Thread by @oommen

#AntigenTests #Masks #Lockdown
India now has the highest daily recorded Covid19 new cases and deaths in the world, with cases and deaths plateauing.

There are many who think India bungled its Covid19 response badly. Here’s a #thread examining the claim. 1/n @orfonline

Let’s start with the #lockdown.

It’s now become fashionable to act as if the early & decisive lockdown was an unmitigated disaster. However, the aim of the lockdown was to hit a pause button in a time of almost complete uncertainty. It helped the health system prepare well. 2/n

It can be debated how it was implemented, whether we dragged on for too long, etc. But at that point in time,the lockdown, a blunt instrument was all we had to keep damage low & to buy time. Now, armed with low mortality stats, we cannot complain it didnt eradicate the virus. 3/n

#RapidTests
Indian experts have often been dismissive of Rapid Antigen Tests(RATs) when the government decided to use them along with RT-PCR tests, citing false negatives. Now, the WHO itself has started promoting RATs world over, implicitly endorsing India’s early decision. 4/n

#Masks
Till June, the WHO wasn’t sure about medical evidence to support the public wearing a mask. However, large parts of India, a country with a population of 1.3 billion people, made face masks compulsory way back in April. Countries like UK made masks mandatory in July. 5/n

India is a complex country & certainly a big challenge for those handling a pandemic. Given the systemic weaknesses, Indian states and the Centre are doing an extremely challenging job, keeping the death rates low and declining, despite the surging numbers. We haven’t failed. n/n