With the number of Covid patients on the rise once again, a consensus effort should be made by the international community to trace the origin of the deadly virus. After a gap of nearly four months, India has recorded 618 Covid cases on March 14. Simultaneously, several people travelling from outside the country have tested positive at various airports. These figures indicate that the lethal virus is yet to make an exit. But no concrete steps have so far been taken towards finding its origin and the threat of the reemergence of the virus is preventing the return of complete normalcy. Memories of economic devastation and the loss of near and dear ones are still fresh in the minds of the people and to get rid of the fear, a full-fledged attack on the virus is necessary. We can’t bank only on measures like administering vaccines and following strict Covid protocols, as one of the principal characteristics of any virus is it’s ability to mutate and COVID-19 is no exception. Hence, if not wiped out from the root, the lethal virus may make a strong comeback despite all preventive measures set in place.
It’s a pity that despite realising the gravity of the situation, the international community is still divided about the measures to be taken to wipe out the virus. As usual, most nations are more interested in the blame game than providing permanent relief to the people. In such a situation, it is expected that the World Health Organisation (WHO) would play an active role, but it remains a mere spectator as powerful nations continue to arm twist the UN’s specialised health body. While some countries threatened to stop funding the organisation, others have not allowed WHO fact finding teams to enter into their territories. Thus, mapping the course of the virus remains inconclusive, turning the world population into sitting ducks in the wake of serious and contagious viral diseases.
The present situation demands that all nations in unison formulate strategies to eliminate the threat forever. The world should realise that the solution to this plaguing problem will not be found by blaming each other. It is unfair to blame a particular place or country as the origin of the virus without proper scientific evaluation. At the same time, no country should prevent any fact finding team from coming to their land, rather they should keep all doors open for such teams. The divide is so huge that a vast section of the world population is yet to be vaccinated. While plenty of vaccines are available in the developed world, there is a scarcity of it in poor and developing countries. In this context, it should be remembered that the threat is not limited to a particular nation or region. The entire world population is in danger of being eliminated if the world’s nations fail to reach a consensus on how to combat and eliminate the virus once and for all.
