A Detailed Insight on COVID-19 and how it affected India

The world has not been the same ever since the COVID-19 pandemic struck out of nowhere. Taking the world by storm in a matter of days, COVID-19 was seemingly unstoppable, having the ability to transfer from individuals in a terrifyingly effective manner; through the air and through physical contact with an already infected person.

The first case of COVID-19 occurred sometime in late December, 2019, in Wuhan, China. This marked an era where lockdowns and staying indoors, having plenty of sanitation and wearing medical masks at all times were the most important rules to follow in order to remain COVID free. Due to these heavy restrictions, COVID-19 has altered the way society operates on a fundamental level, making people adapt to the trying circumstances. This, however, has significantly lowered the economic state of the world. The progress of creating a vaccine for COVID-19 was also the main priority for the world governments, and a lot of resources were given to labs to create a quality vaccine for the virus.

India was also unable to escape the inevitable outbreak that came. India’s extremely vast and dense population is one of the world’s biggest hotspots for contracting the virus. Having the amount of economical and socio-economical diversities present in India also proves to be too much during the pandemic, which has led to some of the most unusual challenges faced during the pandemic and also the responses that the country took to lessen the toll the virus can bring about if not taken care of in a proper and concise manner.

 

What is the origin of COVID-19?

 

COVID-19, scientifically caused by an extremely potent virus known as SARS-CoV-2, has been the latest in a relatively short line of Corona viruses which have been shown to cause a variety of illnesses that can be anything from a common cold and nothing more, to a much more serious and severe conditions such as SARS and MERS to name a few.

The first confirmed case was found to be in a small settlement in the city of Wuhan in China. The entire pandemic started when an investigation of people who were in some fish markets were later found exhibiting the symptoms commonly found in COVID-19 patients, although many experts still have no idea where the source for the virus was originally located. The main theory and speculations that many scientists seem to favor with is that Bats are the main culprits behind the spread of COVID-19 with the help of another potential host, such as the Pangolin commonly found in China, which scientists believe would transfer as soon as any unprotected physical contact between the Pangolin and an unassuming human.

The virus was able to quickly affect the entire country due to the efficacy the virus has on its hosts’ bodies and this led to the WHO to declare COVID-19 a health emergency that requires international concern in January 2020 and eventually turning into a global Pandemic just 2 months later, in March 2020. This was the turning point for the current world. For 1 and a half years, the pandemic spiraled out of control with no signs of it stopping until the first prototype vaccines came into play.

 

How does COVID-19 spread?

 

COVID-19 is able to spread through the air via respiratory droplets that are expelled by an infected person through their coughs, sneezes, regularly talking or even simply breathing too close to a group of people. There are some detailed modes of transmission for a better understanding of the entire process:

 

Individual to Individual

This transmission process only happens when miniscule droplets are blown into the air from a very sick individual who has already contracted COVID-19 coughs or sneezes very hard. This would only occur if a healthy individual is in extremely close proximity to the infected person. One last major transmission service happens when an individual contacts any contaminated substance or material that is very prone to being contaminated by touching or feeling said surface with their nose, hands and face.

 

Susceptible to air transmission

In case a specific room or venue does not use the appropriate amount of ventilation systems for getting rid of any unnecessary  bacterial and viral infections that have been present in the enclosed room for an extended period of time. This has often led to the virus present in the rooms to stay in the air and turning them into aerosols.

 

Surface Transmission

The COVID-19 virus has been shown to be able to survive on several surfaces while waiting for a potential host to arrive, but it reduces its potency by a significant margin to the point where it can enter the body to infect a person, it would still be a much lower percentage of actually contracting the virus itself than through the direct contact of an infected individual.

 

Asymptomatic Spread

Arguably one of COVID-19’s most dangerous aspects is its ability to spread in the body without showing any potential signs of the virus progressing in the body, which can lead to incredibly dangerous situations where the virus has sometimes progressed so far to the point of critical care and attention by hospital staff is required to save their lives before the virus can spread any further.

 

What are some of the most common symptoms that are found in COVID-19 patients?

