.1.617 in India has appeared in at least 17 countries and regions. This strain has the double mutation; of which, one mutation makes the virus more contagious, and the other makes it partially resistant to the vaccine. “Variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus present serious challenges against Covid-19. More and more new strains emerge, capable of spreading more quickly and easily, causing rapid and widespread outbreaks, “said Dr. Schaffner. Zing . So far, as observed by Dr. Schaffner, current vaccines appear to be fully or partially effective against new strains. “However, if more new strains arise, they (mutants) are very likely to resist the current vaccine. Then we will need a new vaccine again,” said Dr. Schaffner. India’s temporary crematoriums burn around the clock because the death toll is so great. Photo: New York Times. Scientists are now working on production of second-generation vaccines that target current strains, he said. They are ready to use when needed. However, he warns that researching the new vaccine will be a long-term and ongoing job. “We will have to keep strain detection systems up and running. We will probably have to constantly make new vaccines, and people will have to get re-vaccinated each year to deal with new strains of the virus, ”Dr. Schaffner told Zing . A nation’s perils are the perils of the world According to Dr. Schaffner, people live in a connected world. Thus, a new strain threatens every country everywhere. “That is why the global need to join hands to overcome this pandemic,” said Dr. Schaffner. By the end of January 2021, the strain was first discovered in the UK, present in more than 70 countries and territories. These numbers with the strain in South Africa and the strain in Brazil are 31 and 37, respectively, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This suggests that new strains of the virus, wherever they first appear, could quickly invade the rest of the world, threatening global health security. “Every country should anticipate major out-of-control outbreaks,” said Dr. Ashish Jha, Dean of the Department of Public Health at Brown University. Countries like the UK and the US are doing a very good job of vaccination. However, that also only deal with the current strains “. However, Dr. Schaffner said that the greatest hope now in dealing with the immediate pandemic is to distribute the vaccine in a balanced and efficient way around the world. “All countries need to work together to try if they want to succeed”, Mr. Schaffner stressed. The chaplain’s account of the funeral for 150 Covid-19 patients before cremation Every day, Hindu cleric RamKaran Mishra performs a funeral for about 150 people who have died of Covid-19 at the Ghazipur crematory facility east of New Delhi, India.

India ‘broke the game’ in the second wave of Covid-19 India is being devastated by the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. In just 24 hours, the number of deaths due to the country’s pandemic reached 2,000 people and more than 300,000 new cases. Every night, fire blazed brightly on the banks of the Ganges River. Not the flames of traditional Hindu festivals, they are the cremations of the bodies of the victims who died for Covid-19, a horrifying symbol of the unprecedented humanitarian tragedy taking place in India. Degree. From urban to rural areas, patients die in the despair of relatives, because they cannot find an empty hospital bed. The supply of oxygen and medicine was depleted, leading to countless cases of robbery of medical supplies from the hospital. At cremation facilities, crematoriums are always red for 24 hours, but countless dead bodies are still waiting in line, according to the report. Financial Times . Staff at a cremation facility in New Delhi. Photo: AFP. The epidemic wave is unprecedented The grim reality has sparked a flame of public anger over the authorities’ preparations. Just two months ago, India appeared to have successfully controlled the epidemic. However, as of April 22, India broke the world record for the number of new infections per day with 312,732 virus-positive cases. