Jahnavi Sarma
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Written By: Jahnavi Sarma | Updated : March 10, 2020 4:36 PM IST
India has a large population. Combined with a stretched health system and inadequate infrastructure, the situation may quickly go out of control. @Shutterstock
Today is the festival of colours. You must have noticed the subdued revelry all around you. In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. India, which had escaped the virus initially now has 50 confirmed cases with 5 more testing positive in the last twelve hours. The new cases have come in from Kerala and Karnataka. Globally too, the outbreak has morphed into a pandemic with almost all countries of the world reporting a massive surge in cases. Death rate too has also gone up. It is quite possible that by the time you read this, the death too and number of infected people will increase significantly. India has a large population. Combined with a stretched health system and inadequate infrastructure, the situation may quickly go out of control.
The World Health Organisation is just a step away from declaring the current coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says that 'now that the virus has a foothold in so many countries, the threat of a pandemic has become very real'.
Italy and Iran, both together has more than 7,000 cases. The former country has placed the country under lockdown in an effort to contain the spread. In the US too, the virus has spread to more than 30 states. Other than China and Singapore, two countries that appear to have successfully contained the spread in their respective regions, the world at large seems to be clueless about how to deal with the coronavirus.
People with underlying health conditions are more susceptible to the disease. According to WHO officials, if you have heart disease, respiratory disease, cancer and diabetes, you may be at a higher risk for death. At the same time, this premier organisation says that it is dangerous to assume COVID-19 kills only older people. It can strike anybody. The 3 year old who tested positive in India is an example of how even children are not immune to the coronavirus.
