The pandemic driving the global economy out of gear
The pandemic COVID19 is the current global headache that is driving the traffic of the world economy out of gear. The trade impact in India alone is estimated at over $348 million. All the major business sectors where China played a key role, either as a supplier of raw materials or as a wholesale dealer have been affected by this sudden coup d’état. For example, the automobile and the pharmaceutical industries, Electronics, Solar power, IT, Shipping, Tourism and Aviation, Textiles, etc. The panic is reflected in the share markets all over the world.
The outbreak has become the global outcry
The virus associated with the
outbreak originating from Wuhan, China, and which is termed as COVID19, has
spread all over the world. It causes infection through spike protein. It is
called spike protein because it sits on top of the spike, as the structure of
the coronavirus and connects with the molecules of the human cells and leads to
the infection. According to Mr. Yogesh S. Souche, Head, National Centre for
Cell Science, "In order to infect or attack the human cell, the virus has
to enter it and attach itself to the cell. The receptor is the molecule of the
cell to which it attaches. Then it goes inside and takes over the entire
functioning of the cell." This is how the entire human body gets affected.
Four
stages of the disease
Experts at the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical
Research) said there were four stages of the disease. Stage 1 is getting
imported cases, stage 2 is the 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. “The virus will behave the same way it has behaved in
China. It will follow the same pattern,” said the Director-General, ICMR, Mr. Balram Bhargava. He further said, "India has a 30-day window to halt
the beginning of community transmission. If we manage 30 days, if
community transmission doesn’t happen in the next 30 days, we may be at a good
wicket.” To read more, click here.
The blame game doesn’t help
These terrifying facts and figures will not help. Neither will blame-game.
Investigating whether China spread the disease on purpose as a reaction to
the tension it had had with the US, or whether Russia had spread the virus because it is so far unaffected is irrelevant and way too distracting, if
not naïve.
A
force majeure?
The WHO has identified this as a pandemic, but
this is worse than any natural calamity as it has affected the whole world. As
viruses like these spread like wildfire, they need to be taken seriously right
from the word go rather than being in denial. At this time of crisis,
scientists, caregivers, spiritual leaders, healers, nurses, medical
practitioners and, above all, leaders need to look at this crisis with due
diligence. People from different faiths and beliefs, professions have to unite
and fight this together. For sure, this too shall pass.
The positive side of COVID19
Does it sound shallow if we strive to look at
the positive side of COVID19? I don’t think it is; this sudden outbreak has put
the whole world under one umbrella as we are now looking at the cure of the
global village as a whole. We have once again realized that external
differences do not really make us different. In fact, it brings us together. So
has the domino effect helped in changing the way we look at the world? From the index of the map, as shown by the WHO, it is clear how this malady has united the world as one single body whose various parts, metaphorically the countries, have been affected by this widespread disease that is not restricted to any particular place.
Driving home a message
The domino effect is driving home a clear message; that we are not separate
from each other. While meaningful researches are going on to find out a remedy,
we, as responsible citizens of the world, can also take all the required steps
to combat the deadly virus. For the moment, let us think of the world as one,
let us shelve our material differences for a while so the world where we live finds
its rhythm and gets back on track.