 

The symptoms that are found in infected individuals are not very quick to show themselves, with many of them ranging from 14 days after they have first been contracted to as early as 2 days. This may also vary depending on the severity of the COVID-19 virus present in the body at the time, with some of the most common symptoms that make the virus apparent listed down below:

• Feeling extremely fatigued and tired even after barely doing anything
• Experience a very dry cough
• Alongside the constant fatigue, you might also have shortness of breath
• Having a sudden loss of taste and smell
• Sore throat also being an apparent symptom
• Experiencing a massive headache that is very persistent
• Muscle aches that make you immobile due to the pain
• Fever with high temperature and the body experiencing severe chills

Some rare cases have also documented issues related to a bloated stomach and other gas related issues.

 

What are some very important ways to prevent the spread of COVID?

 

Over the years, many scientists and doctors have provided some of the best advice and measures taken against contracting COVID-19, and written down below will be some of the most trusted and efficient ways and measure to help reduce and even prevent the spread of the virulent COVID-19 virus:

 

Simple Preventive Measures

It is the most common aspect of COVID preventive measures. By having a medically sanctioned mask, you will be giving your body the most efficient form of protection against COVID that does not involve the use of medications. Another important factor while leaving your house during COVID quarantine is to always maintain social distancing between individuals. Keeping a distance of about 6 feet is the most appropriate way of preventing COVID from entering your body. Regular washing of hands with soap thoroughly and having a hand sanitizer with you at all times is also mandatory for keeping the virus at bay. Lastly, keep in mind to steer clear of any crowded places and areas with sub-par ventilation systems due to the possibility of COVID being spread to other individuals being very high.

 

Taking a Vaccination

The most potent tool to use against the COVID-19 virus, COVID vaccines have been an incremental part of the world for the past 3 years, every new variant of the vaccine expanding and improving upon the previous by a large margin. India had arguably the largest vaccine drive in the world back in January 2021, which helped protect many Indians from falling victim to the virus. The most popular COVID-19 vaccines used currently are the Covishield (made by Oxford-AstraZeneca), the Covaxin (made by Bharat Biotech), Sputnik V, and Corbevax and ZyCoV-D was created much later than anticipated. The vaccines have been shown to help prevent the spread of any severe disease present in the body, significantly reduce the risk of hospitalization among the infected and even outright prevent their deaths, and possibly reduce some bits of transmission from an individual for a decent period of time.

 

What were the waves of COVID-19 that affected India?

 

India has been through 3 very impactful waves during the COVID pandemic, down below will be a detailed explanation for each of the waves respectively.

 

1st Wave – (March 2020 to January 2021)

The lockdown of the first wave of COVID in India was initiated on the 24th of March, 2020. Being the first wave, the cases were very slow and only started to increase during the middle of the first wave. It was stated to have touched its peak during the middle of September, and the overall rate of fatality was generally lower than the rest of the world.

 

2nd Wave – (March 2021 to July 2021)

The second wave was easily the most dangerous and devastating wave, and was actually caused by a variant of SARS-CoV-2 known as the Delta Variant. This variant made entire healthcare systems go out of order simply due to the sheer amount of patients that contracted COVID-19. Many hospitals also started to run out of essential supplies such as oxygen tanks, hospital beds and even medicines. The highest numbers of cases were reported between April 2021 and May 2021. This also led to plethora of crematoriums and burial ground having an overwhelming amount of deceased patients being brought in from hospitals and medical healthcare centers where grieving family members who wanted to honor their loved ones through ceremoniously dropping their ashes into a river, but are unable to do so because of the unreasonably high demand for cremation.

 

3rd Wave (January 2022)

The final wave was made from an entirely different variant of the COVID-19 Virus, and one of the most widespread ones at that, simply known as the Omicron Variant. This variant is a lot more transmissible than any other variant but is noticeably much weaker than the Delta Variant. This is also the shortest wave that has occurred in India, with it starting, peaking and massively declining all in the same month. The infected individuals who have contracted this variant of COVID have all displayed mild to no symptoms at all. This is especially apparent in individuals who have already vaccinated themselves.

 

What are the major COVID-19 variants that were present in India?