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata party allegedly put political interests above public health after holding a series of large-scale rallies, as well as allowing a Kumbh Mela festival of millions to be held. attendees in the midst of the second epidemic wave. A new strain is suspected of being behind the current wave of terrible epidemics, leading experts to fear India is on a path similar to Brazil – a country where the health system and economy have been brought down by the corona virus. down. “The health system is not well prepared for this epidemic wave. A lot of people in government across the country are not thinking of this new wave of epidemics. Some miraculously they assume we are already.” over the pandemic, “said Srinath Reddy, chairman of the Indian Community Health Foundation. Although the mortality rate is still relatively low, other indicators are pointing to a worsening crisis. Both the number of new infections and the positive rate are growing at the fastest rates in the world. The rate of infection increased from 3% last month to 16% now. Relatives kneel and cry beside the body of a patient who has died of Covid-19. Photo: AP. In the capital New Delhi, there are more new infections every day than in any other city. Every 5 days, the number of Covid-19 cases doubles. In many areas, the number of infected people outstrips the hospital’s ability to service. In the city of Nagpur, the proportion of patients requiring intensive care is 353 people per million people, higher than anywhere in Europe. Meanwhile, in the financial capital Mumbai, the rate is 194 patients per million population. There is a lot of evidence to suggest that many deaths from Covid-19 have not been fully counted. According to media reports in seven counties in the states of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, at least 1,833 bodies have been cremated with Covid-19 in recent days. However, only 228 deaths from Covid-19 have been officially recorded. In the Jamnagar district in Gujarat, 100 people died of Covid-19, but only one case has been officially reported. People died everywhere The state of Uttar Pradesh, home to 200 million people, is one of the poorest states in India. The situation in the capital Lucknow shows that India’s medical infrastructure is on the brink of collapse. Local media said that at King George’s College of Medicine alone, up to 50 patients lined up for a hospital bed. Shivi Shah is a resident of Lucknow. When her brother was positive for corona virus last week, Shah decided to send his parents to his home to avoid the worst scenario. But it was all too late, for both Shah and father. After only 3 days, her father began to lose his eyesight. 45 minutes after the emergency call, an ambulance arrived at the Shah’s house, but the car was not equipped with enough medical equipment to treat her father. The man later died on the way to the hospital. The cremation facility staff members hand-clasped the dead body of Covid-19 before placing it in the crematorium. Photo: Daily News. Unable to find a place to bury his father’s body, Shah continued to receive bad news about his mother. Her mother passed away just a few hours later in her sleep. By this time, both the Shah and his son had a fever, they were waiting for the results of the Covid-19 test. “None of us have ever seen tragedy and death like what’s happening. The situation is much worse now than last year, so many people die on the street, or die in their own homes, before. was seen by a doctor or got the test results, “said Seema Shukla, a nurse at the Sanjay Gandhi Medical Institute in Lucknow. “From early morning to midnight, my phone rang continuously. My relatives and friends desperately begged for help, they needed everything, ventilators, hospital beds, nurses, oxygen tanks, medicine. men, “said Shukla. Officials warn a new strain of strain is likely to be the cause of the current wave of epidemics, strain B.1.617 was first discovered in India in March. Scientists are doing more research on this strain, suspecting it is more contagious and resistant to vaccines. Jeffrey Barrett, an expert from the Wellcome Sanger Genetic Research Institute, said the number of cases in India gave a very dark picture, but scientists are still uncertain whether the B.1.617 strain is. is the cause or not. Up to this point, experts have mostly criticized a part of the unconscious population and the complacent, subjective attitude of the Indian government for leading to a bad spread in the second wave of epidemics. Vineeta Bal, an expert from the National Institute of Immunology in India, says the cause of the current crisis has even deeper roots. The collapse of the health system is the result of years of government neglect to public health infrastructure, Bal said. Over the years, India’s health spending has lagged far behind the world average. “The problem is not only the current government but also the public health system for the past 50 years. The situation will not be resolved in a single year of crisis. The health system has been left indifferent. very, many years, “said Mrs. Bal. Santosh Kumar, son of party leader Bharatiya Janata in Lucknow, said he was isolated at home with his family. All four members of Mr. Kumar’s family have Covid-19. “The whole system has collapsed. The rest of the government here are in quarantine. People have to find out for themselves what medicines they can take and what they can do to save themselves”, Mr. Kumar said.

