Long Term Effects of COVID-19

As more people recover from the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19), I have seen some frightening trend, that the Governments going gung-ho about how effective the recoveries are… and have been highlighting the recovery rate vis-à-vis the infections on a time-line.  Just because all these people have recovered does not mean that their health has gone back to being normal.  Because Covid-19 is a new disease, there are no studies about its long-lasting after effects.  However, we have read about virus attaching itself to human cells in many parts of the body and penetrate many major organs, including the heart, kidneys, brain, and even blood vessels.

There have been many articles written and ongoing studies, on the long-term after effects of COVID-19 and Doctors treating COVID-19 Patients and seeing the recoveries have since stated that people who recover may not get back to the normal way they were before and has warned that the “This infection not only can cause mortality, but it can also cause disability”... of various kinds, that will require life-long support and care.  

Studies that are being done on recovered patients have since unearthed cases of people having long-lasting after effects like difficulty in breathing, permanent lung-damage and confused, disturbed thinking.  Contracting heart stroke is another example of people having complications after recovering from COVID-19. 

COVID-19 and Lung Infections

John Hopkins Studies have shown that COVID-19, can cause pneumonia and, in the most severe cases, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS. Sepsis is another possible complication of COVID-19, causing long-lasting harm to various organs.   

[Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition caused by the body's response to an infection. The body normally releases chemicals into the bloodstream to fight an infection. Sepsis occurs when an infection reaches, and spreads through, the bloodstream, causing tissue damage everywhere it goes, thus causing organ failure and cooperation between various organs of the human body].

Super-Infection

Doctors have also warned about a condition called Super-Infection where a person while having COVID-19 has his immune system working against the Virus, but leaving the body more vulnerable to other infections like bacterial or viral on top of the COVID-19 — a superinfection.

[Read the John Hopkins Article here :

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/what-coronavirus-does-to-the-lungs ]

Heart Damage

While the entire focus of COVID-19 has been its effect on respiratory problems and securing enough ventilators, doctors treating the patients at many countries, including part of Kerala, India have observed something extraordinary.  People who have recovered from COVID-19 have since developed heart complications and have been dying of Cardiac Arrest.  Doctors have observed in countries like US, Italy, Spain and Kerala, India that the virus can infect the heart muscle and the damage could be in 20% of the patients. 

While it is true that a severe pneumonia or even a hip-surgery can lead to severe stress on the heart leading to heart failure, doctors have warned that Covid-19 infection can directly damage the heart muscles. 

Doctors from China published two studies that gave the first glimpse at how prevalent cardiac problems were among patients with COVID-19 illness. The larger of the two studies looked at 416 hospitalized patients. The researchers found that 19% showed signs of heart damage. And those who did were significantly more likely to die [Study report related to the same https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamacardiology/fullarticle/2763524?resultClick=1]. 

Neurological Effect of COVID-19

In some instances, doctors have observed that neurological effects were the first manifestation of the Covid-19 disease. While primarily a respiratory disease that attacks the lungs, COVID-19 has impacted unrelated symptoms, such as memory loss or even loss of taste and smell that can persist for months beyond the initial infection period, suggesting a neurological impact 

A study of neurological symptoms of 43 patients hospitalized in the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19, was conducted and almost 12 people were diagnosed with inflammation of the central nervous system, including nine cases of ADEM (acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, a fatal condition of the brain). A further 10 patients experienced delirium or psychosis. Eight patients suffered strokes, including one that was fatal, and another eight had peripheral nerve damage. 

At least two patients also developed strange behaviour shortly after being discharged from the hospital. One woman, as described in the paper, repeatedly donned and took off her coat, and began hallucinating lions and monkeys, inside her home. Another woman became drowsy and ultimately needed emergency surgery to relieve the pressure on her brain.

Pending Visits to Hospitals

Due Corona Virus and conversion of regular hospitals to Special Covid Hospitals, many of the chronic patients of regular diseases have bene postponing their scheduled visits to doctors and hospitals for months now.  It is quit likely that such patients will have a flare-up of the existing chronic conditions and can even prove fatal, because they have not been following up on their regular check-ups and treatments. There have even been cases of surgeries being delayed/cancelled or not being able to undertake because of stress in hospitals. 

