1 INTRODUCTION OF WORLD

PANDEMIC
 Meaning of corona :
Corona viruses can cause a variety of illnesses in
animals, but in people corona viruses cause one-
third of common colds and sometimes respiratory
infections in premature infants.
 Characteristics :
83 percent had a fever

82 percent had a cough

75 percent had pneumonia in both lungs

31 percent had shortness of breath

17 percent developed acute respiratory distress syndrome

11 percent had muscle ache

9 percent showed symptoms of confusion

8 percent had headaches

5 percent had a sore throat

4 percent had runny noses

2 percent had chest pain

2 percent had diarrhea

1 percent had nausea and vomiting

 Origin :
The novel SARS-CoV-2 corona virus that emerged in the
city of Wuhan, China, last year and has since caused a large
scale COVID-19 epidemic and spread to more than 70
other countries is the product of natural evolution,
 according to findings published today in the journal Nature
Medicine.

1.1 CURRENT SCENARIO :

 Italy’s health-care system is almost unique in that it
guarantees care to all citizens. In outbreaks of highly
contagious diseases such as the new coronavirus, COVID-
19, universal coverage contributes to better monitoring and
containment of infections.
 A further problem has been the insufficient level of
communication and coordination between the central
government in Rome and regional authorities, which have a
constitutional responsibility to organize health-care
structures and provide care services. This has sometimes
resulted in confusing public messaging,
 whereas clarity is of the utmost importance in discouraging
social habits and personal behavior that might facilitate the
spread of the disease.
 The Italian government’s decision to enact severe
restrictions on all nonessential economic activity, as well as
the movement of people across the whole country, responds
to the dual purpose of containing the spread of the
contagion while preserving hospitals’ capacity to provide
care for the infected, whose numbers have been growing at
an alarming pace over two weeks.
 Today, only pharmacies, food stores, and a few other shops
remain open, and Italians are allowed to leave their homes
only for reasons of proven necessity, such as work,
provision of food and medicine, and demonstrable
emergencies. Italy is thus emerging as a testing ground for
other countries in Europe that are also recording growing
 numbers of infected people. Hopefully, this could prompt
the European Union to step up cooperation and mutual
support, for instance, by facilitating transfers of critical
medical equipment such as masks and respirators to Italy
 The number of people in Italy who’ve died with COVID
-19infections has topped 30,000. The Health Ministry
registered 243 deaths on Friday, bringing the total of those
who died in the country to 30,201.Italy was the first
country in Europe with a major outbreak of the
coronavirus. Authorities say many more likely died with
the infection at home or in nursing homes without being
diagnosed.With 1,327 more cases registered in the 24-hour
period ending Friday evening, Italy now tallies 217,185
confirmed coronavirus infections.Some 11,000 more
people have recovered from the illness than are currently
positive for the infection.Lombardy in the north continues
to be the hardest-hit region, accounting for nearly one-half
of the latest cases registered on Friday. Health and
government authorities are concerned that partial easing
earlier in the week of some lockdown measures, such as re-
opening of public parks and gardens, could see an uptick in
contagion if people ignore safety-distance rules.
 In France, according to the COVID-19 surveillance
protocol, physicians suspecting a COVID-19 case have to
contact immediately either the emergency hotline (SAMU-
Centre 15), if the patient is seeking medical attention from
a general practitioner, or a referring infectious diseases
specialist at hospital level. Together, they evaluate whether
the patient matches the case definition criteria for a
possible case (see below). If they do, the case has to be
reported immediately through a 24/7 available phone line to
the Regional Health Agency which informs without delay
the hospital infection control teams involved in the
management of the patient, the French Public Health
Agency and the Ministry of Health.
 The coronavirus situation in France is rapidly evolving.
The British Foreign and Commonwealth office currently
advises against all but essential international travel, while
France itself is currently easing the lockdown. Anyone
travelling to France from abroad (for essential travel) will
need a travel attestation but travel within France will no
longer require an attestation from 2 June. Keep track of
daily developments in our timeline below.12 JuneDespite
the easing of the lockdown, coronavirus cases in France
have continued to fall.11 JunePresident Macron is set to
address France on Sunday in his fourth televised address
 since the coronavirus crisis began. France is currently in
Phase 2 of the lockdown until 22 June, so it is expected that
the president’s address may outline what will happen in the
next phase. It is also presumed that the president will
discuss international travel, as France is set to reopen its
borders for travel within Europe from 15 June.10 JuneThe
EU could reopen its bordersto travelers from beyond the
bloc from 1 July. Some EU countries such as Greece plan
to open their borders to certain non-EU countries from 15
June.Meanwhile, France’s contact-tracing app has topped
one million downloads.9 JuneThe French economy will
only revert to pre-crisis levels in 2022, Reuters report.
There are fear unemployment could climb to a new record
of 11.8% in 2021.
 More than a dozen US states are reporting their highest
daily tolls of coronavirus cases since the pandemic began,
but President Donald Trump and many local officials are
showing no signs of worry and have ruled out new
lockdown measures.
 The US chapter of the global health crisis has shifted from
New York and the northeast to the south and west, with a
particular focus now on hospitals in Arizona, Texas and
Florida.
 Domenstic scenario with respect :
Growth rate :
 While the number of novel Coronavirus cases in the
country has been rising steadily, between eight and nine
thousand a day these days, the growth rate has been coming
down, nationally as well as in most of the states with major
caseloads.
 At the start of May, the compounded daily growth rate of
cases in India was around 6.2 per cent.
 It rose to about 7 per cent before starting a decline that has
continued since then. On Tuesday, the national growth rate
was 4.67 per cent.

