Question

Write an article on the “Covid-19 crisis in India” in 150 words

Answer 1

Answer:In December, while Wuhan province was witnessing the beginning of the actual Covid-19 pandemic, India was facing massive and violent uprisings. Hundreds of thousands of Indians protested all over the country against the discriminatory anti-Muslim citizenship law that had just been passed by its parliament—the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)—and as a backlash violent attacks occurred on universities and Muslim working-class neighbourhoods by armed vigilantes. All this while the authorities were negating the presence of community transmission of the virus despite the first cases appearing way back in January to finally declare a 21-day lockdown on the midnight of 24 March, with only a 4 hour notice. This announcement, as in France, has triggered migration from the cities to the countryside, but of a completely different nature: in India, the internal migrant workers, day labourers and the poor—deprived of resources—have decided to return to their native villages. This tragic and deadly exodus of migrants fleeing cities is the most visible stigmata of the profound health, economic and social crisis that this threefold essay offers to analyse.

Accessing Healthcare under the Lockdown

This pandemic has brutally exposed the vulnerabilities of some of the best health systems. For the Indian health system, one of the most burdened and least funded in the world, this could be a critical moment; as government facilities are already overstretched in a highly fractured, underfunded and geographically uneven health system (Das 2015; Drèze & Sen 2013; Hodges & Rao 2016). This invites us to examine the way the current crisis risks to enhance long lasting health inequalities and how dysfunctional health infrastructures may collapse under the strain of the coming dramatic spike in Covid-19 cases in India.

Explanation:

Answer 2

The first case of the COVID-19 pandemic in India was reported on 30 January 2020, originating from China. As of 23 May 2020, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have confirmed a total of 125,101 cases, 51,784 recoveries (including 1 migration) and 3,720 deaths in the country.[5] India currently has the fourth largest number of confirmed cases in Asia with number of cases breaching the 100,000 mark on 19 May 2020.[8] The highest single day surge in new cases was recorded on 22 May 2020, when 6,088 cases were reported. India's case fatality rate is relatively lower at 3.09%, against the global 6.63% as of 20 May 2020.[9] Five cities account for around half of all reported cases in the country – Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Pune.[10] As of 20 May 2020, two regions, Sikkim and Lakshadweep have not reported a case.