Psychological Effect of Social Distancing Protocols

Social distancing protocols and lock-downs have caused people to remain at home, and many have become job-less, putting a stress on the general mental health of the society.  At an individual level, people have been deprived of their personal space and private moments, causing frustration and depression.  Even for kids, being shunted at home with online studies, missing their friends and regular physical activity, will have a lasting impression on the regular mental health of the children.   

Summary

We have seen the pandemic affect almost a billion people and if in the course of time and at the same time the disease has been around only for months now, we will have millions of recovered people and if even a small percentage of such people develop long-term complications such as above, we are looking at a large population having various organ defects affecting their ability to work go about with their daily lives. 

Rama Janma Bhoomi - for the Dummies

The Supreme Court of India on 09 Nov 2019, decided on the title suit on a piece of land on which a mosque was demolished by a Hindutva mob in 1992 in the town of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh to the Hindus, paving the way for a Ram temple to be built there. While awarding the piece of land, It also ordered the government to acquire an alternative plot of land measuring 5 acres, on which a mosque can be built instead.  

If we go into the background of the case, it was a ‘Title Suit’ – a question as to who has title claim to the 2.77 acres of land where the demolished Babri Masjid stood. With time, individual litigants have impleaded themselves and broadly got divided into ‘Hindu’ and ‘Muslim’ parties. The Hindu parties, primarily the ‘Ram Lalla Virajman’ (which is the Deity, Ram itself) and the Nirmohi Akhara (a group of sants who claimed to have exclusive rights over the maintenance of the Hindu shrine), claimed that the land is the sacred site where Ram was born and so deserves to belong to Hindus.  For this, the prime rationale put forward was that this was the ‘belief of millions of Hindus’. The Sunni Waqf Board, the primary litigant on the Muslim side, argued that there is no evidence that this was the site of Ram’s birth or that there was once a temple on that spot. 

Background 

The case was first brought before a local Court way back in the 19th century when it was decided that a temple could not be built on a spot just outside the mosque because it would cause communal problems. Since then, various local courts have examined the matter and issued orders and cases continued to be filed, till a special full-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court took cognizance and decided in 2010 that the land would be split three ways between the primary litigants, the deity, the Nirmohi Akhara and the Sunni Waqf Board. Similar to the story of the King Solomon, who ordered splitting a baby between two contesting mothers, the Judgement was filed for a review in the Apex Court by all the three parties, resulting in a Stay of the High court Order. Attempts were made for mediation, but in vain. To summarise the Supreme Court in the instant case, was considering whether the Allahabad High Court judgment was valid or not.

Subsequent to a marathon hearing of all the parties, the 5 Bench Constitution Court of the Supreme Court finally gave its directions.  Here are the key take-aways from the judgment as read out by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi.

• Supreme Court gives the entire disputed land of 2.77-acre to deity ‘Ram Lalla’ (who is also one of the Petitioners in the title suit), subject to certain conditions. The court ruled that the site will be managed by a Centre-formed Trust (to be formed within 3 months). The land rights will be handed over to ‘Ram Lalla’, but the possession will remain with a Central Government appointed ‘Receiver’. 
• Muslim parties will be awarded five acres in an alternate plot of land at a prominent place in Ayodhya.
• The Apex court observed that the High Court Order dividing the land between the Hindu and Muslims parties, “defied logic”.
• The Supreme Court said that the Sunni Central Waqf Board has failed to establish its case in Ayodhya dispute. It observed that the Petitioners have failed to submit any evidence that they were in possession of the disputed site during a particular period of time.  On the other side, however, Hindus established their case that they were in possession of outer courtyard, where worshipping of Ram Chabutra and Sita Rasoi had continued.  Further, the Court also noted that the disputed land was government land in the revenue records, but government never showed any interest in it. It said that Muslims were unable to prove that it had possession of the same. 
• Nirmohi Akhara's Shebait rights dismissed (A Shebait under Hindu Law is entrusted with the task of maintaining and preserving an Idol, its properties and its customs) but Centre has been allowed to grant the Hindu body representation in the trust if deemed fit by the government.  It also dismissed the plea of the Akhara, to have control of the entire disputed land.
• Shia Waqf Board claim in the dispute was also dismissed and held that the land belongs to the government as per revenue records.
• Supreme Court says Babri Mosque not built on vacant land, and the underlying structure was not Islamic in nature. However, The Supreme Court has also observed that the Archaeological Survey of India has not clarified whether the structure found underneath was a Ram Temple.
• The Apex court also said that the faith of Hindus that Lord Ram was born at the demolished structure is 'undisputed', however, the title cannot be established on the ground of faith or belief and they are only an indicator for deciding the dispute.
• Damage to Babri mosque was violation of law, the Supreme Court said. It held that Muslim were deprived of the possession of the mosque by forcible desecration.  However, by paving the way for a Ram temple to be built on the spot where the Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992, a long-standing demand of Hindutva organisations and the BJP, it indirectly endorsed an act of mob vandalism, by gving away the land to the Hindu parties. It is anybody’s guess to say what the verdict would have been, had the Mosque was still standing in the disputed site.    
• One judge has dissented on the disputed site being held the birth place of Lord Ram. However, the CJI didn't name that judge.
• The Judgement running into 1045 pages, along with an Addenda (explaining why the disputed land is the birth place of Lord Ram as per the faith and belief, is an unusual practice), does not name the Judge who had authored it.  This is contrary to the established practice of naming the Judges authoring a Judgement. It may be noted that as a norm, the name of the Judge who authors a verdict is given at the beginning of the Judgement and the names of concurring Judges are placed at the end, while any dissenting directives are separately mentioned.  

