By Anupama Nair
Mumbai, April 23
“It was the best of the times; it was the worst of times,
It was the age of wisdom; it was the age of foolishness,
It was the season of light; it was the season of darkness,
It was the spring of hope; it was the winter of despair”
These are very prophetic words written more than a century ago, but never have they seemed true. Twenty-Twenty was one such year when a “mere” virus held the world in its grasp. Even in 2021 it still does not seem to free the world from its grasp. After the first phase killed millions now second phase is on the same path.
Is it a curse that from 1720, the world has been witnessing such killer pandemics every hundred years? The Great Plague (1720-1723), killed 100 thousand people worldwide. The Cholera Pandemic (1820-1824) killed millions in Asia. In 1920 after the First World War, the Spanish Flu killed nearly 17 million people. Come circa 2020, Corona Virus has killed nearly 2.7 million people and the list goes on and on. In Part I spoke out the first phase of Corona and the destruction it caused on the world. The second phase is more destructive than the first and has the world in it grasp once again.
Nostradamus the great French physician and astrologist, became quite famous in recent times with his prediction of Corona. He stated “There will be a twin year (2020) from which will arise a queen (corona) who will come from the east (China) and who will spread a plague (virus) in the darkness of night, on a country with 7 hills (Italy) and will transform the twilight of men into dust (death), to destroy and ruin the world. It will be the end of the world economy as you know it.”
This prediction was proved right. Nostradamus has predicted 2021 also as a year of suffering with draughts and floods. One can hope it does not come true like his prediction of the end of the world in 2012. But, the first four months of this year is equally grim and seem to make his predictions true again. The cases are increasing day by day. As per today’s counts the word has 142,820,011 cases with 3,046,287 with United States the biggest contributor with 32 million cases, with India with 15 million followed by Brazil with 14 million cases. France, Russia, UK, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Germany and Argentina are not far behind.
India is currently in the midst of a second wave of the virus, with confirmed daily infections reaching an all-time high of more than 2 hundred thousand this week. At the beginning of the pandemic, health experts had predicted that India, with a population more than four times the size of the U.S., would quickly become the world’s worst-hit country—especially given that China, the only country in the world with a larger population, mounted an effective campaign to suppress the virus. But bad outbreaks in the U.S. and Brazil, meant India never officially reached that point.
The new, mutating COVID strains, including the Brazilian, South African and the Kent (UK) variants are said to be much stronger and producing the capability to cause more symptoms and attack the vital organs more profoundly. According to current research done in India, has emerged from hospitals across India, people testing positive for the virus are now also reporting different symptoms, unlike the classic signs and symptoms of COVID-19 last year.
According to doctors in Gujarat, patients are now exhibiting unusual symptoms of the virus, including abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and even developing a cold. The absence of typical symptoms, such as that of a fever and a cough is now making doctors cautioning patients to get tested even if they do not show usual signs.
Other symptoms increasingly seen in COVID patients include joint pain, myalgia (muscle aches and pain, which can involve ligaments, tendons and fascia, the soft tissues that connect muscles, bones and organs), gastro-intestinal complications, weakness and loss of appetite. Interestingly, unusual signs and detection of vague symptoms apart from a COVID-fever or cough were also highlighted during the second phase. Third wave of infections has hit the UK and other European countries in the recent months.
Most COVID cases in India are mild or may even be asymptomatic. However, with the virus changing its course and launching a much-more deadly attack on the body, the severity of infections is also being seen now. The severity and complications, which pose the highest risk for those suffering from co-morbidities like diabetes, heart disease and blood pressure, can also increase the need for hospitalizations, which push the healthcare system to a near state of collapse, if the situation isn't brought under control. With not much evidence available now, a lot of experts feel that the COVID mutations or the scary double mutant virus traced in Maharashtra has the ability to target the body in a different manner. The new strain is more severe and high infectious ability and easily spreads to the lungs, respiratory system and cause pneumonia, which is a lethal COVID complication. The lack of oxygen is a great concern for us. A large number of gastrointestinal complaints are also being registered right now. Doctors say virus unleashes a bombardment of symptoms like diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, pain and vomiting. So never ignore any gastro-intestinal symptoms.
According to the predictions of Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, there will be steep increase of cases in April, May and June and then dip will be seen. It is a very alarming prediction and all we can do is follow covid appropriate norms– wear masks, sanitize our hands and social distancing. As far as possible stay home. It is a great relief our vaccination system is one of the best in the world. From May 1, all adults can get vaccinated. Hope the virus will disappear from this world. As it is said in Sanskrit, Asatoma sath gamaya, tamasoma jyothir gamaya, mrityoma amritam gamaya, om shanti shanti shanti hi (let untruth turn to truth, let darkness turn into light, death turn to eternity, let there be peace).
