Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Readiness, not panic: On India and COVID-19

Readiness, not panic: On India and COVID-19

COVID-19 resurgence (पुनरुत्थान, वापसी) calls for better preparedness (तैयारियाँ, सतर्कता)

The lessons of the past should serve as (के रूप में कार्य करना) a good guide, especially the learnings (सीख, अधिगम) from three years of COVID-19. The country’s COVID-19 dashboard (a pictorial summary/overview) has seen some activity in recent weeks, and the total number (since January 2025) of COVID cases is currently at 3961 (as on June 2, 2025, 8 a.m.), and the number of deaths recorded as 32. While a figure (आंकड़ा, संख्या) in 1000s seems a bit alarming (चिंताजनक), it is still a small number in a country with a population of over 1.4 billion. It is also important to take a look at the full picture (चित्र, दृश्य, स्थिति). Not all States have had a day-on-day (दिन-प्रतिदिन) hike in numbers testing positive for COVID, and all hikes are still in the single or low double digits. Also, 2,188 people have been discharged since, underlining (रेखांकित करना, ज़ोर देना) what experts have been saying as the curve rose this year: that the variants (प्रकार) causing infection now are Omicron subvariants (उपप्रकार) and that they are neither more transmissible (संक्रामक) nor do they cause worse disease than in the past.

While panic (घबराहट, डर) and anxiety might be unwarranted (अनुचित, अनावश्यक), a sense of caution and precautionary (preventive, preemptive, protective) approach are advisable (उचित), particularly for those with vulnerabilities (weakness, defencelessness, unprotectedness, susceptibility) and co-morbid conditions. Experience from the pandemic (the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area) is that people with other pre-existing co-morbidities are disproportionately (inordinately, excessively, immoderately, unduly, unreasonably, unjustifiably) affected by COVID-19 infection. Common comorbidities (In medicine, co-morbidity is the presence of one or more additional conditions (diseases) co-occurring/co-existing with a primary condition (disease)) include hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes, cardiovascular (relating to the heart and blood vessels) diseases, obesity (the state of being overweight), and kidney diseases, and advancing age (a polite way of referring to the fact of growing older) (post 60 years). People with these conditions must start masking up in public places, and hand wash regularly. Former World Health Organization (Founded in 1948, WHO is the United Nations agency that connects nations, partners and people to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable - so everyone, everywhere can attain the highest level of health) Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan has said the recent immunity (the state of being resistant to a pathogen or infectious disease) from the pandemic will stand in good stead, but again, to take possible precautions including giving boosters or vaccine shots (injection, inoculation (of a vaccine/drug)), especially to the vulnerable (a weak/neglected person who is in need of special care/support). This is where the government must step in (intervene, act, take action, become/get involved), as COVID vaccines or boosters are not available in most parts of the country, even urban centres. India, a signatory (the person who signed an official document/agreement. (in this context, it is a country that signs an agreement)) to the World Health Organization Pandemic Agreement, must first ensure that stockpiles (supply, stock; reserve, accumulation, collection, amassment) of vaccines (a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease) and diagnostic kits are created and distributed across the country. Both public and private sector hospitals must ensure that health infrastructure (the basic physical or organisational structure or framework that a country or organization needs in order to function properly. For a whole nation, it includes all the physical systems such as buildings, roads & railways networks, utilities, etc) — particularly the availability of medical oxygen, adequate beds and health-care personnel (employees, workforce, force, staff) — is in a state of readiness. Another scenario (context, background, backdrop, situation) that must be avoided at all costs (irrespective of the effort needed; whatever happens; at any price; regardless of, in spite of everything) is the deliberate (intentional, purposeful, conscious, planned, knowing) obfuscation (making of something obscure or unclear to understand; concealment, evasiveness, confusion, deception) of data on true numbers on infections or deaths as during the pandemic. Instead, transparency (clarity, straightforwardness, openness, honesty, unambiguity) and efficiency must guide both the Centre and the States, this time, irrespective of (despite, in spite of, regardless of, discounting, notwithstanding, without reference to, without regard to) how the COVID curve behaves. But panic is not the same as preparedness: one is debilitating (exhausting, fatiguing, draining, wearing, straining, taxing), the other is enabling (empowering) .

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.panic (noun)

Hindi Meaning - घबराहट, डर
English Meaning - nervousness, fear, fright.

2.resurgence (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पुनरुत्थान, वापसी
English Meaning - comeback, resumption, reappearance, re-emergence.

3.preparedness (noun)

Hindi Meaning - तैयारियाँ, सतर्कता
English Meaning - readiness, alertness, preparation, awareness, carefulness.

4.serve as (verb)

Hindi Meaning - के रूप में कार्य करना
English Meaning - act as, function as.

5.learning (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सीख, अधिगम
English Meaning - lesson

6.figure (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आंकड़ा, संख्या
English Meaning - number.

