India health minister: Social responsibility will flatten COVID-19 curve

New Delhi: Federal Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has been pro-active since the news of COVID-19 broke in Wuhan, China. His ministry has spearheaded the fight against the coronavirus outbreak. Terming lockdown and social distancing as the most effective methods, the minister said these can help contain the dreadful pandemic.

As India continues to battle the virus, the health ministry data has reported thousands of confirmed cases in the country at present. The numbers have been rising continually, but the mortality rate has been contained, so far.

Amid reports of lockdown 4.0 to be applied in Red Zones of the country after May 17, affected states like Maharashtra have extended lockdown in hotspots till May 31.

Speaking to Gulf News, Dr Vardhan, an ENT surgeon-turned-politician and five-time member of the Delhi Legislative Assembly, explains the steps being initiated to respond to the virus threat.

DR HARSH VARDHAN: There is no evidence until now of India reaching stage three of community transmission. Despite this, we are maintaining a constant watch on the numbers and strong surveillance is being maintained. As regards the country yet to face the worst, it is difficult to predict. The emergence of coronavirus is, undoubtedly, the most significant event of anybody’s lifetime and has vast socio-economic implications. Several mathematical models predicting various projections have been put in the public domain. These are based on assumptions and presumptions, which may not be accurate. Nevertheless, we are studying its implications in coordination with scientists and epidemiologists through genetic sequencing.

We have had a steady curve of cases with no exponential rise in between. We are doing our best to bend the curve with persistent, proactive public health measures like testing and case detection, quarantine, isolation, contact tracing and surveillance and adhering strictly to lockdown protocols, especially in the severely affected areas. I would like to add that community ownership and discharging of social responsibility by each one of us remains the most important factor, apart from all governmental measures, in containing the disease. We fully realise that deficiency in any of the measures may change the trajectory of cases and deaths.

The availability of PPE has been an issue worldwide. There was a dearth initially, but we ramped up the production of good quality PPEs that are being manufactured indigenously. Hospitals across the country now have enough PPEs and testing kits available for the weeks to come. As the number of coronavirus cases spurted recently, we even scaled up our testing capacity to over 100,000 samples a day.

Because of the surge of returning migrant labourers, states and Union Territories need to focus on more effective surveillance, contact tracing, adequate testing and timely treatment of all the returnees. I remain in constant touch with chief ministers of different states and have directed them to ramp up surveillance for Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) and Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) in the affected and non-affected districts. They have been advised to seek the help of government medical colleges, if required. Such measures will help in detecting the presence of any hidden infection and help in its timely containment. People are also being encouraged to use Aarogya Setu app through which their health status can be monitored and tracked.

Until now, more than 100 million people have downloaded the app. As regards to data privacy issues, it shall be evaluated by other relevant government agencies. My focus right now is to fight the pandemic and save my countrymen from catastrophe.

The lockdown-driven disruptions to production, supply-chains, trade, and activities in aviation, tourism, hotels and hospitality have severely impacted the economy of the country. Weighing the strengths of lockdown so far as containing the disease and saving the lives is concerned, we gave top priority to saving the lives of the people. It is now time to give importance to the economy as well and, therefore, certain relaxations have been allowed. But yes, we have to weigh every decision objectively and before implementing these, have to ensure there is no spike in cases because of it.

Our doctors, healthcare workers and police personnel are warriors at the forefront in the fight against COVID-19. Their efforts, spirit, and dedication are unmatched and everyone is lauding them. The state governments have been instructed to take necessary action to prevent any such instances, which might demoralise these warriors.

Yes, the prime minister is concerned that a lot of fake news, rumours and misinformation about COVID-19 have emerged with the evolution of the disease. This creates panic and restlessness within the community. To counter the challenge of misinformation, we developed a system to provide informational support through data sharing on an open platform through the health ministry website. We are now using all possible tools of communication through social media, newspapers, television, radio, and caller tunes to 17 billion telephone subscribers to educate them and create awareness among the masses.