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1/
You think you’re safe from COVID-19 in India? Think again.

Director General Indian Council of Medical research Balram Bhargava: “The virus will behave the same way it has behaved in China. It will follow the same pattern,”

We can fight back if we massively increase testing!
2/
India doesn’t have a low number of COVID-19 infections, India has a low number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Big difference between few cases because of low number of infections and few cases because of low number of tests.
3/
India has a low number of cases because we’re not testing enough. It’s like saying my house is not on fire when you haven’t checked and you don’t have smoke detectors. If we don’t test, how will we detect COVID-19?
4/
“India has the highest number of TB cases globally. Still, an estimated 550,000 TB cases have not been registered, and more than half the cases of drug-resistant TB remain undetected, undiagnosed, and untreated.”
idronline.org/indias-missing…
5/
India has had TB control programs since 1962. We’ve still not perfected TB testing!
How many cases of a new disease like COVID-19 are being missing?
6/
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, as of March 10th, India had performed 3,828 tests for suspected cases and contacts.
Image

icmr.nic.in/sites/default/…
7/
South Korea does over 10,000 tests daily, over 240,000 tests done in total. South Korea does >2x the number of tests per day that India has done in total. India’s population ~25x South Korea’s, SK has done ~60x more tests.
8/
Look at India’s ratio of tests per million population compared to other countries. 3 tests per million people! Last on the chart!
ourworldindata.org/covid-testing
9/
Here’s India’s testing strategy. Apparently it’s an evolving strategy. Please evolve faster. China bought us precious time, did we use it appropriately?

icmr.nic.in/sites/default/…
10/
Government laboratory network is not ready for such volumes. See the document on laboratory readiness.

icmr.nic.in/sites/default/…
11/
India needs to massively scale up testing. There are just 52 testing sites and just 57 labs across the country to assist in sample collection.

icmr.nic.in/sites/default/…
icmr.nic.in/sites/default/…

Private sector needs to be involved.
12/
“A positive result (if any) would only be declared by NIV, Pune after reconfirmation.”
icmr.nic.in/sites/default/…
13/
NIV, Pune is a world class institute. We need 50 more at that level across the country.
We need to rapidly decentralise testing. Private labs need to be brought up to par rapidly.
14/
People wake up, no one is going to save us other than ourselves. Disaster preparedness strategy can’t be predicated on divine or meteorological intervention. Don’t mean know prayers. Please pray. We don’t want to help ourselves but God should help us?
15/
Our destiny is in our own hands. Ironic, considering this infection spreads via hands. Government can only do so much. We the people need to organise. Act aggressively, compassionately, collectively, decisively to beat COVID-19. Time is now.
16/
We can fight this, but how can you fight what you can’t see? If we don’t test, we don’t know what we’re dealing with. Tens of thousands of tests required daily!
17/
Let’s start a multidisciplinary effort to fight COVID-19. Private citizens willing to fight back DM me. You could be anybody. It’s not just medical workers. We need technologists, business magnates, teachers, students, cleaners, leaders. You can be anybody and you can help!
18/
Collaboration is more important that credentialism. Everyone can help. Everyone needs to help. This is the time to act. Aam aadmis will be key to victory. Common man must lead because common man will suffer.
19/ Let’s collaborate, let’s work together, let’s fight back against COVID-19. We can do it!
All typos are my own 😂 “Don’t mean don’t pray”
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