A health worker takes a passenger’s swab sample to test for COVID-19 at a train station in Mumbai, India, Thursday, December 23, 2021. (AP)
Explained: The concern remains, but India and the world are better prepared
Around the same time last year, coronavirus There was a steady decline in cases in India, while record numbers of infections were being detected in most of Europe, the United States and Brazil. The festive season in India had gone off without a spurt in cases, and even an election was held in Bihar. Normal activities were resuming and most people mistakenly believed that the worst of the pandemic was over.
Even after a year, the situation is the same. The daily number of cases in India is the lowest in 18 months. The five-month steady decline in cases after the disastrous second wave has, in most cases, ensured a return to normal activities. And the general abstinence, once again, seems like the worst-case scenario is probably over for India. This is even as Europe and America and many other countries are in the worst phase of this pandemic so far.
However, behind those similarities lie important differences between the conditions of last year and now. Some of these, the danger from omicron For example, events point to the possibility of repeating themselves, while others – such as the development of vaccines, and even therapeutics – indicate that 2022 may be remarkably different from 2021 for the better. could. However, the uncertainty so far and the experience of the pandemic make it difficult for anyone to predict.
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