 

During its time in India, the SARS-CoV-2 virus managed to mutate itself into different variants, all of them having extremely varying repercussions and different forms of infection rates. This has become so worrying that the WHO has started to label all of them as the Variants of Concern or Variants of Interest, depending on what you prefer to say.

 

The Delta Variant

This variant was created in India and is solely responsible for starting the 2nd wave of COVID-19 in India. This particular variant is on the more virulent side of the spectrum, managing to give patients severe illnesses and diseases that have been proven to end lives if not taken care of quickly enough.

 

The Alpha Variant

This variant of COVID-19 was actually found in the United Kingdom when COVID was still taking baby steps around the world, and only arrived in India a couple of months after it was found in the UK.

 

Omicron Variant

This variant is actually the youngest COVID-19 variant present at the time, being found in Late 2021 in South Africa. It was able to reach India extraordinarily quickly in December 2021. This variant is stated to be far more contagious than other variants but has very little, if any, severity to almost every infected individual.

Even Omicron sub variants have been able to cause some mild damage to the populace of India, with it having very little jumps and spikes and throughout 2023 as well.

 

What are the different types of COVID-19 tests?

 

India is capable of having many different tests that are more than reliable in terms of finding and providing answers for those who have taken the test and are fully capable of giving the results with the best quality. These tests are as follows:

 

RT-PCR Test

This test has been the most popular and sought after test when it comes to finding COVID-19 in the body. Its main purpose is to detect the total amount of viral RNA present within the body. This test is also extremely sensitive and targets specific parts of the body to extreme measures. This test requires a swab sample that has been sterilized and applied to both the nasal cavity of the patient as well as deep down their throat to gather as much sample material as possible. The turnaround time between the time taken between the test and the results coming to you may vary from 6 hours to at most 24 hours, sometimes even more, depending on how many tests have been taken.

 

Rapid Antigen Test or RAT

This test allows you to get the quickest results for a COVID-19 test, with a mere waiting time of just 15 – 30 minutes at most. This test is able to get the readings of viral proteins in the body, but is lower in accuracy in comparison to the RT-PCR test. This test is very versatile and offers enough suitability for allowing mass screening to hundreds of individuals who have shown signs and symptoms of COVID-19.

 

The True NatTest

This test is essentially a toned down version of the RT-PCR test that is popularly used in local settings due to how accessible it is to individuals, and it is also heavily approved and recommended by the ICMR.

 

The CBNAAT (Cartridge-Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test

This test has been heavily inspired by the RT-PCR test, and has been able to produce relatively quick results in comparison to similar looking tests in India, most of which generally takes just a few hours for the results to complete with quality information regarding your health.

 

Antibody tests (Serology Tests)

This specific test is used by medical professionals to check the terms for past conditions and infections that might have severely affected the body by utilizing the IgG and IgM antibodies in the test. This test is also very useful in making population related studies and other formats. However, this test is not particularly useful for any current infections, as it focuses on improving a body’s immunity levels by a past diagnosis and not the current diagnosis.

 

Post-COVID testing panels

These tests and panels are primarily focused on checking the body out for any damages done to the organs after the patient has recovered, such as important body parts such as the heart, the lungs and even the liver. These test panels all include the HRCT, the D-Dimer, IL-6, CRP, and even the Ferritin test among other very important tests. 
Check out our detailed guide on "Ferritin Test".

Book your D-Dimer test easily through our Mediyaar website. 

 

What impact did COVID-19 have on the Indian Economy?

The amount of damage that COVID-19 did to the world is almost indescribable. Every sector of business was immensely impacted by the aftermath of the pandemic, including the Indian markets and the Indian stock. The country still hasn’t completely recovered from this monumental hit to its economy, as it is barely picking up its pieces. Down below are some of the most impacted sections of the Indian economy so far:

 

The GDP Contradiction

The GDP of India during the fiscal year of 2020-2021 went down a mind numbing 7.3%, which also manages to make it the worst contraction the country has ever received since it had gotten its Independence.

 

Massive surge in Unemployment

It is no understatement the COVID had robbed millions upon millions of their jobs, and this in turn happened to affect all the major companies that were heavily reliant on all the labor that lost their positions due to the government inciting the lockdown effective immediately. According to the CMIE, the total estimated job losses that happened over a really short period of time equaled a staggering 12 crores at the height of the lockdown era.