Bodies piled up in cremators and mass burial sites across India are raising fears that the number of deaths caused by the second Covid-19 wave in the country is many times higher than figures are officially published. Relatives mourn a patient who has just died of Covid-19 in New Delhi, India. Photo: Reuters Medical services and other essential services across India nearly collapsed when the second wave of Covid-19 swept through the country at frightening speeds in mid-March. The cemeteries ran out of space. The hospital refused to accept patients because of being overloaded, and the families desperately asked for help on social networks On April 22, India broke the record for the number of new cases per day globally with 314,835 new cases. With nearly 16 million people infected with Covid-19, India is the second most severely affected country in the world, behind only the US. The outbreak of the 2nd Covid-19 wave in India not only risks its economic recovery, but also affects the global war against epidemics. “Things are out of control,” said Ramanan Laxminarayan, director of the Center for Disease Research in New Delhi. There is no oxygen. It is very difficult to find a hospital bed. Can’t get tested. You have to wait more than a week. The health system almost collapsed. Earlier on April 21, at least 22 Covd-19 patients being treated with a ventilator died while waiting for oxygen supplies, a senior official in Nashik district in Maharashtra state, India said. Faced with a serious shortage of medical supplies in hospitals across the country, local and state governments have urged the federal government to provide more oxygen and medicine. On April 21, President Modi announced the plan to supply 100,000 oxygen cylinders nationwide, build a new oxygen production plant and set up hospitals exclusively for Covid-19 patients. But experts fear that the plan was launched too late and the number is too little in the context of virus-infected patients struggling every day with “death” and the continuation of mass gatherings. causing the virus to spread faster and more strongly. Urgent cries for help on social networks With so few options available, many families have been calling for help via social media. Anil Tiwari, 34, lost his beloved father in November 2020 due to the Covid-19 translation. Last week, his mother also tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. She has been admitted to hospital treatment but needs to be in a special care bed (ICU). Due to the lack of ICU beds in the hospital, Anil Tiwari pleaded for help on her Twitter page: “Please save my mother. I love her more than anything. After days of relentless efforts, including calling the city government to be placed on the waiting list, Tiwari’s mother was finally given an ICU bed. But what she needed right now was oxygen – something that the hospital was lacking. “She can still walk, but always find it hard to breathe,” said Tiwari. Demand for Remdesivir for Covid-19 and its medicinal ingredients skyrocketed in the second wave of Covid-19, forcing the Indian government to temporarily ban drug exports to increase supplies. market connection. The government has allowed hospitals to use the drug in emergencies, although the Health Organization (WHO) previously said, there is no evidence that Remdesivir reduces the risk of death in infected individuals. Covid-19 heavy. Abhijeet Kumar, a 20-year-old college student, used Twitter to donate medical bills for his 52-year-old uncle, who is hospitalized in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh. “The injections are very expensive. They say it costs between 12,000 and 15,000 rupees (about 160 to 200 USD). He had two doses but needed a third and we could not afford it. My uncle works as a plumber, ”said Abhijeet Kumar. Some states in India said that high demand while limited supply has enabled the “black market” to scream high prices for Remdesivir and some similar drugs. Even nurses and doctors are working hard to find beds and treatment options for their loved ones, said Parkar, a pulmonologist in Mumbai. Indian Mistakes and A Warning to the World Although most attention has been on the new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that appeared in India recently, experts believe that the cause of the new Covid-19 outbreak is It can stem from social behaviors, weaknesses in the health system and a number of policy mistakes in the country. Indian officials may have been too subjective to believe that the worst has fallen behind when the number of Covid-19 cases began to decline in September 2020. The number of cases fell for 30 weeks in a row before starting to increase in mid-February and breaking out in mid-March. According to some experts, India did not seize the opportunity to consolidate its infrastructure. health care and immunization campaign intensification. “The authorities have not provided a long-term overview of the pandemic,” said Dr. Vineeta Bal, an immune system researcher at the National Institute of Immunology in India. Suggestions to upgrade the health system, such as building the capacity of hospitals or hiring an epidemiologist to monitor virus growth, have been ignored, she said. Currently, the Indian authorities are trying to restore many emergency measures that were removed when the number of cases decreased. India could have avoided a shortage of oxygen – something Latin America and Africa experienced a year ago if it converted its industrial oxygen production system into a network of supplies. medical. However, many facilities have returned to provide oxygen to industries and hospitals in this country are facing severe hypoxia. Analysts said that India will face a great challenge in preventing the health system from collapsing until enough people are vaccinated to achieve community immunity. Although India halted vaccine exports in March to meet domestic needs, it is not clear whether the country’s vaccine makers will be able to speed up production. “Vaccination is one way to slow the spread of the virus, but it depends on production speed and availability of vaccine doses,” said Srinath Reddy, president of the Indian Community Health Foundation. . In addition, the Indian government has also received criticism for not pausing major religious festivals, such as the Kumbh Mela bleaching festival on the banks of the Ganges River or election events. Many experts believe that the activities of gathering people have caused the number of cases to explode more strongly./.