It's a war... a doctor proclaims as India stares into Covid horror

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A horrifying tragedy is unfolding in India amid a dangerous spike in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks with daily infections touching an all-time global high of 315,000 on Wednesday. The devastating second wave is being blamed on a "double mutant" variant of coronavirus and "super-spreader" election rallies and massive gatherings for religious festivals such as the Kumbh Mela.

The raging numbers of COVID-19 cases have stretched the country's long-underfunded health system to the limit as reports of shortages of hospital beds, fresh oxygen supplies, essential medication and vaccination come from across India. On Wednesday, at least 24 COVID-19 patients on life support died after they lost oxygen supply due to a leak in a hospital in Nashik city of India's western state of Maharashtra.

Doctors, medical workers and other first responders in the healthcare system are facing the maximum brunt of the crisis.

"Doctors are not God. We are human beings and we have our limitations. There are no more beds anywhere. It is impossible for us to cater to all the patients flocking in the hospitals [through] night and day, while public gatherings are still allowed," Dr Subhargha Kumar told CGTN Digital echoing the plight of millions of doctors and healthcare workers who are at the forefront of fighting India's "war" on COVID-19.

"As doctors we cannot deny our duty. We are just like soldiers put up on the border," remarked Dr Kumar, the founder-director of The Five Elements Medical Centre, in Gurgaon city on the outskirts of capital New Delhi.

"It's a war. It's a war," he proclaimed.

"We are working continuously whether it's a doctor working in government sector or corporate sector, or doctors like us who are running their own private clinics and medical centers, we are continuously seeing patients of COVID-19. We don't have any day or night duties," he added.

Lockdown and vaccination drive

A deserted Connaught Place market district in New Delhi, April 20, 2021. The Indian capital imposed a week-long lockdown starting April 19, 2021. /CFP

Migrant workers at a bus station to leave New Delhi as the Indian capital observes a week-long lockdown, April 20, 2021. /CFP

Dr Kumar felt a lockdown might be the only resort to prevent the situation from going totally out of control and give the medical workers some breathing space. "There should be a lockdown, countrywide or at least in the COVID-19 hotspots such as Maharashtra and New Delhi, so that at least the hospitals and the doctors get some time to cope up with the situation."

States across India have already imposed restrictions, with Delhi in a week-long lockdown, Maharashtra announcing stern curbs and all non-essential shops shut and Uttar Pradesh set for weekend shutdown.

The government on Monday also announced that all adults above the age of 18 will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccines from May 1.

A staunch advocate of vaccines for all, Dr Kumar welcomed the decision but also admitted that implementing the plan in the world's second most populous country is an immense challenge. "There should not be an age limit for vaccinations in the current scenario. People are eagerly waiting for the vaccines … But India is a very large country and it's not an easy task to vaccinate 130 crore (1.3 billion) people," he said, emphasizing that at least 60 percent of the total population will be required to be vaccinated to reach herd immunity.

"We have to ramp up the vaccine manufacturing and the government has announced plans to increase production by six to seven times in the coming months. By July-August, the plan is to administer around 100 million doses per month. If that happens, there won't be a shortage of vaccines," he hoped.

India plans to vaccinate about 300 million citizens by July, but the worsening COVID-19 situation has raised concerns whether it will be able to meet that target. /CFP

People walk past notices announcing that Covishield, Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine, is out of stock at a vaccination center in Mumbai, April 20, 2021. /CFP

Last week, India granted emergency use authorization for Russia's Sputnik V vaccine. The country is in the process of granting similar emergency clearance to COVID-19 vaccines that have received approvals in the U.S., Europe and Japan to meet the burgeoning demand.

The country has administered about 130 million doses in just a little over three months since India's public immunization program began on January 16. The South Asian giant plans to vaccinate about 300 million citizens by July, but the worsening situation has raised concerns whether it will be able to meet that target.

"Like Sputnik, if government plans to allow more vaccines to be imported, we can scale up the vaccination drive. There should be a door-to-door vaccine campaign just like the Pulse Polio drive," Dr Kumar said referring to India's successful polio vaccination campaign that ran for decades.

"If the patient isn't coming to us [for vaccination], better we go to them…. There should be mobile testing clinics and mobile vaccine vans in the villages," he said noting that a section of the population, particularly in rural areas, is still apprehensive of COVID-19 vaccination.

