India reached a peak of 97,894 daily new cases on 16 Sept 2020. This number kept steadily declining till 15 Feb 2021 when the number of new cases dropped to under 10k at 9,121. As the cases dropped all over the country as well as the world, we thought that the worst is behind us and we have finally conquered the virus.
On 16 March 2021, within a month time, the number of daily new cases nearly tripled to 29,000 and in just ten more days at we approached the first anniversary of nation wide lockdown 25 March, the number of new cases doubled to 60k. By 24 April 2021, the number of cases reached a staggering 3.5 lakh per day. This is definitely something which has to be taken serious notice of. State and Central Govts have swung into action to contain the spread of this deadly virus.
Some definitions
Coronavirus is a family of viruses which causes respiratory problems. It is identified by a coating all around it which is similar to the suns corona during eclipse. The first virus of this family was discovered in a human in 1965 and the latest one to be discovered in 2019 is the SARS-CoV-2 and it causes the disease COVID-19. The spread of the latest coronavirus is similar to the virus which causes common cold, i.e. by touching.
Coronaviruses are highly infectious. If an infected person touches the nose, the virus comes in contact with the hands and from there it gets transmitted to the surfaces which we commonly touch like lift buttons and door knobs or railings of stairs. Then when we touch our nose, the virus enters the nasal cavity. How often we touch our nose, atleast a hundred times a day.
Epidemic v/s Pandemic – Covid-19 is a pandemic. Difference between them is that an epidemic is a fast and accelerated spread of the virus in a local population. As per WHO definition when a virus spreads across borders and jumps to another country, it is called pandemic.
New virus usually mutates or it jumps from animals to humans. It is not confirmed in case of COVID-19 but HIV definitely jumped from animals to humans via consumption of bush meat. Virus needs a host to survive and spread. It lives on the borderline of living and non living organism.
Fighting COVID-19
Humans for fought virus by developing immunity towards them. Scientists also have developed vaccines for virus. These vaccines are injected for the body to develop virus antibodies to fight off the infection. As on date, i.e. April 2021, about 2 crore people have been vaccinated. That is just 1.6% of the population of India. We still have a long way to go with the vaccination, hence we need to take precautions. Here are few of them specially aimed towards the women folk.
- To tackle any respiratory related problems, the best way out is a healthy body and an active breathing system. Daily exercise like yoga and meditation will boost immunity. Eat for daily nutrition.
- Indoors or outdoors, wash hands regularly with alcohol based sanitizers. Doctors also advised compulsory wearing of mask while outside. It is also a rule of law now.
- Avoid crowded places. They are responsible for fast spread of the virus. Majority of the population will not be affected by the virus, but you can still become spreaders of the same.
- Since this virus spreads by proximity and touch, it is essential to follow the social distancing norms as prescribed by the govt. Public places are now following strict guidelines about this.
- Keep your stress levels under check since over stress is the greatest cause of worsening mental health.
- Consult a doctor in case of any symptoms.
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I am Manisha Yadav, Founder and Ideologue of Narisakti. MBA Student and Digital Marketing expert, I take your brand online and help you reach more customers.