 

MSMEs and the Informal Sector

The informal sector happens to be an extremely vital aspect of the country. Being the backbone for a country as massive and self-reliant as India is an extremely important task, so when the COVID pandemic struck, this very backbone for the Indian people and economy was struck the hardest. The amount of small businesses that were forced to shut down due to there not being enough demand or liquidity in them to stay standing is downright saddening to think about.

 

Supply Chain Distributions

The sudden appearance and impact that COVID had is one for the history books, as it overwhelmed so many local, national and global supply chains across so many parts in India. This led to many different manufacturing plants as well as exports from abroad simultaneously shutting down and had a large dent in the economy during those trying times for India.

 

Adding pressure for the healthcare systems

World governments turned to every medical healthcare center they could find and expanded on the amount of infrastructure required. This was also a sign for increasing the reliance of digital healthcare for getting medicines without having to worry about time being consumed while waiting for your medical supplies to arrive after you have ordered them.

 

Government Relief Measures

The Indian Government was able to provide some of the most comprehensive and complete healthcare packages for COVID, where they spent a total of around Rs. 20 Lakh Crores. The Indian Government would also provide food grains for free based on the Prime Minister’s Garib Kalyan Yojna, and they had also finished setting up an Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme for providing medical assistance for anyone who was suffering from the symptoms of any COVID variant.

 

What were the Social and Psychological Impacts that COVID had on India?

 

COVID has affected hundreds of Millions of people across the country, from stopping people from entering the outside world without the best of protection to always maintaining a proper distance of about 6 feet throughout the day, and even stopping you from meeting close family and friends who may be staying with you or being your neighbors. This takes a massive strain on the mind. Down below are just a few ways in which COVID has left us in mentally and psychologically.

 

Mental Health

The most amount of damage COVID did for the mind was to create a sense of anxiety that keeps on rising with signs of it stopping. This also affected their depression and feeling of loneliness in an unhealthy way. This sense of isolation has also led to the increase in domestic violence cases in Indian families.

Education

Ever since the pandemic started, the schools, colleges and universities all across India were forced to shut down, and stayed like that for nearly 2 years. The sudden shift from practical learning to digital learning seemed to widen the divide between teachers and students. There were also many students who dropped out of both schools and colleges because of a lack of any electronic devices.

Social Distancing

Attending any form of cultural, religious or holy events were strictly prohibited.  Weddings, funerals of friends and family members, and festivals were allowed the absolute bare minimum attendance for nearly 2 years.

What is the future of COVID-19 in India?

India is currently in an endemic stage, according to many scientists and experts, which basically means that we can still be affected by the virus, but now has the tools and resources necessary to handle it with ease, but not without some slight adjustments due to the sheer amount of variants present in India at the moment.

The usage of Booster Doses are still as relevant today as when they were first introduced nearly 3 years ago. These doses are especially important for individuals living within vulnerable conditions or where the vaccinations and booster doses have not had that much of effect earlier.

The development of several COVID-19 vaccines have been a pivotal part of India’s journey in getting rid of the virus once and for all, and has been steadily moving along with experimenting the proper usage of nasal vaccines, potent corona virus vaccines that are made for universal purposes, and even mRNA platforms.

Preparing for any future pandemics that could occur is also a top priority for the India government, as they have been putting together the best teams available for combating potential future virus outbreaks as well as taking more time and building up healthcare digitalization accessibility to the country’s entire population as well as creating private and public company partnerships for the best intentions of the population.

 

Conclusion

The world will likely never experience a pandemic that lasted as long and affected as many people simultaneously across the world as COVID-19 did and it caused a massive amount of confusion and chaos specifically in India. The Indian Government tried to relentlessly quell the ever-growing variants as much as they could, test the country’s grit and tenacity to the very end. But even under the heights of adversity that the pandemic brought forth, India was as resilient as ever, ensuring ample amounts of time and research would go into creating multiple different vaccines over the 2 years that the country was in lockdown for. The COVID pandemic has taught India many things to look out for.  India is training and preparing its citizens for the next potential pandemic, whenever it may arrive, and this time, India will be prepared. 

 

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