quarantine

Vietnam’s Effective and Low-Cost Response to COVID-19

September 10, 2020

Vietnam’s ‘Third Degree Contact Tracing’ approach is unique. Patients who tested positive were labelled ‘F0’ and epidemiologists worked with them to identify, trace and test all the people they had been in close contact with over the past 14 days. Detailed information about the movements of F0s was published in local media (with confidentiality maintained) so that people who had been in contact with them (defined as having been within 2 meters of the person or within an enclosed space for more than 30 minutes) could come forward for testing. These ‘F1’ contacts were tested and quarantined. Close contacts of F1s, the F2s, were also traced and tested and asked to quarantine at home.

COVID-19 and Institutional Response in Assam

June 23, 2020

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, there is the fear of floods looming in Assam, which is a regular phenomenon in the state, causing extensive damages to life, property, and crops every year. This is going to make the fight against COVID-19 more difficult for the state government and its people not only in terms of compromise of social distancing norms but also due to the diversion of money, physical infrastructure and human resources for damages caused by the floods.

West Bengal’s COVID-19 Strategy: Beyond the Hype

June 4, 2020

The devastation caused by the Super Cyclone Amphan has in many ways dealt a body blow to the administration struggling to contain the pandemic in already challenging circumstances. Incidentally, the cyclone-affected areas are also the most affected by the coronavirus. Going forward, it would be imperative for the central and state administration to work in tandem to overcome the double-edged sword that has cut across West Bengal to ensure lives are saved and the economy put back on track.

Responding to the Pandemic: The Gujarat Model

June 1, 2020

Often cited as the Gujarat Model of development – for quality infrastructure and being a haven for jobs – in recent decades, this state also had been the site of large scale disasters, notably, the plague epidemic (1994), a massive earthquake (2001) and widespread communal violence (2002). Responding to or tackling these events, inter alia, has deeply influenced the governance framework of the state. The health sector, particularly, has grown rapidly during the post reforms period with a large presence of the private capital in healthcare, medical education and pharmaceuticals.

Australia’s Experience in Dealing with COVID-19: Are There Lessons for India?

May 26, 2020

A central element in Australia’s fiscal response has been the cash payments to the vulnerable sections of the population. Underlying this strategy are the results of research by Australian economists based on the experience of cash handouts during the GFC (global financial crisis) that these payments boosted spending by recipients and were effective in providing an economic stimulus. While the first stimulus was directed largely at the business sector, the second package was designed to provide income support to those who have lost their jobs or are on reduced income due to the lockdown.

Punjab’s Fight Against COVID-19: Hopes, Fears and the Balancing Act

May 20, 2020

Punjab is one of the few states which have taken relatively early and more stringent measures to tackle the COVID-19 crisis. The early actions were quite understandable as it is one of the states that has the largest diaspora living in countries most affected by the virus. A large section of these persons of Indian origin (PIO) and non-resident Indians (NRIs) travel to Punjab almost every year between October and March.

COVID-19: Response of France and Some Lessons for India

May 18, 2020

Although France’s health system weathered the storm unleashed by the coronavirus outbreak, the crisis exposed the cost of abandoning its erstwhile long-term pandemic response strategy. While that strategy drew ridicule for pouring in one billion euros of taxpayer money for stockpiling masks and testing tools, two months of lockdown has cost 120 billion euros in lost revenue.

Intelligent Lockdown to Combat COVID-19: The Dutch Way

May 18, 2020

It is hard to imagine that the Dutch way of ‘intelligent lockdown’ can be an appropriate strategy for India, given the size and nature of its economy and the collectivistic cultural attitude of the society. However, the clarity, consensus, and reliance on expert opinion in decision-making that was prominent in the Dutch process, is a valuable lesson for India. It is important to devise timely policies after consultation with health professionals.

Uttar Pradesh’s Strategic Preparedness and Response to COVID-19

May 15, 2020

Agra was declared as the first COVID-19 cluster in India with one of the first cluster cases identified in the city. However, Agra was quick to curb the spread of the virus, and the numbers stopped rising rapidly within a few days. The strategy and response adopted by the district authorities were so successful that this was praised by the Central Government and came to be known as the Agra Model.

COVID-19 and the United States Government

May 14, 2020

The US government signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act that requires public and private insurance plans to cover the cost of COVID-19 testing. But even in this dire situation, the law does not cover the cost of COVID-19 treatment or other associated charges unrelated to testing. Will an uninsured person visit a doctor if they have symptoms of COVID-19?

Geographical Variations in the Propagation of COVID-19

May 11, 2020

A striking contrast offered by the map of COVID-19 in Europe is between the relatively low rates of infections (and hospitalizations) in countries like Germany, Austria, Scandinavia (with the exception of Sweden), and Eastern Europe, on the one hand, and the relatively high rates observed in countries like Italy, Spain, France, UK, Belgium and the Netherlands, on the other.

Beyond the Hype: Understanding how Kerala is Handling COVID-19

May 11, 2020

Kerala government became alert and pro-active to meet the COVID-19 emergency before most other Indian states. The experience of handling the Nipah virus last year may have sounded an alarm to the administration. So, when the infection started spreading in Wuhan (China), Kerala could foresee the arrival of the virus into the state.

COVID-19 Strategy – The Swedish Model and Lessons for India

May 6, 2020

Sweden is treating the coronavirus crisis as a health emergency and it is the economic need, not the political expediency that shaping the country’s policies. The number of COVID-19 patients in Sweden is quite high, still, its hospital system has not collapsed, like in Italy, nor has it gone for building new hospitals overnight, like in China.

Odisha’s Fight against COVID-19

May 5, 2020

The state has shown some first of its kind actions to handle the COVID-19 pandemic. This could be seen as the state’s learning from handling natural disasters year after year. During and post these disasters, the state has already been credited with management resulting in zero human and cattle loss. The same passion, commitment, proactiveness is visible in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

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