EXPLAINED: Neither Mumbai, Pune residents are more vulnerable, nor Bihar-UP people have more immunity
Shams Ur Rehman Alavi
BHOPAL: Neither Pune & Mumbai citizens are weak & vulnerable, nor Bhopal-Lucknow-Patna residents are more strong or having better immunity.
If you go by numbers, see the cases on a daily basis, you may feel that there is something serious wrong with Maharashtra that thousands of cases come from even one district. From the beginning, it's almost been the same situation.
But it's not that people in one state have less immunity that cases come in thousands every day for months. One of the reasons is understanding the 'system'.
It's not easy to explain but papers and channels can't write without official data. So deaths take place but then everyone's problem is own, personal. Unless, it's 'official'. Unfortunately, in a way it helps govts if they under report. Because if you allow it to be known, then there are big headlines--scare across city and it's tough to 'manage'.
Deaths 5 or 50 or more. If you are transparent, you give info, risk is that you will get blamed. News published every day, panic. Criticism. Certain states have 'systems'. If a person has cough or fever & goes to doctor, tested, even though he is fine in few hours, report says positive, figure goes up.
In another region, the 'system' is different. So a death is just for family, personal suffering, not doom for city. If there are 50 deaths a day, you report them, there is panic, people scared. And if there are even more deaths but not reported under the category, then things continue and people don't worry or blame government. At 'city-state level', no scare, whoever loses his family member will lose.
Media runs our lives, world, our hopes and fears. A man in one state has a bit of temperature, he goes to doctor, gets medicine goes home, but figure of the city has to be kept at 200-300 level. Or he may not even go, whatever happens to him, happens, good or bad. But there are regions where its straight--test, report, release the count.
Depending on our job or finance, we can have different views, due to personal situation, we may like or dislike the strictness, steps taken and on the basis of these things, believe or not believe, go for conspiracy theory or accept the situation. A few things are difficult to explain.
There are on one hand areas, institutions and places where in one campus, any person goes to dispensary, the test is mandatory and report goes out. And, then there are regions, where no one even bothers to test, report. Risky, foolish to be transparent? Or, just let people believe something else, at least, govt will appear to be in control.
If you have sources, friends, doctors in the biggest hospital in each of the big cities--Hyderabad, Lucknow, Bhopal, Jaipur, Ahmedabad or Patna just get info from them, directly. Compare, find out. What fever, what pneumonia, what kind of cases, figures, bodies, numbers.
Of course, it's a privilege to stay at home or work from home and able to run household. A person without money, a labourer, can't stay at home, in his mental situation, he wants to go out, a poor man says 'bhook se marne se behtar hai, baahar jaayein, kaam karein'. It's risky to speak more clearly and say things openly, so take hint, if you can.
Don't count on luck. Stay safe, wear mask and use sanitizer. Just remember things can be presented differently. What is important is to have sensitivity--Demand treatment at lower cost, also fixed rate in private hospitals, irrespective of anyone's job or insurance. This should be our concern. And, vaccination.
