The August 15 Deadline Is A Gimmick

Professor Partho Sarothi Ray, a molecular biologist and associate professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, is among the several medical professionals the WHO is consulting for the management of Covid-19. In an interview with THE WEEK, Ray talks about the lockdown, unlocking and why India has botched the transition. Excerpts:

- Rabi Banerjee

Q/What is the current situation?

A/We are in the middle of an increasing curve of viral infection. It will increase more in the days to come. During the lockdown, with very low testing and people cooped up in their homes, the virus incubated and spread among close contacts. Therefore, during the lockdown, there was no period in which the curve showed flattening. Now, after unlocking, it is spreading everywhere.

Q/How is it spreading?

A/Initially, the government focused on the so-called doubling rate and it was widely proclaimed that the rate had decreased. However, that is a useful parameter only during the early stages. It will definitely take longer for 5,000 cases to become 10,000 than [it takes for] 50 to become 100. We need to see how many days it takes to reach a fixed number like one lakh. In India, the first one lakh cases took 110 days. Now, it takes three to four days.

Q/Is there no way to check the increase now?

A/There is no easy way now. At the time when it was possible to test and isolate the limited number of cases, it was not done. Subsequently, tests have increased, but it is difficult to keep up with the number of cases now. Also, the medical system is reaching its limits as it was not sufficiently strengthened during this time.

Q/How long will the pandemic last?