Monetary rate :
 india is working on a set of policy measures to combat the
economic impact of the fast-spreading coronavirus and that
 may include some cash transfers to workers in the informal
sector, the country’s top economic advisor said. 
 The virus, which causes a respiratory disease known as
COVID-19, has infected more than 207,800 people and
killed over 8,600 people globally, according to the World
Health Organization. India has reported at least 151 cases,
out of which 14 have recovered and three died, according
to the health ministry.
Recovery rate : 
India reported 1,823 new COVID-19 cases in the last
24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 33,610
on Thursday with 8,373 recoveries. An additional 71
deaths have now taken the total number of fatalities
to 1,074. 
Maharashtra is a hotspot that accounts for nearly one-third
of the total cases in India as well as about 40% of all
deaths As of 17 May, the state's case fatality rate is 3.6%,
which is lower than the global average but significantly
higher than other Indian states with large numbers of cases
 Mumbai is the worst-affected city in India, with more than
20,000 cases.[4] More than two-thirds of the cases in the
state have emerged from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region
1.2 Strategies by government in india :
 It is primarily focussed on curbing mass transmission,

rather than managing and treating the virus infection.

 The government took charge of the fight against Covid-19

right from the beginning — the first week of February. The

first port of virus entry happened to be Kerala. Infection

coming through individuals flying in from affected

communities was blocked. Travellers at risk were

identified, quarantined, tested, contacts traced and

quarantined. The Centre was involved from day one. Kudos

to the Centre for staying well ahead of the invisible enemy

and blocking its lateral spread.

 On March 19, the Prime Minister addressed the citizens for

the first time regarding the coronavirus, reassured that the

battle was going well and called fora 14-hour janata curfew

(stay-at-home campaign), for the whole of India on Sunday,

March 22. It was a success. And now, the Prime Minister

has announced a more severe 21-day lockdown, starting

March 25.

 Testing :

he Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has submitted its

second status report before the Supreme Court on the
ongoing lockdown and the measures undertaken by the
government.
In its status report filed before the Supreme Court of India
with data up to April 12, the home ministry has said that
while there was a single lab in January 2020, 139
laboratories capable of testing for the coronavirus were
made operational by April 9.

The number is a leap up from the MHA’s earlier affidavit,

filed on 31 March. The previous report showed 118 testing
labs were available in the country. Interestingly, while the
number of laboratories has gone up between March 31 and
April 9, the ‘testing capacity’ remains at 15,000 tests per
day in both reports.

In the latest affidavit, the Centre has said that the testing
capacity for Covid-19 has been “substantially enhanced”
since the first cases were diagnosed in the country. A study
of two status reports filed before the Supreme Court
indicates that within three weeks of the lockdown,
estimates of all requirements were revised and enhanced by
the government.

In addition to these government laboratories, private

players have also been roped in for testing.
According to the March 31 affidavit, 47 private laboratories
were allowed to test while the April 9 data has upped it to
 67 private players, but the number of collection centers was
20,000.
In addition, the country has also issued orders to purchase
ventilators required to treat serious Covid-19 cases.
According to the report, a total of 52,094 ventilators have
been ordered, out of which 10,500 are due to be supplied
by April 30. In addition, 18,000 ventilators are scheduled
for delivery by May 30 while 20,000 more will be
delivered by June 30.

