From the “New Normal” to a “New Future”: A Sustainable Response to COVID-19

Abstract

We are fifteen months into the COVID-19 pandemic and infections and deaths are waxing and waning in many parts of the world. There are now more than 48, 786 new confirmed cases in a day in India, total cases of 3.04 crores and over 3.98 lakhs death in all. For the first time in the history of mankind, there has been such drastic behavioural change in humans. The coronavirus pandemic has drastically changed the way common people live, interact, and work. Social distancing, facial masks, and hand sanitization have to be followed in any closed space. Rules of communication and etiquette have been modified in personal growth, social life, and the business world, and even in medical communication. Beside changing social and work ethics like finishing all outdoor activities like shopping and work in one go before reaching home, measures taken to contain the virus have also reshaped greetings and the rules of everyday etiquette. The pandemic brought about a significant change in living from greetings from far to handshaking, table and seating arrangements with social distancing, entertainment culture in open air, artistic activities rekindled while at home isolation, sports activities in open environment, and most importantly, professional behaviour codes of conduct. Expensive clothes, hair, makeup, and accessories will be replaced by simplicity and pastels, and natural colours will be preferred more in clothes. Most consultants counsel one reliable relative in addition to the patient consistently and the number of relatives accompanying the patient is reduced to one. Instructions are given in clear writing to reduce time with the patient. Question and answers are to be kept at a minimum. Before procedures, Covid testing of nasal swab by RTPCR is advisable to prevent untoward outcome of the surgery. Unnecessary exposure of the patient in the hospital is reduced. India has low COVID-19 figures today compared to April and May, because of multiple pronged approaches. As we have built up our capacities and mechanisms for emergency response to the peak of the pandemic, we are also preventing unnecessary hospitalization and improving turnover of patients. Those asymptomatic patients who can be managed at home are also attended to at home. However, as the pandemic in India is entering a “new phase” of the outbreak, we are on the brink of a third wave and governments and individuals need to take further responsibility and further actions to mitigate risk of infection and minimize transmission while maintaining social and economic activities at the same time. Vaccination also plays an important role in improving herd immunity. The Government of India on 19th May 2021 gave its approval to administer vaccination to lactating women who wish to take the dose. The Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India and The National Expert group on vaccine administration for COVID-19 state that “benefits outweigh the risks” and therefore women who breastfeed must be educated about the vaccine and given the choice to make informed decision. Many paediatricians across the country believe vaccinating the lactating mothers would help provide infants with antibodies via breast milk. This would further help build relative immunity against the virus in these children. Five and a half months into immunization programme against COVID-19, pregnant Indian women have been allowed vaccination, paving the way for the entire adult population of the country to be vaccinated. A total of 33.57 crore vaccine doses have been administered till date in India. While several countries have managed to contain outbreaks early on in the first phase, many are now tackling new surges. For India, these new clusters in the second wave were larger and more complex than their initial outbreaks. We are on the brink of a new third wave now. * Geetha Balsarkar [email protected]