Overview Over Covid 19 Crisis

Amid various media reports and infobesity, let’s talk about the real facts and consequences of this Corona Virus Crisis (CVC). It all started with the discovery of Novel Corona Virus towards the end of December 2019. This Novel Corona Virus was named as COVID19 (Corona Virus Disease 2019). It belongs to the family of Corona Virus, with peg or crown like projection on the outer surface. This is the unique feature of these viruses, which gives them better hold on the host surface. This virus is seventh in line, six more Corona Virus already exist in nature. Corona Virus causes the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MARS) and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

The COVID19 is a single stranded RNA virus. The people infected with COVID19 will have very mild symptoms like fever, dry cough and difficulty in breathing. It is also noted in some cases that no symptoms will appear even after 14 days of infection. The target organ for COVID19 is lungs. It causes severe respiratory disorder with pneumonia. This virus is zoonotic in nature, which means it has an animal host and gets transmitted to humans via animals. There are many questions that are asked regarding this pandemic like why this is happening, but this is not the first pandemic happening in the history of mankind. There are many reasons for this kind of pandemic, which are happening one after the other. The biggest contributor for these pandemics is climate change. The way in which climatic conditions are changing day by day has a huge impact on virus survival cycle. Mostly change in pattern of seasons, extended winters, summers or rains could be the reason. Wild places are not wild anymore, as, for the greed of human beings we are clearing up the jungles, making new human settlements, using the forestland for agriculture. After leaving the hunter-gatherer phase when humans started to settle down and started farming there was a clear demarcation between the forests and farms. But in the past few decades these clear lines have been violated by humans. In total it has resulted in an imbalance in our Ecosystem. In some parts of the world, the situation has gone beyond repair. Wild animals and humans started interacting. As we started domesticating   animals, we came in contact with many pathogens which were harbouring in these animals and birds. It is well documented in history that many of these viral diseases were passed on to humans through animals or birds. Due to massive globalization in recent years, we have seen mass movement of people across the continents for various reasons. This ease in movement has put us under risk. In no time an outbreak in USA can reach Middle or Far East. What it has brought is that more and more Corona positive cases started to surface in the mid of February. People over the world started stigmatizing certain people or races. This has been the most unfortunate part of the Pandemic that brings up Xenophobia. To stop the virus spread in communities, governments across the world imposed a massive lockdown which has resulted in closures of many industries, which has in turn pushed the migrant labourers to migrate back to their hometowns. Economic down turn and global recession has already been predicted and due to gloomy financial status of many companies, there will be job layoffs in coming days. As per the data available and the studies made on virus cycles, what we have understood is that in coming months or years there will be more of these kinds of pandemics which will shake the mankind. So, we must now learn to coexist with viruses. Health and hygiene habits as also food habits have to be improvised. Screening in schools, colleges and universities for temperature and flu should be mandatory. A major focus should be on Infra for health. One must work on a global health care system and resources should be gathered so that if an outbreak happens, it is identified immediately. Treatment and reporting should be done immediately and looking at the seriousness of the outbreak various world agencies must be notified. Supply chain plays an important role and world must not depend on one country to produce and supply the necessary protective gears and medical equipment. There must be ample number of stocks that are ready to use. Big warehouses must be built across the world and at the time of any unlike situation they must be ready to provide the essential supplies to combat the situation.

References:

URL:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338787022_Coronavirus_Infections-More_Tha …       

Dr. Varaprasad Kolla

Professor (Biotechnology)

Dean Sciences

Kalinga University

Naya Raipur