Shut down the entire country temporarily is what US President Joe Biden’s advisor Anthony Fauci suggested to India. For the uninitiated, Mr. Fauci is one of the top epidemiologists in the world. He is the Chief Medical Advisor to US President Biden, has served 7 US Presidents before him and is known for being the leading voice on the COVID-19 pandemic issue.
“Well, one of the things you really need to do, to the extent that you can, is shut down temporarily the country, I think it is important. India is in a very difficult and desperate situation. So, when you have a situation like that you’ve got to look at the absolute immediate,” Mr. Fauci was quoted by Indian Express during an interview.
The epidemiologists suggested that currently its paramount that India stops its chain of transmission and the only way is to have a complete country wide shut down on a temporary basis. “No one likes to lock down the country. Well, that’s a problem when you do it for six months. It can have a significant impact on the Covid-19 dynamics,” he said.
Mr. Fauci in the interview said that he watched a clip from news platform CNN through which he understood how the country is in a dire state. He said how he heard from people that there are people currently in India who are on the streets out and about searching for oxygen.
Suggestion 1: Look at the immediate, get people vaccinated, make temporary emergency units
The first suggestion he stated was to look at what’s the immediate thing India needs to do right now. He stated that vaccinating as many people as possible is an absolute necessity. He opined that it may not alleviate those who are needing oxygen or emergency hospitalization, but it will alleviate the problems in the coming time. He suggested that just as the Chinese made temporary emergency units to serve those who were suffering from dire consequences of COVID-19, India must do the same.
Suggestion 2: Deploy multiple arms of govt, make use of the military
His next suggestion was to deploy multiple arms of the government to deal with the pandemic. He suggested that India can take use of the military the way US used National Guard that distributed the vaccines. He also opined that India should start setting up field hospitals that are usually made during wars. Mr. Fauci said that the pandemic must be treated like a war and the virus like the enemy.
Suggestion 3: Approach as many vaccine makers as possible and vaccinate more
As for the long term, Mr. Fauci suggested that India must do all in its power to get as many people vaccinated as soon as possible. He stated that he heard that only 2% of India has gotten vaccinated, which is a small number. It should be noted is 2% is the percentage of the people who have received both the jabs of the vaccine, at least 11% of the total population has received at least 1 jab. Mr. Fauci said that if he were part of the Indian govt he would leave no stone unturned and would approach as many vaccine companies and have contractual agreements with them to get the vaccines.
Suggestion 4: Shut down the entire country temporarily, Procure oxygen, essential medications, PPEs
The main highlight of the interview was Mr. Fauci’s suggestion of shutting down the entire country temporarily. He said that along with the immediate need of procuring as much oxygen, essential medications and PPEs, it’s also equally essential and immediate thing to call for an entire country-wide shut down.
He gave a reference to China where the virus originated from and how the country completely shut down to stop the transmission. “Literally, lock down so that you wind up having less spread. No one likes to lock down the country. Well, that’s a problem when you do it for six months. But if you do it just for a few weeks, you could have a significant impact on the dynamics of the outbreak,” Mr. Fauci said.