No due date has been given for the last tranche of about
3,500 ventilators. The number of ventilators sanctioned has
also been enhanced from the estimated 40,000 in the March
31 affidavit to over 52,000 as on April 12.
 Emergency of covid in hospital :
Major private hospitals in the state will resume their OP
services for non-Covid patients this week. Though Covid-
19 situation is under control in the state, majority of
hospitals are undecided on when to resume elective
procedures, though some said that they have started doing
emergency elective surgery after taking due precautions.
Health minister K K Shailaja had earlier appealed to the
private hospitals to remain open and functional to treat non-
Covid patients as most of the government medical colleges
were converted into Covid hospitals. Private hospitals had
stopped OP and elective procedures before lockdown as
Covid-19 cases in the state surged.
 Contaminated zone :
The number of containment zones increased to 40 on
Wednesday. While the number of containment zones in
West zone stands at 11, the number in South zone has
increased to 5.
On Tuesday, the number of containment zones increased
from 34 to 39 with new cases reported from five different
wards coming under the West zone. One case each was
reported from Subhash
 In case there are multiple patients from the same

campus and they reside in different blocks or towers, then

the entire campus would be identified as a containment

zone,
 Quarantine procedure :
Quarantine is the separation and restriction of
movement or activities of persons who are not ill but who
are believed to have been exposed to infection,
for the purpose of preventing transmission of diseases.
Persons are usually quarantined in their homes, but they
may also be quarantined in community-based facilities.
Quarantine can be applied to • An individual or to a group
of persons who are exposed at a large public gathering or to
persons believed exposed on a conveyance during
international travel.
• A wider population- or geographic-level basis. Examples
of this application include the closing of local or
community borders or erection of a barrier around a
geographic area (cordon sanitaire) with strict enforcement
to prohibit movement into and out of the area. The purpose
of this document is to provide guidelines for setting up of
quarantine facilities during the current COVID-19
outbreak. The recommended duration of quarantine for
Covid-19 based on available information is upto 14 days
from the time of exposure. The purpose of quarantine
during the current outbreak is to reduce transmission by
• Separating contacts of COVID-19 patients from
community
• Monitoring contacts for development of sign and
symptoms of COVID-19
• Segregation of COVID-19 suspects, as early as possible
from among other quarantined persons
The scope of this document is to cover the procedures
required for
• Physical infrastructure/Functional Services requirement
at quarantine facilities
 Procedure for medical monitoring of contacts, reporting
formats • Protocol for referrals of suspects/ Symptomatics
and isolation of symptomatics if required temporarily •
Infection control practices by medical personnel,
supporting staffs and catering staffs etc. Evaluation of
potential sites for facility-based quarantine is important for
preparedness planning Requirements for Quarantine
facility in a community-based facility is as under
 Location: • preferably placed in the outskirt of the urban/
city area (can be a hostel/unused health facilities/buildings,
etc.) • away from the people’s reach, crowded and
populated area • well protected and secured (preferably by
security personnel/ army)
 preferably should have better approachability to a tertiary
hospital facility having critical care and isolation facility

 Access considerations
 Parking space including Ambulances etc. • Ease of access
for delivery of food/medical/other supplies • Differently-
abled Friendly facilities (preferably)
 Ventilation capacity:
 Well ventilated preferably natural

 Basic infrastructure/functional requirements:

 Rooms/Dormitory separated from one another may be
preferable with in-house capacity of 5-10 beds/room • Each
bed to be separated 1-2 meters (minimum 1 metre) apart
from all sides. • Lighting, well-ventilation, heating,
electricity, ceiling fan
 Potable water to be available • Functional telephone system
for providing communications. Support services- fooding,
snacks, recreation areas including television • Laundry
services
 Sanitation services/Cleaning and House keeping • Properly
covered bins as per BMW may be placed
Space requirements for the facility:
 Administrative offices- Main control room/clerica

 Super spreader testing :

  A family of non-resident Indians (NRIs) in Kerala, which
contracted coronavirus disease Covid-19, has said that it
was a “big mistake” on their part to not follow the advice to
remain in home quarantine.
 The family, who lives in Italy, came to their home in
Kerala’s Ranni on February 29 on a three-week leave and
attended many functions before testing positive for Covid-
19 a week later.
 “We did a big mistake. It was unintentional and borne out
of ignorance. Many cursed us. Some of our family
members even said we will not come alive from the
hospital,” said 26-year-old Rijo Moncy, who works in Italy.
 Lockdown :
 There have been doubts whether the pre-emptive lockdown
of the entire nation along with complete travel restrictions
is India’s only chance against the deadly coronavirus
disease. The answer is yes; with rigorous testing the
lockdown can help India in curtailing the spread and rate of
the virus infection.

 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on 24th

March, 2020 that the country would be observing a total
lockdown preventing Indians other than those involved in
essential services from venturing outside their homes to
combat the spread of coronavirus. This is an unprecedented
and perhaps the largest restriction on the movement of the
people in an attempt to prevent the community spread of
infection. 

 There have been evidences suggesting that once the virus

starts circulating in the community (in other words, when it
is difficult to track down the source of the infection) the
lockdown of an area to prevent infected persons coming in
contact with others is efficient in restraining its spread.

 India is currently in stage II of the infection when there is

local transmission of cases reported where a section of
people testing positive is due to having come in contact
with a laboratory positive person who had a travel history. 

WHO has recently stated that the epicenter of the pandemic has now shifted from Asia to
Europe. Countries like China, Singapore and South Korea adopted public health measures of
coupli