'Dr Anthony S Fauci on India’s Covid Crisis: ‘Shut down the country for a few weeks…hang in there, take care of each other, we’ll get to a normal’'

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Sukla Sen

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May 1, 2021, 12:24:41 PM5/1/21
to foil-l, Discussion list about emerging world social movement

Inching towards the inevitable!?

Things - already grave, got further aggravated by the Kumbh Mela, attended by millions (estimated 9.1 million total, of which at least 6 million in April: <https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/dehradun-news/91-million-thronged-mahakumbh-despite-covid-19-surge-govt-data-101619729096750-amp.html>) and numberless poll campaign rallies - both mega and small during the last three months. (Needs be pointed out that the Prime Minister and Home Minister, in the process, hugely favoured West Bengal, in particular. Ref.: <https://m.economictimes.com/news/elections/assembly-elections/west-bengal/modi-likely-to-hold-10-more-rallies-in-bengal/amp_articleshow/81901318.cms>.)

Not for nothing, the national vice-president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has called Modi a "super spreader".

Now watch (from 0:30 to 3:50 mins., in particular, at <https://youtu.be/z1h3M4zQXPY>) Modi addressing the (virtual) WEF meet on this Jan. 28th and ceaselessly patting his own back over the (presumed) Indian success in overpowering the pandemic with much of the world then still reeling under the second wave.
Also, take note of the confirmatory echo: "The world was speculating over how India with its vast population and limited healthcare infrastructure would face the challenge…A year later, as the BJP holds its National Office-Bearer meeting, it can be said with pride that India not only defeated Covid-19 under the able, sensitive, committed and visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi but also infused in all its citizens the confidence to build an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. party unequivocally hails its leadership for introducing India to the world as a proud and victorious nation in the fight against Covid19."
That was on, as late as, Feb. 21st, when the graph had already started rising again - since before mid-Feb.
Not only that, a report by a parliamentary panel prepared and handed over to the presiding officers of both the houses of parliament back in November last year and, eventually, presented before both the houses on this Feb. 2nd, had already issued a strong cautionary note.
But, nothing was allowed to mar or disrupt the self-congratulatory messages by the Indian rulers.

Yesterday, the number of reported new infections, for the first time, crossed the 4 lakh mark and reported new deaths were for the third consecutive day was over 3,500.
These numbers, it's being widely claimed, are grossly understated.
In the desperate and cruel bid to suppress information, even health officials asking for oxygen supply are, reportedly, threatened with dire actions: <https://twitter.com/hemantrajora_/status/1387046703740583937?s=19>.
(Also watch the heartbreaking bitter lament of a helpless young daughter whose father is hospitalised, but, understandably, on the verge of collapse, without adequate supply of oxygen: <https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10225930800761798&id=1387786704>.)

And, even in the midst of all this heartrending disaster, in the very heart of the national capital - almost literally groaning, the Rs.20,000 crore Central Vista project - presumably meant to be the monument to the founding Emperor of "New India" and selectively blot out the past, has been declared as "essential service" and, thereby given complete exemption from the various restrictive practices put in place so as to halt, or at least slow down, the  spread of infections.
Just think of the monumental obsceniity and sheer absurdity of it!

In the meanwhile, some three hundred scientists - including at least a few top-notch ones, have petitioned the central government for much greater transparency and collaborative approach vis-a-vis the larger scientific community and pinpointing four major focus areas.
One can only hope that even at this very late hour these voices of sanity and wisdom are heeded to - in actual practice.

Now, Dr. Fauci:

<<The one thing I don’t want to do and I hope it doesn’t turn out this way, is to get involved in any sort of criticism of how India has handled the situation because then it becomes a political issue and I don’t want to do that since I’m a public health person and I’m not a political person.

It just seems to me that, right now, India is in a very difficult and desperate situation. I just got off, in preparation for this interview, I watched a clip from CNN… it seems to me it’s a desperate situation. So when you have a situation like that you’ve got to look at the absolute immediate.

I mean, first of all, I don’t know if India has put together a crisis group that would meet and start getting things organised. I heard from some of the people in the street bringing their mothers and their fathers and their sisters and their brothers searching for oxygen. They seem to think there really was not any organisation, any central organisation.
...
So take care of the people right now. I would think that you’ve got to get some sort of a commission, or an emergency group to make a plan how to get oxygen; how do we get supplies; how do we get medications, and call — maybe with help from WHO — countries.
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I think one of the things that maybe should have been recognised, that victory was declared maybe too prematurely.
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Well, one of the things you really need to do that to the extent that you can — is shut down temporarily the country, I think is important. If we want to time out and go back to what I said. There is the immediate, the intermediate, and the long range. I think the most important thing in the immediate is to get oxygen, get supplies, get medication, get PPE, those kinds of things but also, one of the immediate things to do is to essentially call a shutdown of the country.
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Yes, first of all, I say that the entire world is pulling for and in solidarity with India, for sure. We are very pained to see India suffering so much. And that’s the reason why the rest of the world really needs to chip in and help. But to the people of India, I’ll say, hang together. Everybody is in this together. And just as I said in the Senate hearing, it will end. We will get to a normal. There is suffering now but I guarantee that we will get it back to normal. Hang in there, help each other. Take care of each other and things will get back to normal.>>

Let's hear him out in full.
It's pretty much worth.

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