Kerala winning the war against Coronavirus: Flattens curve, fewer deaths, fighting Covid 19 successfully
Shams Ur Rehman Alavi
NewsBits.in
BHOPAL: Kerala is showing the way to other states in India, as the Covid 19 curve has flattened and the state that was leading in cases earlier, is now down to the ninth spot.
The state that was at the top as far as number of cases is concerned, till a few weeks ago, has shown the rest of the country how the war can be won.
Right now it has 259 active cases and 84 have recovered. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Telangana, Rajasthan, UP, Andhra Pradesh and even Madhya Pradesh have more cases now. The figure of deaths is 2 in Kerala. In fact, 13 states have recorded more deaths, Maharashtra leads with 72 even as nationwide the figure of deaths is 180 so far.
Clearly, Kerala, a state that has shown a resolve and put up a united fight from the day one, has shown the way. The Southern state has experience in tackling calamaties and has repeatedly shown that under the worst circumstances, its government, administration and the people rise to the occasion.
Unlike North India, where administration has to deal with fake news, the focus shifted to non-issues and doctors' safety-concerns are less an issue, Kerala focused on controlling Covid 19 from the beginning. In the past Kerala suffered similar crises and often there was a feeling that it didn't get adequate support and funds from the Centre.
However, this seems to have made Kerala more self-sufficient and focused on taking up cudgels on its own--either Floods or Nipah, or any other calamity. The first Corona case in India was found on January 30. However, several state governments didn't take it seriously, then.
Even in February and throughout the first fortnight of March, focus remained on politics and non-issues, poaching MLAs and forming government in Madhya Pradesh. It was only after the extent of pandemic was realised that the governments came out of their slumber.
Further, just when crisis is far from over, the menace of fake news, misinformation continues. While hospitals, health professionals need attention and equipment, police and administration have to tackle messages and videos that make false claims to divide the society, in many states, even in the times of such a pandemic.
There are some other positive stories like that from Chhattisgarh and the Bhilwara model in Rajasthan. States like Maharashtra have given a strong message to people who peddle fake news and create problems for the administration. However, there is need for strong action in this regard. The state is also testing more people. Clearly, North Indian states need to learn a lot from Kerala. [Photo courtesy Pexels, Richard McAlister]
