How the COVID “Storm” Took India

by Callum Lee

            On February 1, 2021, COVID-19 cases in India were at an all-time low. At 8,635 cases, people presumed that the country was out of the red and would not experience a second wave like Brazil and the United Kingdom. However, the emergence of a new variant of coronavirus, the relaxing of restrictions, as well as lack of medical supplies and hospital space in India has led to a massive spike in COVID-19 cases. As of today, the country sits at 329,000 cases, with only 10% of the population having one vaccine dose and 2% being fully vaccinated. The country has been caught off-guard, overwhelming the health system and rendering the rollout of the vaccine to a mere trickle. People have taken to the black market to buy medical supplies such as oxygen tanks for their dying loved ones.

Because ventilators and oxygen are in short supply, patients are ferried from hospital to hospital by desperate relatives in order to find aid. In an interview with Channel 4 News, Dr. Sumit Ray explains that citizens are dying on the way to hospitals because of the lack of beds. He is exasperated by the shortage of supplies and space, helpless to the waves of patients that can only wait to die. At a hospital in Delhi, Manika Goel sits at her husband’s bedside, searching for a ventilator. She tells Channel 4 News that “it isn’t COVID that’s killing people. It is the unavailability of the treatment which is killing people.” The doctors tell her that her husband only has two days to live. Her story, while agonizing and unfortunate, is like so many others in India.

Devastation has overrun the country to the point that even crematoriums have become overpopulated. Car parks have been fitted as emergency funeral pyres in order to accommodate for the number of bodies that need to be cremated. Even in death, the families of the victims are pressed to find arrangements for funerals and ensure that their loved ones are put to rest properly. There is no peace for the people of India.

Other countries such as the UK and the USA are committed to aiding the country by sending health supplies, oxygen, masks, and medicine. U.S. President Joe Biden announced that by July 4, the U.S. will send 10% of its AstraZeneca vaccine to other countries, such as Canada, Mexico, and India. This past year has been an immense struggle for everyone worldwide, and as some countries are coming out from under the hold of COVID-19, some may forget that there are still people out there suffering. In these times, it is imperative to cherish our loved ones and what we have, but it is also our duty to exercise empathy and help others.

If you are interested in donating to help India, here is a link of places you can donate. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/how-to-help-india-during-its-covid-surge-12-places-you-can-donate 

Do we have enough for everyone?

Should the United States pay for the world’s Covid vaccine.

Quintus Horatius Flaccus The Philosopher Horace:

 “Nam tua res agitur, paries cum proximus ardet.” It is your concern when your neighbor’s wall is on fire.

Talking with friends and family in different countries, I was surprised to hear how many have not yet received a COVID vaccine, yet we are still facing a global pandemic. As Americans, we tend to think of things as if on a unilateral, English-speaking globe… but that is not the world. It is made up of millions, no sorry, billions of people in different countries and continents who have different languages, cultures, and governments.

There will be an argument over licensing and distributing the vaccine to other countries. Viewing the stock prices of J&J, Moderna, and Pfizer, they are all doing well, and there is the prevailing economic issue of who paid for the vaccine to be researched, tested, and produced?  In the December 20th issue of Forbes appeared an article, “The People’s Vaccine—Moderna’s Coronavirus Vaccine Was Largely Funded By Taxpayer Dollars.”  So Americans paid for it…but, again, this problem is larger than just one country.

In 2019, international travelers spent $155 billion as reported by ustravel.org. That means billions of dollars flowing into the United States and thousands of jobs created. We also have states that rely heavily on foreign investment with California, Florida and New York at the top of the list. What will happen if these visitors stop coming to the United States or stop traveling all together? When they do travel here, will they bring other variants of the virus?

According to Dr. Rochelle Walensky, “Based on our most recent estimates from CDC surveillance, the B.1.1.7 variant is now the most common lineage circulating in the United States.” What if that impacts our herd immunity? Regrettably, there could be other variants generating in other parts of the world that could be even more threating, and we need to think about stopping that now.

