Over one quarter of children in India, age 10 to 17 years have COVID-19 antibodies, meaning COVID exposed, COVID infected, according to Government Serology Survey Report released on February 4, 2021. Overall exposure of total population to the virus has been 21.5% or over one in five persons over age 10 years.
The period covered in above survey is between Dec. 17, 2020 to Jan. 8, 2021. This is an alarming increase over June 2020 Survey (0.7%) and September 2020 Survey (7.1%).
A different survey of 700,000 people across India done by a diagnostic company Therocare Technologies shows 55% of India’s 1.35 billion people have been exposed or already infected, its CEO told Thomas Reuter international wire news service company.
India has officially declared 10.8 million infected.
The government Survey now suggests 290 million people may have been infected.
Vinod Kumar Paul, head of a Government Infection Control Central Agency said: “The overall picture still shows that more than 75% of the population even now can get infected”.
Mr. Paul’s message implies that vaccination drive should be harder and faster. But vaccine manufacturing has limits. Only few companies in the world can do it. Four in the west, two in India, two in China and one in Russia. Demand outstrips supply globally to supply the vaccine to the entire world.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
The legendary Dr. Anthony Fauci, US President Trump’s Advisor and President Biden’s Special Advisor on COVID has famously said before vaccines were successfully invented, “Mask and distancing are the best vaccine we have, until we get the vaccine”.
We must understand and appreciate the science behind this infection. Virus spreads through the mouth of infected person in millions in number and come out forcefully like AEROSOL SPRAY with breath forcing out. They die fast but infect anybody in close proximity of that person. A silent or whisper level talk may be ok with 6 feet distance but a singing or shouting mouth can spread infection to 15 to 30 feet distance. A mask obstructs the aerosol spry type forcefulness of virus breaking down and falling on ground nearby.
Health care workers are another serious concern in the report. Some 7,171 healthcare workers were tested and had 25.7% of workers developed COVID antibodies.
The science of aerosol spray is not hard to understand. But we have witnessed many of our beloved leaders – US Presidents, Central and State ministers, Kisan Neta to Samaj Neta, teachers or students violating masking rules. These people display wrong examples when doing public appearances without mask or not following distancing rules.
CONSEQUENCES
People who got infected 8 or 10 months ago starting with Wuhan, China, even with mild infection, have been reported to be suffering from heart, kidney and neurological problems. That makes us think very seriously about COVID.
But now our biggest alarm should be infection among children age 10 to 17, as described in this Serum Report. Their heart, kidneys, or brain damage from COVID is not understood by science yet. Children under 18 have been totally absent from COVID infection in America or the European countries. Our children can be put at a very serious disadvantage before they start their lives.
This Serology report by Government of India should prompt us to create a policy of mandatory mask and distancing. Its violation should be treated like a criminal act. Narendra Ji Modi has done many good things, some not so good. But it will be one of his greats if infected open mouth can be classed as a loaded weapon by state orders. Just putting a mask on is not that hard for one’s self and for others. It should become a national obsession.
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