Coronavirus or Covid-19 is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It is a viral disease that turned into a pandemic in early 2020. The first known case was recorded in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Coronavirus has multiple variants such as Delta and Omicron, and its most common symptoms are fever, chills and sore throat.
The virus spreads through liquid particles when the infected person coughs, sneezes or breathes – it has a high multiplication rate. Therefore, the world had taken measures to quarantine or isolate those infected. While the disease can be mild and recoverable, those older or with underlying medical conditions are more likely to be adversely affected. The disease caused according to WHO estimates 3 million deaths in 2020.
Each Indian is vulnerable to this scourge, entitled to the best information available that can improve her chances of survival. The stage of panic is long gone. The whole country is in lockdown, what more remains to be disclosed / hidden from them. The natural tendency / instinct of this government has been to be secretive, frugal in sharing information that – going beyond applications under the RTI Act – should be on official web sites. There is also a trust deficit. On something as basic to dealing with this pandemic as whether the stature of community spread has been reached. More a case now of the people trusting the government than of its trusting them with sensitive information.