COVID-19

Why in news:

The World Health Organization has formally declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic as number of confirmed cases continues to rise globally.

Extent of disease:

• WHO has classified the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) as a pandemic.
• Over 110 countries and territories, representing every corner of the globe, have now reported at least one case of the novel coronavirus.
• In total, there are now over 2,40,000 cases and over 1,65,000 related deaths.
• US has the most number of confirmed cases in the world and deaths due to Coronavirus infection.
• India has more than 17,000 confirmed cases and over 500 deaths as of now.

Transmission of COVID-19

• Person-to-person spread
  • The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.
  • Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
  • Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
  • People are thought to be most contagious when they are most symptomatic (the sickest).
  • Some spread might be possible before people show symptoms
• Spread from contact with contaminated surfaces or objects
  • It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.
• The virus that causes COVID-19 seems to be spreading easily and sustainably in the community (community spread) in some affected geographic areas.

Symptoms of COVID-19:

• The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness and dry cough.
• Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea.
• These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually.
• Some people become infected but don’t develop any symptoms and don't feel unwell.
• Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness.

Management of disease:

• Most people (about 80%) recover from the disease without needing special treatment.
• To date, there is no vaccine and no specific antiviral medicine to prevent or treat COVID-2019.
• However, those affected should receive care to relieve symptoms. People with serious illness should be hospitalized.
• Most patients recover thanks to supportive care.
• WHO is coordinating efforts to develop vaccines and medicines to prevent and treat COVID-19.

COVID-19 - IMPACT:

• Health Impact
  • Older adults and people who have serious chronic medical conditions like  heart disease, diabetes and lung disease are at more risk of severe form of the disease.
  • Huge burden on health systems and health system workers across the globe.
• Economic Impact
  • Shutting down of businesses as the pandemic spreads leading to slump in business and economic activity.
  • Stock markets have crashed across the globe in response to Covid-19 fears. Sensex, Dow Jones Index etc. sustained heavy falls.
  • Disruption of global supply chains - China has effectively been in economic lockdown for a month since Chinese New Year and the knock-on effect for global manufacturing has already been felt.
  • Manufacturing activity has slowed down or halted in various sectors owing to scarcity of raw materials. For instance, pharmaceutical industry in India is facing acute shortage of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) for drug manufacturing (most of API imports are from China).
  • At the sectoral level, tourism and travel-related industries will be among the hardest hit as authorities encourage “social distancing” and consumers stay indoors.
  • Global economy, which was already seeing slowdown across many countries will take a further hit. 
• Social Impact
  • Social distancing -
    • People have been advised to stay indoors and avoid non-essential travel
    • Cinemas, public gatherings etc. have been banned in many places
  • Education – Schools have been shut in many countries
  • Apprehension and panic among people – have resulted in panic buying and hoarding of commodities in some places
• Geopolitical Impact
  • Lax response by certain administrations have led to spread of the disease in other countries. China was criticized for its initial handling of the outbreak.
  • Cancellation of numerous sporting and cultural events across the globe – Many leagues have been either suspended or postponed
  • Cancellation of bilateral and multilateral summits, meetings and visits – can impact international relations and response to various global and regional issues

Analysis

• Experts at the ICMR said there were four states of the disease.
• Stage 1 is getting imported cases, stage 2 is local transmission, stage 3 is community transmission and stage 4 is when it turns into an epidemic.
• While, India is at stage 2 now, experts said stern precautions were being taken so that going to stage 3 could be halted.

Way forward:

• Contain the pandemic in the current scenario – by spreading awareness, taking appropriate Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures etc.
• Strengthen health systems, especially with respect to primary healthcare and public health
• Improve disease surveillance and testing globally as well as in the country and develop a global pandemic safety plan with country and/or region-specific measures
• Strong regulation of wildlife trade and meat markets and improve cleanliness and sanitary conditions of wet markets around the world and the country
• Establishment of a global institutional mechanism for pandemic preparedness and management – for instance, under the aegis of WHO involving health ministries of countries, NGOs and research organizations in health and epidemiology. Such efforts can go a long way in the tracking and containment of any future pandemic outbreak thereby saving hundreds of thousands and thier livelihoods.

Practice Question

Q. COVID-19 has been declared as a pandemic by the WHO. What is the economic impact of COVID-19 pandemic?