As wave turns to tsunami, some new Covid lessons for India

With over 2.60 lakh daily cases and 1,400 deaths on Saturday, Covid 2.0 is now an epidemiological tsunami in India. But new research brings some good news, provided people and governments follow basic rules. Here’s what the latest research says and what the latest India numbers are:

1. New research shows Coronavirus is airborne:

• SARS-CoV-2 virus is mainly transmitted through the air, says a Lancet study.
• It says transmission rates much higher indoors, and is greatly reduced by ventilation.
• There is little to no evidence that the virus spreads via large droplets and surfaces.

2. Therefore, the most important practical steps are…

• Using proper masks to stop inhalation of infectious particles.
• That means masks that fit snugly, or wearing two masks.
• Keeping houses, especially apartments, well-ventilated.
• For offices, high quality air filtration
• Avoiding crowded, indoor spaces entirely
• Kitting healthcare/frontline workers with better PPE

3. For india, which needs to vaccinate more people faster, the new research is an eye-opener

• Vaccines are helping curb cases or severity—even one dose is reducing severity
• Israel best example. It has eased outdoor mask mandate

4. Therefore, India needs to

• Declare vaccine emergency to ramp up production
• Get creative in arranging financing for producers
• Give one dose to as many people as possible
• Maybe delay the second dose to 12 weeks after consulting experts
• Just as foreign vaccines are allowed now, foreign therapeutics should be okayed for imports as well
• Example: Monoclonal antibody therapy for the treatment of mild-to-moderate Covid in the US