23/08/2021 Day 515 Pandemic, schools and children In Karnataka, high schools and pre-university colleges reopen today after eighteen months of remaining shut due to the pandemic. This prompted me to gather articles and reports on the impact of the pandemic on schools and school-going children in India. The setback in education at school-level is unprecedented. … Continue reading Day 515: Pandemic, schools and children
Tag: Covid-19
Was the governments’ response in the second wave reasonable?
This is in response to V's comment on an earlier post 'Coping with Delta'. Here are some thoughts on why I think that the the generalized lockdowns imposed by national and state governments in the second wave were unnecessary in the way they were imposed. This statement needs qualifications - I am writing specifically about … Continue reading Was the governments’ response in the second wave reasonable?
Day 480: Coping with Delta
19/07/2021 Day 480 Coping with Delta By my count that began in March 2020, this is the 480th day of the pandemic. By this morning India has lost 414,108 lives to Covid-19 and more than 30 million people have tested positive for the virus. The delta variant that emerged in India during the second wave … Continue reading Day 480: Coping with Delta
Day 447
06/06/2021 Day 447 The week was packed with farm work. There was no space to think about anything else. In more than a year of the pandemic, there have been two short spells of 4-5 days when I haven’t managed to write the daily journal. Farming involves loads of physical work. It is exhausting and … Continue reading Day 447
Day 442: Second Wave – Observations from a small town
01/06/2021 Day 442 Second Wave - Observations from a small town Here are a few observations on healthcare services from a district town as the second wave of Covid-19 burnt through the country. In over two months of this public health and epidemic response struggle, a few things are apparent. India’s elected leaders, bureaucrats and … Continue reading Day 442: Second Wave – Observations from a small town
Day 432: ‘Can fight Covid, not starvation’
22/05/2021 Day 432 ‘Can fight Covid, not starvation’ It is the 432nd day of the pandemic. Things lose meaning when they go on for long. The pandemic seems to be one such. The count is suffering the same fate. Yet, I keep at it. This is the only harmless continuity. The mood right now is … Continue reading Day 432: ‘Can fight Covid, not starvation’
Day 420: Looking back at India’s Containment Plan
08/05/2021 Day 420 Looking back at the Containment Plan Looking back at India’s Containment Plan of the Government of India in April 2021 it is striking that it did not build for scenarios as the current second wave. The keywords in the plan are policy decisions and technical inputs. In retrospect, that plan looks woefully … Continue reading Day 420: Looking back at India’s Containment Plan
Day 419: Vaccinating the world needs a talk first
07/05/2021 Day 419: Vaccinating the world needs a talk first By the 419th day of the pandemic, there’s a raging debate about IP on vaccines and how to speed up production. Industry associations, the EU and almost other influential trade bodies that matter in agreement that IP is not the issue in the current crisis. … Continue reading Day 419: Vaccinating the world needs a talk first
When was the last time the world cared for morality?
If there is a time since the great wars when universal values of solidarity and selfless cooperation were tested, it will be now. It will pivot on the issue of sharing the intellectual property rights for Covid-19 vaccines. Pfizer has raised its vaccine sales forecast to USD 26 billion. The company is hopeful about a … Continue reading When was the last time the world cared for morality?
‘Let me go build a free hospital’: Indian Healthcare and CMC Vellore’s history
In thinking about healthcare systems - capability and capacity, a broad consensus in India is that the Indian state has failed in providing it. This diagnosis is broadly accepted. However, in thinking about responses to address the problems, it might be useful to not be completely led by experiences in the private sector - there … Continue reading ‘Let me go build a free hospital’: Indian Healthcare and CMC Vellore’s history