My Take

In piecemeal, The Supreme Court bench on Saturday made a series of interesting observations before it delivered its verdict in the Ayodhya dispute.  While, It held the placement of idols in 1949 inside the former Babri Masjid as illegal and demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992 as unlawful, it granted the disputed site to the Hindu community to build a temple on the disputed 2.77 acres.  This needs to be seen in the overall scheme of things where the UP Govt has since acquired 67 acres of land around the disputed site. It is clear that designs  for a grand Ram Temple is on the cards. 

By directing a temple to be built, even when it says that the demolition and placement of idols was illegal, the Supreme Court is indirectly endorsing an act of vandalism, thereby giving out an impression that India has now become a majoritarian state where mob rule by the majority can be given the immunity of state authority. This mere posturing is sure to give an impetus to demands and claims from the Right Wing, to stake their claim to other similar Muslim structures and shrines, simply because they believe they stand on places that Hindus find as sacred.

Copy of the Complete Judgement can be accessed and downloaded from here.  

Life Lessons from Lion King

After watching the 1994 version of the Movie, umpteen number of  times, it was indeed one of the most awaited films in 2019 for me.  And I had to see it with my kids, for I thought they need to be introduced to the world of Mufasa and Simba, and good that I chose the 4DImax Format for the same.  

Before I had actually seen the movie, I have been following people’s reviews of the movie on the social media.  I have heard many and especially, the die-hard The Lion King fans that they are underwhelmed by the latest version.  Probably because, how high the bar has been set by the vintage animated version.  

The story is still the same, and the movie, a scene by scene re-production of the earlier cartoon version.  Only difference is this time, it is animated version and the characters are livelier and more emotive.  

A little about the story…Typical Bollywood, or more so, typical Shakespearean.  A young, cute lion cub is born to be the King of the Jungle.  Patriarch, who is the reigning King  of the family is killed by an evil family member desiring the throne.  Young cub grows up in exile while the kingdom suffers under the evil king’s rule.  Young cub returns to take his rightful place and restore the order of the jungle.  Everyone lives happily ever after except the evil king who meets a horrific but deserving end.  And the story ends there!

There is one thing I want to say about this movie.  The CGI, cinematography, and sheer excellence which this film is made is simply mesmerizing.  I am continually blown away by the quality of Disney films.

If you are looking for a good family film to show it to kids during their vacations, then this is it.  

By the way, if you want some inspirations from the movie, Here are some quotable quotes :- 

"Life’s not fair is it my little friend?  While some are born to feast, others spend their lives in the dark begging for scraps.”

“Everything the light touches is our kingdom.  But a king’s time as ruler rises and falls like the sun.  One day, the sun will set on my time here, and will rise with you as the new king.” 

“While others search for what they can take, a true king searches for what he can give.”