Jim O'Neill on India and coronavirus

Jim O'Neill, the economist who coined the acronym 'BRIC', has gratuitously commented that he is thankful that coronavirus started in China and not India. In his view, India could not have managed the situation as well as China. His counterfactual wisdom is unwarranted on many counts.

Prevention of an ill is better than its cure. China failed miserably in preventing this zoonotic malaise. Yet, neither WHO nor any other global organisation has been truthful or bold enough to chastise China. O.Neill who is critical of India's medical preparedness has no observation on Russia (another of the BRIC economies). Is this because any criticism of Russia will result in this British economist becoming persona non grata in Russia?

It is not without reason that India is known for medical tourism. Medical prowess of its doctors is well known. Further, India being a thriving democracy, news of any viral attack would have spread like wild fire and its government would/could not have hidden it so long as the Chinese government did. Its voluble opposition would have informed WHO the very first day. (This would have been one of the few good things done by the vituperative opposition!)

What does O'Neill think of the preparedness of his own country, U K ? Its health minister has also unfortunately contracted the virus. On a lighter note, Indian ministers are known for taking better care of themselves!

WHO on coronavirus

Coronavirus has spawned a huge infodemic that makes our heads spin. If there is one incontrovertible fact, it is that the problem started in China. Thankfully the Chinese government has not denied that what is now a pandemic originated in China. There are limits even to the Chinese opacity and deniability.

If China is unable to deflect the blame elsewhere, the World Health Organisation has come to its rescue. "This is the time for solidarity, not stigma" asserts WHO's Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. In other words, do not question what went wrong in China.

Initially, WHO tried to soft-pedal the issue and refused to declare the viral outbreak as PHEIC (Public Health Emergency of International Concern.) On January 30th when the seriousness of the contagion could not be contained in vague phrases, WHO relented and declared the epidemic as PHEIC. At the same time, the UN body insisted that this move was not a criticism of the Chinese policy or action (was it not inaction for a week or so since the virus started spreading?) but was meant to help those countries which were less equipped to deal with deadly infections.

WHO does not want travel and trade restrictions from various countries to China. The famed organisation has said that such restrictions are a social, political and economic recipe for disaster. WHO thinks that these restrictions would shame China, the country that WHO does not want to antagonise. WHO can afford to be more professional and less scared of big powers.

The DG has advised that the only way we can defeat this outbreak is for all countries to work together in a spirit of solidarity and cooperation. "We are all in this together and we can only stop it  together." So, China is off the hook! Tedros has also certified, "Were it not for China's efforts, we would have seen many more cases outside China." Really? (Some observers believe that China delayed informing the world and its own citizens about the viral outbreak and a lot of damage was done before the country started shutting down the entire Hubei province. Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, is the epicentre of the epidemic.)