Epidemiology, socio-economic impact and future directions of COVID-19 pandemic on public and health care workers in India

Pages: 40-45
Shakila Mahesh (Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Dental Sciences, Manav Rachna International Institute of Research & Studies, Faridabad, Haryana)
Kruthiventi Hemalata (Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Dental Sciences, Manav Rachna International Institute of Research & Studies, Faridabad, Haryana)
Anila Maria Varghese (Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Dental Sciences, Manav Rachna International Institute of Research & Studies, Faridabad, Haryana)

Due to the pandemic of COVID-19, lockdown has been implemented in different countries. In the past many lockdowns took place for different reasons. Also, different pandemics took place across the globe resulting in the death of millions. To prevent the spread of the pandemic, lockdown has been implemented. Due to the pandemic and the lockdown the education sector, health sector, economy and the public have been affected both positively and negatively. Search strategy was executed in which literature from specific websites were only considered. Reports from different organizations like CDC and WHO tells us about the symptoms, incubation period and types of coronaviruses. In India there were in total 4 phases of lockdowns implemented with guidelines given by the government. The economy was gravely affected. The stock market fell to the lowest in history. The race for the formation of a vaccine for Coronavirus has started. With three vaccines that have been given emergency authorization, Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca, there are more vaccines, including Covaxin, produced by the Bharat Biotech and ICMR, which have reached the clinical stage. The Government of India has taken various steps to control the spread of the COVID-19. Although different steps were taken by the government to keep the transmission of the infection, the underprivileged are still gravely affected due to the lockdown. And lack of knowledge and sanitation among them has caused an increase in cases. In this review article we highlight the epidemiology, socio-economic impact and strategies to combat COVID-19 pandemic in India