Lat year we were groping in dark, little did even the scientific community know about the virus. At the level of managing the challenge in the healthcare sector those at the helm were caught unawares, and there was hardly any infrastructure in place. Similarly, the administration was facing such a situation first time. So it was a sort of firefighting without an idea of the nature of the conflagration. This time, though the crisis is far bigger, but there is some degree of clarity on what we are facing. This knowledge about the challenge we are facing can be put to great use only if we pay heed. Talking to experts we get to know that there are just two ways of wrestling with this monster and tossing it to the floor. One, vaccination. And two, following standard guidelines. So right now all our focus should be on these two things. Here the first one is for the government to speed up by making vaccine available at all health centres, or at least designated centres. There are other decisions that can be taken in this regard; those that can involve the private sector more effectively in the program of vaccinating people. The production, delivery, and the actual immunisation – all the levels of vaccination must perform efficiently. But it is not going to happen in a jiffy. It will take some time. What can significantly contribute to breaking the chain is that people voluntarily decide to stay indoors. Even when there is a lockdown in place, reports suggest that at certain places people are being seen moving out in good numbers. That is very disgusting. At a time when deaths are mounting and we are witnessing a large scale devastation, it is a moral responsibility on all of us to stay indoors, and not to come out unless it is an emergency. Even if we have to do some essential shopping there are online arrangements for getting the stuff home delivered. We must remember that when we needlessly move out we not only risk ourselves, but our family and also the neighbourhood. That way it becomes a criminal act.
Breaking the chain
