Myth and Reality of Corona Tests

Myth and Reality of Corona Tests

V Jwala Narasimha Rao and VJM Divakar

Millennium Post, New Delhi (17-06-2020)

(Anxieties regarding COVID-19 and lacking Coronavirus testing in India only amount to pointless fear-mongering that is more harmful than the contagion itself, write V Jwala Narasimha Rao and VJM Divakar-Editor)

There is a lot of discussion going on the public domain in general and in a major section of media in particular about conducting the Corona tests in the country. All those argue in favour of conducting more tests even to the asymptomatic people are missing a reality that it is not possible to conduct Corona Tests on each and every one living in this country. Imagine conducting Corona test for the 130 crore-odd population in this country and how many years and decades it would take to conduct these tests. Do we expect that, the Corona to be able to survive all these years? What is the guarantee that another set of new viruses will not break out by then?

As per the data available world over and according to the World Health Organisation and our own Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) studies point out that of the people who have the Corona virus 80 per cent are asymptomatic and they are getting cured by themselves. Of the rest 20 per cent, only 0.01 patients who are in serious condition and have other acute health problems are dying. Among those who tested positive, 98 per cent of them are getting cured by home quarantine and only 2 per cent are hospitalised for the treatment. If one compares the number of people testing positive and the death rate, one should not ever be worried about the Corona Virus. This did not mean that people should be careless. People as they do normally should take all the precautions and preventive measures. But there is no need to get panic about Corona.

Unfortunately, a section of media and some vested interests are spreading fear among the people. Fear about the virus will not lead us to any solution but it will have adverse impact on the lives and economy of people. Every day hundreds of people are dying in the road accidents in the country. This will not mean that nobody should venture out and travel. The wisdom lies in taking preventive measures rather than getting scared to venture out and travel.

From time immemorial generations of people faced a plethora of viruses, diseases, natural calamities, epidemics, pandemics etc. But they survived despite all this. In most of the cases, they developed a natural gift given by God that is developing immunity. In today’s parlance it is called herd Immunity. A majority of people having proper immune system are able to withstand Corona and are leading their lives. The problem is for those who are unable to fight the Corona with their weak immune system. For them, the government is providing the medical facilities both at home and in the hospitals.

The government’s duty is to provide the Public Health facilities and ensure that they are up to the existing needs. The state government has time and again declared that they have the facilities, equipment, medical staff, medicines, beds, and ventilators, Masks to treat the patients whatever their number may be. Moreover, it is also the responsibility of people to take care of their personal health. Along with rights, the people also have responsibilities. Following personal hygiene and guidelines issued by the government from time to time is a must.

Whether conducting Corona test on those who have died is of any purpose, medical experts should explain. It has been estimated that there are over 380 trillion viruses inhabiting us, a community collectively known as the human virome.  The human virome is the total collection of viruses in and on the human body. Viruses in the human body may infect both human cells and other microbes such as bacteria. Some viruses cause disease, while others may be asymptomatic.

But these viruses are not the dangerous ones we commonly hear about, like those that cause the flu or the common cold, or more sinister infections like Ebola or Dengue or even Corona. It is only when the immunity power is weak, some of the viruses attack. Not many viruses can live in a dead body. Hence conducting autopsy for Corona Virus tests on the dead will not give us any purposeful information. This is what the experts have been saying. Moreover, as Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao mentioned in one of his review meetings on the Corona Virus containment measures, daily about 900 to 1000 deaths occur in across the state.

Every day someone will die in some remote part of the state. It is not possible to conduct tests on them. If the medical staff in the hospitals is deputed for this duty, they will not get any time to treat the patients. There will be patients who come to the hospitals for other diseases and some for deliveries. There are now some who come for the treatment of Corona. It is not possible to conduct tests on the dead for Corona leaving these patients. World Health Organisation (WHO), ICMR or the Central government never asked for the tests on the dead. State Government is planning to appeal in Supreme Court against the directive of High Court in this regard.

It is pertinent to understand that epidemics, pandemics, attack of viruses on human body occur without any notice. There is no way any government can take preventive measures to ward off attack of any virus. The only prevention one can take is individually. In the past, the family physician used to play a key role in helping people from facing any virus attack. He would alert them, suggest preventive measures, and give them the required medical help.

Now at a time when no vaccine is found for Corona, all the government should do as is done in Telangana state to be prepared to treat patients whatever higher their number is. In fact, the state Medical and Health officials, experts have made it abundantly clear that the government hospitals in the state have the capacity, facilities and equipment to treat Corona virus patients whatever their number may be. The state government however may perhaps give a thought to allow the private hospitals to conduct corona tests and treat the Corona patients as they do for other diseases and illness.

It is only rumour mongers who are spreading news that Gandhi Hospital is overflowing with the corona patients. They are spreading lies, false reports that doctors and other medical staff transmitted the Virus and there by adversely impact the confidence of the medical staff. In fact, the Corona virus spreads to those offering the treatment worldwide. This is but natural. This is not happening in Telangana state alone. According to the ICMR estimates 10,000 medical staff got the virus in the country. In the US 68,000 Medical staff got the Virus. In UK 15 per cent of those transmitted Virus are medical staff.  Similarly, in the Telangana State so far 153 medical staff got the Virus. But none of them were in serious condition. It is painful that some reports are spreading that only in Telangana State Medical staff have got the virus.

Getting scared and entertaining fear about Corona is both meaningless and purposeless. If at all anyone should entertain fear it should be about the economic recession that we are in. Hence, Corona se math darona!