THE AMERICAN WRITER AND JOURNALIST David Quammen has published 17 books on varied subjects, including science and travel, and contributes regularly to National Geographic magazine. In his 2012 book, Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic, he predicted that the next big pandemic would “almost certainly be a virus that spills over from wildlife to humans”. Spillover, which went on to win several international awards, is a mix of lively reportage and epidemiological sleuthing from zoonotic hotspots around the world. Quammen’s informed prediction has come true as investigations so far have identified the origins of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, to a seafood and live animal market in Wuhan city in Hubei province of China. While the animal host of the virus is still being traced, epidemiological detective work until date points to horseshoe bats and pangolins.
In a fascinating chapter in Spillover where Quammen reported about the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic of 2003, which is also caused by a virus in the family of coronaviruses (SARS-CoV), he wrote: “The much darker story remains to be told, probably not about this virus but about another. When the Next Big One comes, we can guess, it will likely conform to the same perverse pattern, high infectivity preceding notable symptoms. That will help it to move through cities and airports like an angel of death.” His statement was prescient. COVID-19 disease with asymptomatic or flu-like symptoms, is the “Next Big One”. The incubation period ranges from two to fourteen days, meaning that a person who has COVID-19 could continue to infect other people without displaying any acute symptoms of the virus itself.
Esta historia es de la edición April 24, 2020 de FRONTLINE.
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How Not To Handle An Epidemic
The lockdowns were meant to buy time to put in place appropriate health measures and contain the coronavirus’ spread, but they have failed to achieve the objective and heaped immense misery on the marginalised sections of society. India is still in the exponential phase of the COVID-19 infection and community transmission is a reality that the government refuses to accept.
Tragedy on foot
As the COVID-19-induced lockdown cuts the ground beneath their feet in Tamil Nadu, thousands of migrant workers are trudging along the highway to the relative safety of their upcountry homes.
Sarpanchs as game changers
Odisha manages to keep COVID-19 well under control because of the strong participation of panchayati raj institutions and the community at the grass-roots level under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Scapegoating China
As the COVID-19 death rate spikes and the economy tanks in the United States, Donald Trump and his advisers target China and the World Health Organisation with an eye to winning the forthcoming presidential election.
New worries
Kerala’s measured approach to the pandemic and lockdown has yielded results. But it still has to grapple with their huge economic impact on its economy, which it feels the Centre’s special financial relief package does little to alleviate.
No love lost for labour
Taking advantage of the lockdown and the inability of workers to organise protests, many State governments introduce sweeping changes to labour laws to the detriment of workers on the pretext of reviving production and boosting the economy.
Capital's Malthusian moment
In a world that needs substantial reorienting of production and distribution, Indian capital is resorting to a militant form of moribund neoliberalism to overcome its current crisis. In this pursuit of profit, it is ready and willing to throw into mortal peril millions whom it adjudicates as not worth their means—an admixture of social Darwinism born of capital’s avarice and brutalism spawned by Hindutva. .
Understanding migration
When governments and their plans are found to be blatantly wanting in addressing reverse migration, exercises such as the Ekta Parishad’s survey of migrant workers throughout India can be useful to work out creative long-lasting solutions.
Waiting for Jabalpur moment
The Supreme Court’s role in ensuring executive accountability during the ongoing lockdown leaves much to be desired. Standing in shining contrast is the record of some High Courts.
An empty package
The Modi regime, which has been unable to control the COVID-19 infection, restore economic activity and provide relief to millions exposed to starvation, trains its sights on Indian democracy, making use of the panic generated by fear and a lockdown that forecloses paths of resistance.