People are people no matter where they go from Lexington, Kentucky to Abuja, Nigeria to Ahvaz, Iran. It is amazingly simple to say that people matter – because they do. It should not matter how the vaccinations were produced or who paid for them. We could all be affected by the inaction to non-action of people during the pandemic.

To circle back to the statement by Horacio, as citizens of the globe, we have to think of other countries as our neighbors and do our best to bring this global pandemic to an end.  If our neighbor’s house burns, it should be everyone’s concern.

By Dane Flanigan

Bad Politics or Good Health

The Recall of Governor Newsom

In 2002 Governor Grey Davis, was recalled because of rolling power blackouts and his issues on gun control. The replacement was an economic disaster as he was supplanted by a Hollywood Rockstar who was a first and only time politician. Is the recall case against Governor Newsome just bad optics; after all, his measures to curb COVID-19 in California seemed to work?

There have been 59,985 deaths in the state of California. Statista.com outlines these deaths per capita based on 100,000. As listed, New Jersey leads the way with New York a close second and Massachusetts coming in a tight third. The lockdown measures in California were stern and swift; overnight the state became the no-fun zone as COVID-19 surged. One could argue because of the swift action of the Governor’s Office, many deaths and the spread of the coronavirus were prevented, and the rebound that the state is now experiencing is directly related.

Governor Newsom said his actions moving forward would be dictated by the data. One of the key issues we faced globally, and especially in California, is that the intensive care and emergency rooms were being overwhelmed with COVID patients. It makes sense to want to limit the spread of the virus. But American pushed back. In states like Michigan, their Supreme Court acted to limit Governor Whitmer’s emergency orders on October 2, 2020.

“The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer concerning her many emergency orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.” WWJ Radio

This week in late April, Michigan is having their highest COVID cases since April of 2020, and their hospitals beds are filled with patients. Meanwhile in California, people are still wearing masks, and the spread of the disease is on the decline.

Maybe this is just bad optics, but Governor Newsome was seen dining at The French Laundry, an upscale eatery in Northern California. In mid-December, he issued the closure of all restaurant dining restaurants after many had spent money to ramp up for the holiday season and prepare their eateries for outdoor activities.

The optics were terrible. Some businesses were forced to close for good, people were out of jobs, and many were left without an escape to home life. In addition, some of the smaller cities in California did not see the high numbers as their associated county, and data was suggesting that outdoor dining did not spread the disease. This became the battle of restaurant v. county as many restaurateurs balked at the data used to close.

There is no doubt Governor Newsom has done and will continue to do some great things for the state of California. Did he do a good job handling the pandemic? Yes and no. Raise your hand if you are perfect at your job (that is a rhetorical question). He made some mistakes. He is in the public eye so the pictures of him at a fancy restaurant while business owners are forced to close, and people are being laid off is hard to swallow.

There is a valid argument that we were forced closed too much and for too long without looking at all the data, but time will tell, and it is already beginning to show as we look at Michigan that maybe this was good health but bad politics.

By Dane Flanigan

How Countries’ COVID Measures Stack Up

Image via https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2020/health/coronavirus-maps-and-cases/

Whether out of fear of repeating the past, the virus, economic trouble, or public criticism, nations have responded differently to the pandemic. Although it’s not over, and it’s still too early to determine the long-term effects of each strategy, the data thus far does suggest which measures have worked best and why. 

Two methods for containing the spread of coronavirus are herd immunity and lockdowns. The Mayo Clinic states that herd immunity occurs when a large portion of the community becomes immune to a disease making the spread of it unlikely. Ideally, herd immunity is achieved through vaccinations. Vaccines have a low risk of complications and illness, they protect vulnerable populations that cannot receive vaccinations, and they have a strong history of controlling the spread of highly infectious diseases.  

