Amit Sharma
What can we do during Lockdown Times is the question which reckons our mind every now and then. My answer to this question is that I am busy performing my official duties apart from spending quality time with friends and family, as and when time permits but all are not similarly-situated like me and especially those ones who are into daily business or commercial activities, are the ones, who find it genuinely difficult to pass time during these tough times. Likewise, many others, whose works or daily routines have come to a halt, find it difficult to go through these Corona Lockdown or Corona Curfew times.
First of all, let’s understand that it is almost impossible to break the chain of geometric progression of Novel Corona Virus, especially this second major wave which has a deadly mutating and infectious effect and there is no other way out but to go for imposing curbs and taking stringent measures like these Lockdowns or creating Containment Zones in the infected areas of the cities and towns.
So, what one should understand and do during these lockdown times. First of all, we must start practicing ‘new normal’. What is it ? This is the process of following Covid Norms genuinely and honestly like maintaining hand hygiene, frequent usage of sanitisers and permanent usage of masks when in public places and mind you, its broader definition now even means that you need to wear a mask even if your are driving a car alone, as per recent Delhi High directions. So, these three things constitute New Normal or in other words, a way of leading a normal life, apart from maintaining physical distance from peers to everyone else, whether in public places or otherwise.
Yes, one thing, if you are finding some kind of light symptoms within yourself like coughing, sneezing, cold etc for last few days, then you must religiously keep a distance from all nears and dears, as it can be a clear-cut indicator of Corona Positive status in the coming days. Also, one must go for Covid Testing, most likely RT-PCR (gold standard) Test rather than Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) which can give you more accurate results. So, as soon as some indications appear within you, it should be got tested immediately without any hesitation or doubt towards going for it.
Next, with my recent experience as Administrator, Associated Hospitals and whatever little-bit of knowledge base I have built and gathered in the recent times, I have few genuine words of advice for all of you. First, never go for any kind of self-medication or treatment without getting a proper medical check-up done through a Specialist doctor of the relevant symptoms. It is very important to understand here that going for a CT Scan at your own (without medical advice) can be as risky as attempting a suicide. This is because the side-effect of One CT Scan is almost equivalent to going through 500 times X-Ray radiations which has been substantiated by several medical studies undertaken over the past and this can also enhance chances of some Cancerous growth in body of such a person in future. So, let’s not become over-adventurous during during these panic times and take some unnecessary steps which may not be required at all, sheerly becoming a part of herd mentality, as most of us do these days. Similarly, mad rush for Remdesivir medicine, treating it as the panacea to fight-out and winning over Covid infection is again a myth and you must not become crazy to procure it, by hook or crook, and go for it whenever you get infected by Covid. There is always a particular kind of state for Covid patients to subject themselves to Remdesiver intake, strictly as per medical advice and not by ownself.
Best and exclusive time-tested naturopathy formula when you are Covid Positive is to go for several rounds steaming at intermittent gaps and gargles your throat with Betadin or Mouthwash at least 4-5 times a day for almost two weeks to completely get rid of this Virus which mostly resides inside the throat and upper portion of the body and it can be made ineffective by following these steps, apart from taking genuine antibiotics/medicines but strictly as per the advice of the specialist medical partitioners of the field. Also, whenever you feel that there is less supply of oxygen inside the body which can be checked using an Oximeter (if it shows reading less than 95-94 or it dips down in 80s), then without panicking, we must, first of all, try to lie upside down for sometime and try to breathe in and out, as it helps to improve the Oxygen levels in an individual by at least 5-10 points, if done properly, as prescribed by experts which is readily available on Google, YouTube, etc.
