Search

The authors provide a commentary on the inter-state migrant exodus that took place after the government imposed the national lockdown to control the transmission of COVID-19 infection. The lives of the inter-state migrant workers were seriously disrupted when the national lockdown was imposed. The authors bring into focus the inequalities of our times that resulted in serious human right violations. Migrant laborers were the hardest hit during the pandemic. Migrants and their families were pushed to starvation, deprivation, and destitution. The authors study this problem from a rights-based perspective.The unprecedented lockdown resulted in a migrant frenzy. Millions of inter-state migrants, stripped of their livelihood, were forced to flood the roads across the country in the last desperate bid to return home to their villages. Many chose to walk for weeks and weeks covering thousands of miles in their desperation to get home.The authors discuss the horror that migrants faced as they went through their journey. The nightmare that ensued was a severe violation of human rights. Bedraggled, starved, and exhausted, the exploitation and hardship that they endured along with their families continued over time.The migrant crisis not only hit the headlines in India but also drew the attention of world media.

The authors discuss the mental health problems that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health manifested as a lifestyle disorder that is being experienced by everybody all around the world. The authors discuss a range of mental health problems that are due to COVID-19. Their prevalence and implications are assessed. In order to provide perspective, research from India and other countries is cited. The causes and consequences of mental health problems associated with COVID-19 are analyzed.In India, mental health problems were on the rise even before the pandemic. The pandemic, however, greatly exacerbated these problems. Stress, anxiety, and depression became a part of everyone’s life. No one was spared. Strong public health measures to contain the pandemic including the prohibition of movement and isolation took their toll. Being away from work, school, and peers, adjusting to new ways of working and learning, and dealing with job loss were all stressful. Fake news and miscommunication further fueled the problem.A large section of the population was forced to re-invent its workplace, often in unfavorable environments, resulting in a deep sense of unease. Research shows that because of uncertainties related to finances, work pressure, and jobs, there was a rise in the number of cases of mental illness. The number of suicides also increased. Research in India and other countries underscores that COVID-19 compounded all these problems. Stringent public health measures imposed by all governments, although necessary for containing the pandemic, had a major impact on the psychological state of people. Fear, anxiety, and anger are some of its psychological consequences. Anxiety producing information in the media accentuated these problems.Pre-occupation with the pandemic resulted in a neglect of the mental well-being of the patients, healthcare professionals, and frontline workers. This caused psychological distress that varied from panic attacks and collective hysteria to pervasive feelings of hopelessness and desperation including suicidal behavior. The psychological wellness of individuals was influenced unfavorably by lifestyle changes caused by the pandemic that included isolation, limited mobility, social stigma, and ever-spreading misinformation and fake news on web-based platforms.Violence against women and girls was also exacerbated during the pandemic. Violence took place not only within the home but also in other spaces. Violence was severe among migrant workers, health workers, and sex workers. The authors underscore the urgent need for setting- up hotlines, crises centers, shelters, legal-aid, and counseling services.The pandemic might be the much-needed wake-up call to make long-term improvements in India’s healthcare system. It offers an opportunity for India to take greater cognizance of mental health problems and to integrate services to address these problems within the primary healthcare system.

The authors examine, in great detail, issues related to vaccine development, production, and distribution in India. They discuss the problems related to logistics for reaching vaccines to India’s large population. The role of international organizations engaged in vaccine development, procurement, and distribution is discussed.The development of vaccines for COVID-19 within a ten-month period has been an extraordinary achievement given that in the past it has taken 10–15 years to develop a vaccine. Of the seventy vaccine candidates currently in the pipeline globally, four are available for use. Currently, five vaccine candidates are in different stages of development in India.India is acknowledged globally to have a robust capacity for developing vaccines. India has also had a long history in organizing and implementing immunization programs for pregnant women and children. However, organizing a national vaccination program for COVID-19 is challenging because of India’s large population and fragile health infrastructure.India rolled-out the COVID-19 vaccination program in January 2021. The state governments have developed plans for the storage and distribution of the vaccine and for the implementation of the vaccination program. Important elements within the program are communications and advocacy that aim to inform the people about the vaccine and its benefits and to encourage them to get vaccinated so that the problem of vaccine hesitancy, a major deterrent, can be prevented.India and the world are at a critical juncture in the history of the pandemic where the availability of the vaccine shows a glimmer of hope—a light at the end of a dark tunnel.

Set from the perspective of planetary health, the objective of this chapter is to examine the trends set in motion by Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), attempting to discuss the long-term environmental and humanitarian implications. The emergence of zoonotic diseases has underscored that risk-based interventions need to be designed from the perspective of planetary health. The pandemic response must account for its implications on humans and the planet. To address this subject, the chapter discusses emerging infectious diseases in the context of declining planetary health and the COVID-19 pandemic. The chapter underscores the inadequacy of the transient improvement in some environmental quality parameters and short-term decrease in global greenhouse gas emissions. The inevitable global waste crisis arising from increasing use of plastic and other nonbiodegradable materials in the context of COVID-19 is discussed. Inequalities and vulnerabilities, in light of emerging humanitarian concerns, on account of the COVID-19 pandemic are examined. The need for a long-term vision and recommendations that could potentially address the key concerns flagged in the chapter are then discussed. This chapter argues that planetary health approaches that are needed to address the multiscale issues related to environmental quality and human well-being by protecting our planet.