‘I’m afraid India won’t be prepared for next wave’

I am afraid that countries like India wonrsquot be sufficiently prepared for the next Covid19 wave expected around MarchApril 2022 because the resistance from the first doses of vaccine or after the disease would have waned and many wouldnrsquot be fully vaccinatedrdquo Dr Lieve Fransen a wellrecognised policymaker at senior management level in the European Union told middayDr Lieve narrates the reason behind the fourth and the fifth Covid19 waves across Europe and how a Mumbaibased health expert advised her on treating herself at home when she tested positive for the novel Coronavirus She was part of lsquomidday for Mumbai Roundtablesrsquo series in July 2021 held to discuss the anticipated third wave recentlyDr Lieve Fransen policy maker at the European UnionOn Europe surgeParts of Europe are currently witnessing a rise in Covid19 cases for the fourth or the fifth time and campaigns are being started for the booster dose of the vaccines At the same time several European Union EU nations are facing mass protests and outbreaks of violence against the Covid19 restrictions and the use of passes or lockdownsldquoIn Brussels the capital city of Belgium where the vaccination level is high 75 per cent of eligible population the protests began after the government reintroduced obligatory teleworking at least four days a week permitted discos visits only with a negative test report and made use of a Covid19 pass mandatory for bars and restaurantsrdquo said Dr LieveCleanup marshals fine the maskless Dr Lieve said people might have to wear masks and the countries might need to maintain vaccination efforts for the next three to five years File picPradeep DhivarldquoThe current Covid19 wave seemed to come unexpected for many but it should have been on the mind of the decisionmakers because the people started mingling again did not wear masks most of the time and antivaxxers kept spreading the disease Moreover some people like me had been vaccinated nine months ago and our immunity was clearly lower than optimal There are deficiencies on all fronts and political decisions have been taken too slowly although vaccines are widely available but vaccination centres have been dismantled The vaccination passes became less useful as more and more breakthrough infections came among the vaccinatedldquoI had been working and lobbying hard to fight the unjust vaccine apartheid leaving many people in lower and middleincome countries struggling to get their atrisk populations and health professionals vaccinated Informed by my experience as a major campaigner and policy maker during the AIDS epidemic 25 years ago I could not remain silent and kept highlighting the disgraceful inequality of vaccine apartheid The companies and the richer countries controlled the supply of the vaccines and only left the leftovers to the worldrsquos poorrdquo she saidFighting Covid herselfldquoOne day I started coughing sneezing and had a sudden fever and felt very tired After a test I found out that I had Covid19 I am part of a risk population because of my age and repeated pneumonias in the past I quickly informed everyone I was in contact with so that they can get tested and I quarantined in the meantime which was not too difficult because I live alone and have no family around I contacted my friend and great expert Dr Subash Hira for medical advice I took paracetamol and antibiotics monitored my oxygen saturation temperature and heart rate and found that the infection increased my heart rate and temperature but luckily my oxygen saturation remained normal Although I do a yoga session every morning with the guidance of my colleague and friend Dr Vinod Karicheri he advised me to rest and only do pranayama and bhramari pranayama which helped a lotDr Subhash Hira professor of Global Health at the University of Washington had helped Dr Lieve recover from COVID at homeldquoThe help of these two Indian doctors along with the knowledge that I could call an ambulance whenever my oxygen saturation dropped under 92 per cent made me feel lucky and somewhat safer of course But I must acknowledge that I had some anxiety I had prepared a bag in case I needed to go to the hospital and also my last will in case I ended up lucky somewhat protected by the vaccine I had received some nine months ago and of course I am in general good health have no other pathologies practice yoga daily and take long walks two to three times a day I enjoyed the two wonderful friends cooking and delivering vegetable soups fruits and avocados in front of my houserdquo said Dr LieveldquoMy antigen test came back negative after three days but I stayed in isolation for 10 days as required After five days I started to mobilise slowly but got tired quickly Now two weeks later though I still get tired easily I am going for 10km walks again to rebuild my strength and resilience I find myself lucky to have good friends and great doctors helping me with telemedicineldquoHowever I am more angry about the fact that the vaccine and telemedicine is not yet available for everybody else in the lower and middleincome countries I am even angrier at the antivaxxers demonstrating against all the precautionary measures by using their personal freedom as an excuse Personal freedom to infect others is criminal It is even worse if health professionals refuse to get vaccinated and still want to practice while putting their own patients at risk The western world has lost all sense of responsibility for the health and wellbeing of the populations and many have instead developed a totally selfish way of thinking and actingrdquo she saidIndia needs to prepareDr Lieve cautioned India against the anticipated third Covid19 wave ldquoThe consequences of another wave in India are even more severe because of the difficulty to access hospital services to stay in isolation or to have the benefit of social security when losing their livelihoods The unfair situation will become even starker soon because the antiviral medicines are becoming available in richer countries but not for many others Some people and countries will buy the supplies while others wonrsquot have access to themldquoPolitical decisions in Europe were slow each time but I hope they will be timelier in India Telemedicine services access to oxygen ICU beds and antiviral treatments need to be built up quickly and vaccines including boosters need to be increased in the weeks and months to comerdquo she saidlsquoVaccination mask a mustrsquoldquoVaccines offer very good protection against death and intensive care and the mask and physical distancing are muchneeded complementary measures We will likely have to wear masks and maintain the vaccination efforts for the next three to five years Discipline among the public to follow measures will be necessary and respect for the health and wellbeing of others should become the normrdquo she concludedCity health expert speakDr Subhash Hira professor of Global Health at the University of WashingtonSeattle who has been invited as an expert to several WHOGenevarsquos Covid review forums said ldquoShe Dr Lieve informed me of her recent ordeal seeking advice on her Covid19 infection I was privileged to be able to guide her through difficult times on a daily basis She was unable to get antiviral medicines in Brussels sadrdquo