COVID-19: An Insight
An understanding of what the COVID-19 pandemic has brought down upon us.
Where It All Began
Stepping into 2020, people had expectations — the beginning of a life-changing decade, one that would put us amongst robots, one that would make our wallets thicker. But it's safe to say that we haven't had the best of beginnings. Neither have we had the best of endings, to be honest. To think that something as good as Game of Thrones could possibly be ruined was truly unimaginable until, well, 2020. It's disheartening to realize that the littlest of things could also pose the biggest of problems.
Yes, that was an allusion to the novel coronavirus behind the COVID-19 pandemic that has left the entire world in a disarray. Meanwhile scientists, after extensive research, have traced the origins of this specific strain back to the mammals- in specific, bats.
There was a certain hungry person and there was a bat. We shall not indulge in further details, but rumor has it that the man had a pet pangolin as well.
Moving on, the first case was identified in the Hubei province of China in the city of Wuhan in December 2019. The outbreak was later recognized as a pandemic by the WHO on 11th March, 2020 when over 198,000 cases were confirmed and over 7,900 deaths were reported worldwide.
A Show of Numbers
From the statistics, it's evident that this virus spreads exponentially, proving to be a potent contagion. The last time WHO announced a pandemic was in 2009, when the swine flu (H1N1) took the lives of over 200,000 people. Unfortunately, COVID-19 is next up on the list of pandemics and rather than making bad jokes, we should all take this more seriously and ensure we don't fall prey to this villain.
In India, the first case of COVID-19 was identified in Kerala, where an Indian national returning from Wuhan had tested positive for the virus. The number of cases and deaths in India has seen a steady increase ever since the outbreak, with Kerala and Maharashtra taking the lion’s share.
Effects on the Student Community
The virus has adversely affected all the sections of society and the student community hasn’t been spared either. They have suffered a lot and unfortunately, their grievances are not being addressed properly.
A majority of the institutions have cancelled classes and suspended all academic activities for a significant period of time. A few of them have rescheduled and merged the annual summer vacation with this unexpected hiatus. Quite a few students were not pleased with this decision, as their international vacation plans now stand helpless with tickets that take them nowhere.
Many other students rejoice, unaware of the probable ramification of having to face two semesters in continuous succession. Professors, who seem to be taking this entire episode with a pinch of salt, aren't necessarily relieved by this break as this jeopardizes their primary source of income, especially in the case of private institutions.
But universities that have declared holidays are unclear on what to do next. With classes cancelled, not many are arranging alternatives for students to learn. A select few have arranged online classes, but these are really ineffective when compared to the direct, interactive sessions that the students are habituated with.
The freshers face a dilemma too, as they do not know whether to worry or to rejoice. However, they seem to be the least affected group amongst all four years. With internships getting cancelled left and right, the second and third years face a major setback as these internships not only give them a taste of work experience, but also equip them with invaluable skill sets that are highly sought-after in the industry. Though quite a few students feel relieved at the prospect of not having to attend an internship, it is a lost opportunity regardless. What should have been a sigh of relief for the final year students has now turned into a sigh of exasperation, for they are left uncertain about their future. With all the travel bans in full swing, the opportunities for education abroad don't seem so attractive now.
Naturally, reports say that the travel ban tops the list of 'AntiCOVID-19 measures despised by people'.
Sports meets all over the country have been either cancelled or postponed to an indefinite date. Athletes face a huge roadblock, as these meets are their path towards building a solid career and progressing in their sport.
There are plenty of things people look forward to when in college. The fests, both cultural and technical, are the most anticipated of them all. These fests are an essential part of the university, often its identity. Unfortunately for these fests, the virus being in full effect means that they have to be cancelled. They are indeed a costly miss for everyone, be it the participants who gain recognition through these fests, or other people who come for the pro-shows and food-stalls.
Locked up in quarantine, boredom has the majority of the population in its unforgiving thrall. With no idea as to what to do, a few people with the little bit of creativity left in their minds have come up with entertaining content on social media as a relapse from the world and its unforgiving gloom. They did serve their purpose by delivering momentary satisfaction. But one has to eventually come back to reality and face the world with all its problems (not really face the world, of course — staying indoors is a must).
With malls, cinema theatres and theme parks on lockdown, people seem to face an acute shortage of entertainment and are forced to find alternatives inside their houses. This has increased the amount of "quality family-time" in thousands of households. However, not all of the people stick to their houses, despite countries having declared nation-wide lockdowns. There are certain risk-takers who venture outside for various reasons.
These anti-pragmatic people like to think they are the protagonists of a post apocalyptic video game and they head out, geared with cheap safety masks and a mindset of absolutism.
Equipped with huge cloth shopping bags, these supermarket raiders plunder every single shop in the locality. Panic-shopping seems to be the new trend nowadays, if not the portrayal of artistic skills through sketches of tomatoes and oranges on social media. The sudden shortage of sanitary products has left the world in shock. The stocks of sanitizers seem to disappear into thin air, and what is left is a single bottle of sanitizer whose brand is hitherto unheard of.
But that's just one type of people. The other type comprises absolute daredevils. These millennials capitalize on the incredibly low ticket fares to travel to lands unheard of. When asked about the risk of infection, they nonchalantly reply,
“If I die, I die.”
One can't help but muse about what's going on. Is someone playing an elaborate game with us as mere pawns, manufactured for their enjoyment? If so, what do they stand to gain by forcing this endless peril upon us and what is their ultimate motive?
The answers to these questions, we'll never know.
In these times of prevailing panic and flourishing fear, rumors spread like wildfire and people need to be informed about the significance of making the right decisions.
Disclaimer: The humour involved in the piece is not intended to offend, hurt or disrepute anyone’s sentiments or feelings pertaining to the current pandemic. Credible sources have been quoted below for further reading:
Stay tuned for the next part as we return with more information about the rumors you need to steer clear of and what you, as an educated member of the public, need to do to keep yourself and the people around you, safe and sound.
This piece was penned with Karan Raahul G, Puvada Sreevarsha, Pujan Yadav in collaboration with Festember Social Responsibility team.
