Dr Anthony Fauci, America’s top epidemiologist and medical advisor to President Joe Biden, has called for a quick lockdown of a few weeks to prevent the spread of corona infection in India.
Dr Fauci, who has worked with seven presidents, said that India would get an opportunity to take immediate, intermediate and long-term steps to get out of this challenging situation during the lockdown.
Come, let us know what else he said about the situation in India.
Lockdown will help prevent infection – Fauci.
In an interview with The Indian Express, Dr Fauci said that no country wants to impose strict restrictions, but lockdown in India can slow the spread of infection.
He said that India is in a challenging situation. Need to see what can be done in the next two weeks? Vaccination is one method, and it is also essential, but it is not an immediate step. It will take several weeks for it to take effect.
India needs to form an emergency group – Fauci.
He said that right now, people need oxygen, hospitalisation and treatment etc. Therefore, a commission or emergency group should formulate a plan regarding oxygen, medicines, and medical equipment. For this, assistance from other countries and the World Health Organization can be taken.
India has shown generosity in helping other countries during times of difficulty. Now other countries should help India.
Fauci said – Temporary hospitals should be prepared with the help of the army.
As an immediate step, Dr Fauci said that India needs to do the same as China had done temporary hospitals a few days to a few weeks. Right now, people are looking for hospital and treatment. Government can take the help of the military like America in this work.
He said that it should be thought about seriously. You can build a hospital with the help of the army.
“More and more people should get vaccinated.”
As a long-term remedy, Fauci suggested that more people apply the vaccine. He said that only two per cent of people had been vaccinated in India so far. This is a difficult situation.
Were there signs of such a crisis before?
When Dr Fauci was asked if there were already signs of such a crisis, he said that you should realise the potential of this virus. If the virus is left on it, it can create an explosive situation in society.
He said, “This is what happened to us in America. America is the richest country, and our preparation should have been better for it, but we were badly affected by it.”
On the vaccination front, Dr Fauci said that India would have to increase supplies. Many companies are currently producing vaccines worldwide. The Indian government should negotiate with them. India has so far been able to vaccinate only two per cent of the population fully, and there is still a long way to go.
He said that apart from the increasing supply, India should also work on its production capabilities. India is the world’s largest vaccine producer.
Speaking on the challenges Corona faced in public health worldwide, Dr Fauci said that apart from taking supplies of oxygen, medicines, vaccines and PPE kits, it is necessary to perform a lockdown.
He said that he had stopped everything when the Corona explosion occurred in China last year. If you are doing a lockdown, then a longer lockdown is unnecessary, and shorter lockdowns also work. The transition from lockdown is less spread.
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