To me, getting admitted into a hospital/medical centre should be the last option when nothing is available at own level and/or some comorbidity is pushing us towards that, as there are many chances of increase of infection whenever we venture into public places especially when already going through Corona Positive infection and with the atmosphere wherein similarly situated or more sick patients are admitted alongside, even if nothing else will happen but there is greater chance of getting ‘Halo Effect’ in which you can land up becoming more sick or undergoing into a state of when you see others going through this pain and its fall-outs. Also, we must not forget what kind of trauma our frontline health workers are going through these days, who are not going through real-time handling of Corona-infected ailing patients 24×7 but also, staying away from their families for days together and facing the mental trauma and pain, being in alienation and losing many patients in front of them due to this deadly pandemic. The proof of same lies in the fact that we have in fact, lost many amongst these Real Corona Warriors or Heroes (Doctors, Para-Medical Staff, Health workers, etc) while trying to save others, during this ongoing war across the globe. No financial or other kinds of incentives can compensate for the matchless sacrifices being made by these frontline workers, being the true ‘unsung heroes’ of Corona times.
Now, let’s touch the area how we can contribute our bit during ongoing Corona lockdown times. See, we all are humans and we must realise that this is the biggest natural tragedy or catastrophe or attack that humanity has ever gone through in almost a century other than human-created conflicts. Whosoever I came into contact with till date after the beginning of this Corona crisis almost 2020 beginning onwards, whether the eldest or the youngest, they are in 100% agreement with this fact. Now, next thing is that there is no defined timeline or knowledge about future of Corona virus, as the second wave came-up at a time when everyone was expecting that Corona have had its time like other Flues or Viruses of the past but no one knew that this Pandemic would devastate every nook and corner of the world that too for an unlimited time period, with its different kinds of variants or mutants, which have proven to be more fatalistic in each of its upcoming version, as has happened this time.
So, the New Normals, as already mentioned in early part of this article, should be accepted, adopted and practised by all of us without any doubt about them for own survival and survival of all nears and dears. Next, we should spare time during ongoing Lockdowns exclusively towards doing self-introspection, conducting genuine SWOT Analysis of ownselves (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, Threats) wherein S & W are within ourselves and O & T are in the outside world. Those in the world of meditation and spirituality can find these as one of the best times to go into their Zones and enjoy peace and calm in and around themselves and outside world, so as to touch peak of tranquility and spiritual bliss. Also, these is the best time to re-shape of bellies by physical work-outs and Yogas which should become integral part of ‘new norms’ for all of us, as it is also a proven fact that one can beat this deadly Corona virus while maintain a regular routine of exercising, walking, jogging, yoga asanas, cycling, etc.
Also, we must not forget that by just getting engrossed into unlimited intake of junk food and all kinds of stuff can be equally dangerous during these times as increased obesity or excessive pressure on heart without much work-out makes our bodies more prone to becoming direct victims of ongoing Corona virus. So, maintaining a balance between our body, mind and soul should be the focal point during these times.
Also, this is a fantastic time to spend time with the family members, life partners, children, friends, especially the elders who always tend to seek our company and want to relive the nostalgia of those times when they brought-us up from being toddlers to becoming young and adults, while bearing out all our nuisances as ‘bachpanas’ and believe me, there can be no better time than this one to make-up for all what we missed out at and give it back to them, but while maintaining extra-layer of precautions and following new-normals, as seniors and elders are the most vulnerable classes who can become easiest victims of this fatalistic Corona virus.
Lastly, while concluding, my word to all of you is that let’s not take this wave of Corona virus lightly, as this time, the trend shows that mostly, the youngsters are becoming it’s victims and now, since the window of Vaccination has also opened-up for youngsters (18-45 years) since 1st May 2021 onwards, we must not miss our chance to get vaccinated at the earliest but without panicking for it while following the Lockdown norms in a disciplined manner. This will definitely help in breaking the chain of spreading this Virus, as it is a bare fact that no enforcements or regulations like Lockdowns, Closures, etc can win over this colossal war unless we all resolve to take a genuine lead towards defeating it by becoming trend-setters ourselves without looking at assistance from others for same!
(The writer is a Senior Civil Servant of J&K UT and Ex-Administrator, Associated Hospitals, Jammu and can be reached for feedback at amit1kas@gmail.com or amit1kas for FB & Twitter Handle)
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