Premature to assess 'double-mutant' virus

People are seen near a giant effigy resembling the COVID-19 coronavirus to be burned as a part of Holika Dahan, or burning of Indian mythical demon Holika usually performed on the eve of Holi celebrations which is a popular Hindu spring festival of colors, Mumbai, March 28, 2021. /CFP

The unprecedented spread of the virus has been partly blamed on a more contagious "double mutant" COVID-19 variant that has emerged in India. The variant, known as B.1.617, first appeared in India on December 7, 2020, according to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG). It has two specific mutations – E484Q and L452R – that have been detected in more contagious variants worldwide.

The World Health Organization has warned that the new variant of the virus could have a global impact on countermeasures such as vaccine exports, considering India is the world's largest vaccine manufacturer.

Dr Kumar however said that it is premature to conclude anything about the variant yet. "A virus tends to mutate all the time due to their evolutionary biology. Sometimes, the mutation makes it stronger, and at other even weaker. Right now, we don't have sufficient data to claim that it may impact global vaccination efforts or whether the vaccines have no effect on the virus. We'll have to wait for more data," he reasoned.

Political and religious events turn 'super-spreaders'

A Hindu holy man, known as Naga Sadhus, wears a mask before the procession for taking a dip in the Ganges river during a religious ritual at 'Kumbh Mela,' in India's northern city of Haridwar, April 12, 2021. /Reuters

People play with colorful powders during the Holi festival. Holi is a popular Hindu festival of colors celebrated to mark the beginning of spring, Kolkata, March 29, 2021. /CFP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has come under scanner for lax attitude in allowing mass gatherings for election campaigns, religious festivals such as Holi and Kumbh Mela, and cricket matches against England, which led many to falsely believe in recent months that India had defeated the virus.

Millions have taken dips in the Ganges river in the northern Indian city of Haridwar during the Kumbh Mela Hindu festival, which is now being described as a "super-spreader" due to thousands of cases reported among the pilgrims. This has baffled many sparking an outrage at the government.

Meanwhile, Modi and his key lieutenant in the government, Home Minister Amit Shah have held scores of massive election rallies and roadshows in several states, and particularly in West Bengal, in recent months, despite reports of the surge in COVID-19 cases.

While Dr Kumar, like many of his compatriots, felt that the elections should have been postponed under the current scenario, even he thought that it wouldn't have been possible for the government to halt the religious congregations.

"India is a country of faith and religion. We blindly have faith upon our Hindu gods and deities. So, you cannot stop a Kumbh Mela when there is no lockdown enforced in the country," he argued, adding that the event could have been planned better with strict protocols and deployment of more testing centers and paramedics at the venue to contain the virus spread.

Dr Kumar however welcomed the Delhi state government's move to make 14-day home quarantine mandatory for Kumbh returnees. "This is a nice move. We cannot stop the Kumbh Mela, but we can at least isolate the persons who are returning from the festival."

Screenshot of a tweet by BJP's IT department chief Amit Malviya showing the photos from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's election rally in Kharagpur, West Bengal, India, May 20, 2021. /Twitter via @amitmalviya

Screenshot of a tweet by India's Home Minister Amit Shah showing the photos from his election campaign rally in Kharagpur, West Bengal, India, May 20, 2021. /Twitter via @AmitShah

China, India must join hands to defeat 'enemy of humanity'

Dr Kumar called for China and India – the two most populous nations in the world – to join hands in the fight against COVID-19, which he described as the biggest threat to the human race.

"Right now, we have only one enemy – COVID-19. We must join hands, Ultimately, it will be the decision of both the governments, but as a doctor I feel that India and China should set an example of collaboration against this global pandemic," he said, acknowledging that international cooperation is the only way forward.

He also agreed that the conversations on COVID-19 should be brought back to science and that the pandemic should not be politicized.

"It's not a question of caste or creed, or religion or borders or something like that. It's the very question of existence of the human race on this planet. I there are relevant successful practices and strategies coming from any part of the world, be it China or India or even Pakistan, we must exchange and share the knowledge and fight this global pandemic together," he reiterated.

"The virus is waging a war against human race. So, if China has some good plans and containment strategy and if China is coming up with a good drug, and if the Chinese vaccines are effective, we must welcome this and collaborate," Dr Kumar concluded.

Interviewer and script: Abhishek G Bhaya

Video editor: Wu Chutian

Cover image: Yin Yating

Chief editor: Li Shouen

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