Can India Set Example For Developed Nations In Fight Against Covid-19?

India did not wait for the numbers to escalate, but tried to prevent the Covid-19 outbreak by implementing lockdown when 550 cases were reported by March 23.

Medical staff wearing protective gears visit a residential area to screen residents in the wake of COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus in Amritsar. PIC/AFP.

New Delhi: Even as the world is reeling under Covid-19 pandemic, India has been able to keep the curve flatter compared to rich nations like the US and Europe. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended the lockdown in the country till May 3 to contain the spread of Covid-19 outbreak. Everyone is aware of how the pandemic has panned out elsewhere. In comparison to other countries, India has managed to prevent the cases from flaring up and praised his countrymen for being a partner in this fight. At a time when India had only 550 cases of Covid-19, the country had taken a big step by implementing a nationwide lockdown for 21 days. “India did not wait for the numbers to escalate, but, as soon as the problem appeared, we tried to stop it at the same time by taking swift decisions. If India had not adopted a holistic, integrated approach, and had not taken fast decisions, then the situation of India would have been different. But from the experiences of the past, it is clear that the path we have chosen is right,” said PM. The Prime Minister said that if we look at it only from the economic point of view, it seems expensive now but in front of the life of Indians, there can be no comparison. Amid limited resources, the path which India has chosen is being discussed all over the world today.  Here is how India fared well compared to richer nations. Why is India in a better position than rich countries? On March 23, when the lockdown was imposed India had less than 500 cases of Covid-19. The total number of positive cases was 498. But in the next 20 days, cases have increased more than 20 times and the number of positive cases has crossed 10,000. After the lockdown and social distancing, the curve has tapered with a spike in cases and hurting the economy as well. However, there is some good news hidden behind these figures. India is the 22nd nation in the world to file 10,000 Covid-19 cases. But if we look at the global statistics, about seven people per million are infected in India, about 1,700 cases per million in America and more than 3,500 per million cases in Spain. It can’t be refuted that the average testing in India is not up to the mark. Only 137 people per million have been tested in India. But even if testing increases in terms of the average of infection, cases will not increase as fast as compared to other countries. Despite the sudden spike in cases because of the religious congregation at Tablighi Jamaat, the pace of infection in the country is low. Although the cases are now doubling in a little more than six days, this is definitely a matter of concern. On April 7, there were 5,000 cases of Covid-19. It took about four weeks to touch 5,000 cases, but in a week this number has crossed 10,000. On Monday, 1200 new cases came which indicated a new phase. In the last few days, Covid-19 crises have deepened in many states of India. In Maharashtra, the number of people infected with the Coronavirus has crossed 2,000. According to the data released by the Maharashtra government, 2,334 people have been infected and 160 people have died. Of these, 352 cases have come in the last 24 hours. Around 150 new cases have come up in the financial hub Mumbai. However, 217 people have also recovered in the state. In Maharashtra, the number of cases has doubled in five days (after 8 April). The state's death rate has increased by 122 per cent in these five days, which has risen from 72 to 160. Delhi also witnessed an explosion of new cases on Monday, which is mostly associated with the religious gathering. Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have also seen an increase in cases in recent times. It is to be seen how the country stands up against Coronavirus after the government has issued stricter guidelines and extended the lockdown by May 3. According to the latest data by ministry of health, 10,363 cases have been reported. At the same time, 339 people have succumbed to the disease while 1,036 people have recovered so far.