Going by the trend, the next wave may target intellectuals. At the outset, by intellectuals I don’t refer to any particular group, but any and everybody who has an expert opinion on anything and everything. Why the intellectuals? Firstly, the experts say, every surviving mutant comes out more virulent and attacks those who have better immunity. That is why experts say children may be the target for the next wave as they enjoy higher immunity. Generally, intellectuals are also quite immune as they have built a forte around themselves with solid reasoning. They are hard nuts. Secondly, they have been propagating so many possibilities that they should be living in constant fear. I hear from doctors that fear can weaken immunity, so the experts should really guard themselves against it. Thirdly, they are so paralyzed by the informative content of evidence and statistics that they scrutinize everything. For example, if oxygen is administered to an illiterate or poor person, he will be grateful to the doctor and hospital, but not an intellectual. He will wonder if it is  industrial grade oxygen, about its expiry date, his oxygen levels, etc. A poor patient will be satisfied just to breathe and he would trust the doctors. This is not to belittle the magnitude of the disease or its victims. This is to highlight how the discussions are getting vitiated and ingrained in minds that it can psyche a patient. Many a times, when we listen to the discussions of doctors and experts in the media, we wonder whether these are for an aam janata or for the doctors. 

Covid has ignited the imagination of experts from many disciplines, all of them wanting to contribute their might to the society. There have been many scenarios built about the third wave. One person said in a lighter vein I suppose, if the third wave comes, it would at least signal the end of the second wave. Ideally it would have helped if we can know what will be its severity in terms of scale of transmission, its mode of transmission, its severity in terms of morbidity and mortality rates, which part of the body it will attack, etc. This will help us plan the drugs and any other necessities like availability of oxygen, logistics, bed capacity, etc. In the absence of specific intelligence, it is like a warning from the intelligence bureau. There is a plethora of prognosis, but nothing actionable.   

Then there are conspiracy theories.The domain no longer belongs to the scientific analysis considering the country involved. So, what should be scientific evidence is now floated around as a matter of conspiracy. Foremost being the origin of the virus. Then came conspiracies regarding the bio war. It is not as if these are discussed in academic circles in conferences and seminars. These are discussed in media and social media. So much so that, there is one viral animation going around social media, in which a patient is asking a doctor, “When will this covid come to an end?”, to which the doctor replies please ask the media, I am not an expert.  When the intellectuals offload so much daily dose of information overload, won't they themselves be affected by it. It is really concerning.

There are then theories on drugs, vaccines, evidence, veracity of tests, etc. We hear of various theories about the utility of prescribed drugs and vaccines, latest evidences on these, treatment protocols, etc. Earlier there were theories about efficacy and tests, and later about shortfalls and procurement. In history, experts have always attempted ‘Theory of Everything’ but these are ‘Theories for Every Occasion’. One reason why there are so many theories could be that humungous amount of real time data is generated, and there is lot of meat in it.  There is no dearth of information and analysis, and maybe this is what they call a pandemic. Earlier it was a paralysis of analysis, and now it is a pandemic of information shock.

Not to be outdone, there are lawyers, economists and generalists, who specialize in issues of licensing, IPRs, investment policy, tariff and pricing, tax structure, etc. Covid is thus a comprehensive disease attracting multi-disciplinary scholars. Covid has something for everybody.

There is finally the Ayush, the poorer cousin of the allopath which is an unsung hero, and has been silently doing its job. Operating in nature like an unorganized sector, it lacks champions and once in a while somebody gives a call and it gets some short-lived limelight. I am sure everybody would be taking some form of Ayush remedy, but silently, like a diabetes patient taking sweets.

Earlier, there were theories about why rural areas were less affected during the first wave. Now the social media has reached rural areas, and there are several theories floating on why rural areas could be getting affected. Kumbh and elections are one of them. But they are yet to come with a hypothesis, even a loose one, explaining the lagged effect in time between election rallies and actual explosion in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Does the virus choose its time? Is there a theory related to the timing of the virus?  

At the end of all the debate, we invariably get vague answers. Does a particular drug work? We don’t know? After taking two vaccines, can I think that I am protected? No. But, we are still asked to wear masks and stay at home. Since experts are predicting a third wave, can they with reasonable certainty predict when the second wave will come to an end? They respond, how can we?  Can they predict what will be the possible drug required for the next wave? We have to wait.

Precautions to Intellectuals      

When I say the next wave may target intellectuals, I am saying it in the same sense as the experts predict it may target children. This is more to caution than to create panic. The intellectuals should feel free to get vaccinated. They should not wait for the rest of the population to get vaccinated, and bet on herd immunity. There is an old piece of advice: once when a person told a passerby, don’t worry barking dogs don’t bite, he replied asking if the dog knew it too. Virus doesn’t know ‘who is who’. Feel completely at ease to take the Indian vaccine. You don’t have to wait for other countries to approve.

Please feel free to take Ayush medicines as well. You don’t have to admit it, but it may help. Like one person said, I believe in God because in case He is there, He will let me in His good books. If you believe in it, so much the better.   

Finally, feel free to express your opinions, but for yourself go by what the subject matter specialists say. Don’t feel weighed down by your biases. If you don’t have any knowledge of a subject, you don’t have to necessarily speculate or give opinions. You can even say you don’t know. That would make you look better and people may appreciate you more.

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