At the beginning of the pandemic, vaccines were a hopeful but distant solution. Now, the first shipment of Pfizer’s vaccine will arrive in the U.S. on December 15. The U.K. became the first to approve it for use with their announcement on December 2. The shortened approval process, 10 months as compared to 10 years, as well as the U.K.’s reliance on Pfizer’s data instead of independent analysis, has made some hesitant to follow Britain’s lead. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S.’s top infectious disease expert, took the opportunity to praise the Food and Drug Administration’s slower regulation process and offer support for the agency which has been under pressure by the White House to approve the vaccine. 

Achieving herd immunity can be difficult when people refuse to take the vaccine. Additionally, the effectiveness of vaccines can wane over time. If multiple vaccines are necessary to inoculate against a certain disease, it’s not guaranteed people will complete the series lessening the effectiveness. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has criticized the other, widely used approach, lockdowns. Lockdowns, or large scale physical distancing measures, slow the spread by limiting contact. They harm social and economic life and disproportionately affect people living in poverty, internally displaced people, and refugees. 

In Europe, both Italy and Greece have utilized lockdowns with different results. Originally, Italy was the hotspot of Europe, while Greece initially had a low number of cases. Italy declared a state of emergency and placed a strict lockdown. Greece acted similarly but did not declare a state of emergency. With such similar methods, the two nations should have yielded similar results. However, one key factor that separates them is timing. Italy began suspending events and closing schools nine days after the third confirmed death from coronavirus. It closed non-essential shops and banned non-essential movement after two weeks. In comparison, Greece suspended events and closed schools before the third confirmed death, closed non-essential shops one day after, and banned all non-essential movement only eight days after the third death. 

Timing also played a key role as to why Taiwan and South Korea have both had continued success with their efforts. Taiwan went into a strict lockdown very early, like Greece. However, it did not last long. Instead, they moved to closing borders, banning the export of surgical masks, contact tracing, and mobile SIM tracking. They kept businesses open by requiring temperature checks and offering sanitizer before each person entered. These efforts have resulted in just seven deaths. South Korea responded similarly and has not only low death rates but also a low case count. Their early and aggressive response included and still includes extensive testing, isolation, contact tracing, and tracking COVID patients in real-time. They have also managed to keep businesses open, and a sizable government stimulus helped citizens financially.       

Both nations had experience with epidemics in recent history, Taiwan with SARS 20 years ago and South Korea with MERS in 2015. This may have made them better prepared and primed citizens to comply with strict and invasive measures early on. While some question the privacy violations associated with SIM contact tracing and patient tracking, the low case and death count, as well as the public’s willingness to follow such measures, highlight that people are willing to make the tradeoff between personal freedoms and restrictions to avoid disastrous outcomes.       

Rather than focusing on limiting the spread of COVID and protecting citizens, Turkey has focused on restricting the spread of information. Starting in March, officials have investigated doctors and healthcare workers commenting on the government’s actions and coronavirus in the media. In one instance, after a health expert talked about underreporting of cases with local media, a governor claimed they were “misinforming the public” and “causing panic.” The investigation brought against them was dropped only after multiple rights groups condemned it. 

But public support for Turkish doctors and nurses is waning. Increases in resignations led some to liken them to soldiers fleeing a battlefield. However, many that left public hospitals did not leave medicine altogether but moved to private care facilities that have better working conditions. Doctors were even prohibited from retiring between March 28 and June 8 and starting again on October 27. 

Turkey has continued to declare the situation is under control and lift partial lockdowns even when independent doctors and medical associations warn against it. In addition to keeping information from its people, Turkey has also not followed WHO’s recommendation of regularly releasing case and death numbers by city or include probable causes in their counts. 

While many countries took action at the beginning of outbreaks, the strength and continued enforcement of their policies have differentiated the success of their efforts. Time will tell if Italy and Greece’s regional measures and extended lockdowns save them from further spikes. Countries like Taiwan and South Korea have managed to not only protect most of their people but also protect their economies. This has improved their governments’ images both among their people and around the world. Turkey inverted its approach, starting with appearances and putting science second, leading to discontent among its people and healthcare force, arguably making their efforts a failure.