Posted on 04/26/2020 10:31:23 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
India is four times more populous than the US, but has just 2% the number of cases and only 1.5% of the number of Covid-19 deaths. How has the country, whose per capita income is just tenth of the US, avoided being flattened by the pandemic?
There are four possible explanations:
1. The epidemic may have struck later than in other countries. Since epidemics have exponential growth at the start, a small delay can have massive effects on the number of cases.
2. India’s 21-day lockdown may have successfully suppressed the epidemic. Physical distancing is one of the best ways to slow the epidemic and, if anything, many have criticized the lockdown for being too draconian in that regard.
3. India has not been able to test enough to count all cases and deaths. Without sufficient testing, many deaths may not be labeled with Covid-19 for official statistics, leading to an underestimation of the severity of the crisis.
4. India may have protective characteristics against Covid-19. Researchers have proposed that the low share of elderly in the population, the high temperatures and humidity in India, widespread BCG vaccination for tuberculosis, or resistance to malaria have helped India escape the brunt of the pandemic.
First, we can rule out that India is in an early stage of the pandemic. The first infected travelers from Wuhan reached Kerala, southwest India, on January 29. While it is true that Kerala acted quickly and contained a potential outbreak, more carriers reached other states by early March.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
I favor this explanation in the article:
India, like many countries, has been unable to procure enough tests. The lack of surveillance means that many deaths due to Covid-19 may not have been classified as such. A Covid-19 death typically is confirmed by a Covid RT-PCR test. Those tests are in short supply and cost INR 4500 ($60) in India. Moreover, if an individual with Covid-like symptoms dies, but a test is not performed before his death, it does not make sense to waste scarce resources on the cadaver. Nor do officials report unconfirmed, Covid-like deaths, because there are many reasons that one may die from flu-like symptoms, and officials do not want to create panic.
BUT THEN, THESE FACTORS IN THE ARTICLE OUGHT TO BE LOOKED INTO :
Other explanations center on universal BCG vaccination in India, or domestic hydroxychloroquine use to combat malaria. While it is true, for instance, that countries with BCG vaccination appear so far to have less transmission, these countries are also warmer, have younger populations, and—because they are poorer—likely tested late. So it is hard to know whether there is a true link between Covid-19 and BCG or malaria burdens. Further analysis is required, though it may not come fast enough to help in this epidemic.
AS WELL AS THIS:
A second explanation is that hotter temperatures in India may slow the virus. There is some evidence consistent with this theory. Countries with latitudes between 30-50 degrees above or below the equator, and average temperatures between 5 and 11 degrees celsius have, thus far, borne a higher burden from Covid. However, some preliminary research has suggested that India may face higher transmission rates during the monsoon, which is India’s flu season.
Humidity may also play a role; studies have found varying results on its importance as a factor. In addition, a brand new study at Harvard has suggested that Covid-19 may not go away in warm weather as colds do, because significant parts of the population remain vulnerable to the virus. The weather alone is insufficient to protect India
Maybe because the Indian government is not paying $39,000 for each coronavirus death.
The people who live there have really powerful immune systems. They can drink the water there, but visitors should stick to bottled water.
Because they swim, do there wash, etc. in the Gangi River along with all the crap dumped there including dead bodies.
IIRC India leads the world in HCQ production.
RE: The people who live there have really powerful immune systems. They can drink the water there, but visitors should stick to bottled water.
The more the immune system is exposed to all sorts of germs, the more it can recognize invaders. However, this invader we face is NOVEL. Don’t know how the Indian immune system was able to react well to a NOVEL invader it just encountered.
Maybe because they treat COVID-19 very early with Hydrocloroquine and Z-pac, even before testing.
“Maybe because the Indian government is not paying $39,000 for each coronavirus death.”
+1
“
Maybe because they treat COVID-19 very early with Hydrocloroquine and Z-pac, even before testing.”
Another +1
They just started seeing a significant jump in a cases three weeks ago.
They moved from 400 cases the to around 26k cases now.
Their deaths are pretty low. But the cases are expanding quickly.
Rock solid reason.
“The people who live there have really powerful immune systems. They can drink the water there”
+1
Also the average Indian eats far better than we do. Too much starch, but a lot of vegetables and spices.
Few obese people of diverse colors?
Gin and tonic, with a lime.
Works every time.
I post this pro bono.
5.56mm
One reason for less than expected infection rates in India, if that proves to be the case, is the fact that it’s one of the hottest, most humid and sunshiny climates in the world. Indians spend a lot of time outdoors in that bright sunlight and high UV environment all day and those conditions make human to human transmission, while outside, nearly impossible according to the two doctors out in California who are arguing to allow people to go out to parks and beaches etc...etc... without all the restrictions because in high UV and sunlight environments the virus dies very quickly, long before it can infect somebody sunning or playing volleyball or weightlifting on the beach.
a third possibility is they don’t get near the Chinese tourists that we do? perhaps they don’t travel as much as other nations do either?
if it does gets steamrolling here though- it will spread like wildfire since people are so close to each other- crammed into areas, riding trains etc-
The Chinese Virus found the Indian subshiitehole
too nasty for it to exist?
Curry. Kills bloody everything, my gosh by jeeps!
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