7.alarming (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - चिंताजनक
English Meaning - worrying, disturbing, shocking, distressing, terrifying, frightening, scary, intimidating.

8.picture (noun)

Hindi Meaning - चित्र, दृश्य, स्थिति
English Meaning - view.

9.day-on-day (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - दिन-प्रतिदिन
English Meaning - daily.

10.underline (verb)

Hindi Meaning - रेखांकित करना, ज़ोर देना
English Meaning -underscore, emphasise, highlight, stress, call/draw attention to.

11.variant (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रकार
English Meaning - different or form or version or mutant of something (virus).

12.subvariant (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उपप्रकार
English Meaning - a subtype of a known variant.

13.transmissible (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - संक्रामक
English Meaning - communicable, contagious, contractable, transmittable. infectious. easily spread.

14.unwarranted (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अनुचित, अनावश्यक
English Meaning - unnecessary, unreasonable, unjustifiable, groundless, inappropriate, immoderate, inordinate, uncalled for.

15.advisable (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - उचित
English Meaning - prudent, desirable, wise, preferable, expedient.

16.readiness (noun)

English Meaning - preparedness.

17.call (for) (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - require, demand, ask for, need, necessitate, entail.

18.dashboard (noun)

English Meaning - a pictorial summary/overview.

19.full picture (noun)

English Meaning - a complete understanding or comprehensive view of a situation.

20.Omicron variant (noun)

English Meaning - On 26 November 2021, WHO designated the (new coronavirus) variant B.1.1.529 a variant of concern, named Omicron, on the advice of WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE). The first known confirmed Omicron infection was from a specimen collected on November 9. In recent weeks, infections in South Africa have increased steeply, coinciding with the detection.

21.precautionary (adjective)

English Meaning - preventive, preemptive, protective.

22.vulnerability (noun)

English Meaning - weakness, defencelessness, unprotectedness, susceptibility.

23.comorbidity (noun)

English Meaning - In medicine, co-morbidity is the presence of one or more additional conditions (diseases) co-occurring/co-existing with a primary condition (disease).

24.pandemic (noun)

English Meaning - the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area.

25.disproportionately (adverb)

English Meaning - inordinately, excessively, immoderately, unduly, unreasonably, unjustifiably.

26.hypertension (noun)

English Meaning - high blood pressure.

27.cardiovascular (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to the heart and blood vessels.

28.obesity (noun)

English Meaning - the state of being overweight.

29.advancing age (noun)

English Meaning - a polite way of referring to the fact of growing older.

30.mask up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to wear a mask (face covering).

31.World Health Organization (WHO) (noun)

English Meaning - Founded in 1948, WHO is the United Nations agency that connects nations, partners and people to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable - so everyone, everywhere can attain the highest level of health.

32.immunity (noun)

English Meaning - the state of being resistant to a pathogen or infectious disease.

33.stand someone/something in good stead (phrase)

English Meaning - be very helpful to someone/something in the future; be beneficial, be advantageous, be useful.

34.booster dose (noun)

English Meaning - In medical terms, a booster dose is an extra administration of a vaccine after an earlier dose.

35.dose (noun)

English Meaning - an amount/quantity of something (a medicine/drug) prescribed to be taken at a specific time.

36.shot (noun)

English Meaning - injection, inoculation (of a vaccine/drug).

37.vulnerable (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to a weak/neglected person who is in need of special care/support.

38.the vulnerable (noun)

English Meaning - a weak/neglected person who is in need of special care/support.

39.step in (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - intervene, act, take action, become/get involved.

40.vaccine (noun)

English Meaning - a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease.

41.signatory (noun)

English Meaning - the person who signed an official document/agreement. (in this context, it is a country that signs an agreement).

42.WHO Pandemic Agreement (noun)

English Meaning - formally adopted on May 20, 2025, The WHO Pandemic Agreement is the first legally binding international accord to comprehensively address pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. Adopted under Article 19 of the WHO Constitution, it promotes data sharing, equitable access to resources and greater cooperation between countries during health crises.

43.stockpile (noun)

English Meaning - supply, stock; reserve, accumulation, collection, amassment.

44.infrastructure (noun)

English Meaning - the basic physical or organisational structure or framework that a country or organization needs in order to function properly. For a whole nation, it includes all the physical systems such as buildings, roads & railways networks, utilities, etc.

45.personnel (noun)

English Meaning - employees, workforce, force, staff.

46.scenario (noun)

English Meaning - context, background, backdrop, situation.

47.at all costs (phrase)

English Meaning - irrespective of the effort needed; whatever happens; at any price; regardless of, in spite of everything.

48.deliberate (adjective)

English Meaning - intentional, purposeful, conscious, planned, knowing.

49.obfuscation (noun)

English Meaning - making of something obscure or unclear to understand; concealment, evasiveness, confusion, deception.

50.transparency (noun)

English Meaning - clarity, straightforwardness, openness, honesty, unambiguity.