India witnesses a sequel to the Horror as Covid-19 returns with a second wave

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Crypto kind of exponentially growth of Covid19 cases in India

Image by Alexandra_Koch from Pixabay

For the past 2 weeks, the outside news I hear about the Covid situation in my country, India is absolute horror stories.

I generally get thrilled with the exponential price action of crypto prices, but now news shows that many States in India have experienced a growth rate of COvid-19 cases by huge percentages of 600-1000% since the beginning of April.

Justified Covid 19 fear as the situation in India has spiralled out of control

Image by iXimus from Pixabay

Till as recent as the beginning of March, things were all cool here, we had no Covid-19 issues actually and were able to step out Covid style with Mask, sanitizer and physical distancing and feel safe but now I fear to step out of my flat compound.

This is coming from someone, who has already faced Covid-19 troubles as my Dad was hit by Covid-19 during September of last year. My 73 year old Dad successfully recovered from Covid, so I should not be fearful of Covid-19 but I am now, more than ever.

Covid-19 second wave brings to India an enhanced version of the original Covid-19 virus

Image by 12222786 from Pixabay

Now, Covid-19 is not the same virus that it was last year, it has mutated and there are different variants of it, including an Indian variant. It’s a long time since I experienced a beach wave with Covid-19 in the background discouraging me to travel out of the City for me, but Covid-19 news entertains me like a horror film with it’s second wave already hit the Indian subcontinent.

The new stealthy Covid-19 virus sometimes cannot be detected by the RT-PCR test

Image by Shafin Al Asad Protic from Pixabay

Now… the changed virus is a lot more tricky as it can evade the body’s immune system and gain entry into the body and silently attack it. Earlier Covid-19 can easily be diagnosed by conducting the RT-PCR test which is considered the golden standard for Covid-19 testing, but now there are cases where one can test negative for Covid-19 in the RT-PCR test but still be positive.

In those instances, where Covid-19 symptoms stay prolonged even after being tested negative in the RT-PCR test , then one has to do PCR and CT test, as this tricky Covid-19 virus may have invaded the lungs of a person evading the body’s immune system while staying undetected in the swap samples of the nose or mouth.

What’s worse, is that even people who have developed natural antibodies against Covid-19 virus by having fought it, can get reinfected and there are instances of people who have been vaccinated also infected with Covid-19.

The second wave of the Covid-19 storm hits India with devastating consequences

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Now, news is of many people around the country requiring emergency hospitalisation with hospital gates filled up with Ambulances. It is difficult to get a bed for admission in hospital, as beds are filling up, and crematoriums are having ques of dead bodies, with many people having succumbed to Covid-19 virus.

There is a shortage of medicines recommended for the treatment of a Covid-19 patient like Remdesivir, family members of Covid- affected are queuing up in pharmaceutical shops for these medicines.

Many hospitals in certain CIties, have a paucity of Oxygen cylinders and many lives have gone just because Oxygen could not be arranged for people on time.

Absolute horror stories.

India’s medical representatives not having enough knowledge on this deadly version of Covid 19

This time, Covid-19 virus is stronger, can spread faster and diminish one’s oxygen saturation levels quickly. There is not much knowledge of this new enhanced version of the once novel Coronavirus, as studies of this with genome sequencing have not been done extensively even though the Indian Covid-19 virus variant was detected in the State of Maharashtra way back in December of last year.

I still am in the radius of Covid-19 as it infected people I have been with recently

Image by André Santana AndreMS from Pixabay

I have been hearing about the sudden spike of Covid-19 since about the end of last month, and I am having some encounters indirectly with this virus. Just 20 days ago, I went to meet my ill friend who tested negative for Covid-19 but was very ill and depressed. 12 days later, she’s diagnosed with Covid-19 and admitted in hospital.

Her acute Covid-19 suffering stage began with her getting admitted to the ICU, followed by her 64 year old Mom admitted in the hospital. Thankfully, today I got to know my friend’s out of ICU and is recovering while her Mom’s condition is serious but there is no ICU bed for her.

Her Mom had already received her first CovidShield jab on March 15, and that unfortunately was not even effective enough to reduce Covid-19 severity in her.

Fortunately, the hospital is able to supply oxygen for her suffering Mom now, as she waits for a ICU bed. I hope her Mom’s condition gets fine and she gets set to transit into the recovery stage like her daughter.

Another person I know and have seen in my morning walks got diagnosed with Covid-19. I saw him on the same day he was diagnosed with Covid-19, with him confirming his Covid positive status at the end of the day, while I saw him early in the morning.

Although there was no contact between us, we had a huge distance between us and were wearing masks, the fact is that Covid is not far from me, it’s around my radius … but thankfully it’s not come to me.

Fearful of Covid 19 now more than ever!!

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

After all this I am not stepping out of my flat compound, and I have never felt so afraid of Covid until now, expect last year when my Dad was diagnosed with Covid-19, because somehow he had to be admitted to hospital asap but all that happened very quickly. Now, no ICU beds are available to admit people now.

Heard that the Pfizer vaccine that’s administered in the US is safe for pregnant women!!

Image by Shafin Al Asad Protic from Pixabay

Abroad, in the US my pregnant sister-in-law decided to take the Pfizer vaccine when earlier she was against it. She said, with the variants around and her exposure outside often every week going to the doctor, it’s better she gets vaccinated rather than risk consequences of Covid-19 that too when she can be due for delivery anytime as it’s almost 8 months.

Also Pfizer-Biotech vaccine is known to be a safe vaccine for pregnant women to take, as many pregnant health care women workers have taken it and it’s safe on them.

Covidshield vaccine hesitancy for me reduces as its rare adverse effects can be addressed

Image by Shafin Al Asad Protic from Pixabay

Meanwhile I myself have been against vaccination with my Vaccine hesitancy on Covid Shield administered in India, as the vaccine AstraZeneca from which Covid Shield is derived is linked to some rare cases getting blood clots but now I am ok with the vaccine. For, adverse side effects like blood clots are rare , and even then if it happens, there are established protocols to treat such cases in hospitals if medical care is seeked early.

There are certain symptoms to watch out for which is indicative of blood clots with low platelet count. After receiving a jab of the CovidShield or AstraZeneca vaccine, one should monitor themselves for these symptoms which can show up anytime between 4 to 20 days after vaccination -: shortness of breath, abdominal pain that persists for a while, swelling in the leg, blurring of vision, bleeding in association with any of those symptoms

I have learned this from listening to Dr Gangandeep Kang in this interview where she shares details of the adverse side effects to watch out for at 31'10'' timeframe..

This peak Covid-19 time will reveal the real efficacy of the vaccines

Image by Dung Tran from Pixabay

Although there is severe vaccine shortage in India to vaccinate the population, the 3rd phase of vaccination is announced to open up on May 1st, where people of all ages after 18 years can get vaccinated.

Therefore, my turn for getting vaccination will be coming soon, although I very much doubt there would be enough vaccines for me to receive the jab anytime soon, although our local Government volunteers are ready to set up a vaccination camp in my flat if enough residents enrol themselves for vaccination.

It is another story that the new evolved Covid-19 can evade the body’s immune system and attack us. Even so, perhaps the vaccine in the case of CovidSheid or Covaxin, when both vaccine jabs are taken will be effective in reducing the intensity of Covid-19 infection but 1 month should pass after administration of the 2nd jab for the anti-bodies to work.

However, I am sceptical on their efficacy, however, now we will have real data to understand efficacy of the vaccine with the 2nd wave effecting everybody here.

Just moving on singing ”Que Sera, Sera” to cheer up my morale these days

I would like to end here in a nice note echoing these lines from this song - “Que Sera, Sera” by Doris Day

“Que sera, sera
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours to see
Que sera, sera
What will be, will be”