TheBlueprint
Designing A Line Of Thinking
Changing Notion of Positivity
-Fariha Azim
Nowadays, 'COVID-19' is a word so popular that it would not be shocking if it were added to the dictionary as a synonym of bad luck. During this pandemic, one of the most fascinating thing is to get a COVID-19 test done, no matter if you have to stand in long queues and wait for hours only to be declared negative. Why is this painstaking effort to do so, even though we have been forced since our childhood to ‘be positive’? But, wait for a while and ‘be positive, once again! We would like to take you through a journey where you will certainly know the changed ‘notion’, inculcated in us through generation to generation.
COVID-19 tests are not only complicated to get done but also complex to interpret. Corona virus has somewhat become the most dreaded thing for the underprivileged. It is also a mystery that is yet to be solved for a world of medical fraternity. This is certainly some sort of a shape-shifter as it constantly changes shapes of protein in human bodies. Doctors and researchers in labs are still in a dilemma as to how to find a cure for it.
Even the political community is struggling to get a COVID-19 test ‘negative’. It is for the first time in history when our politicians are being freak and fraught to get something done otherwise it has always been money and muscle power. It is quite fascinating that in recent times, there are a lot of politicians who are getting ‘positive’, contrary to their wilful desire. Indeed, we wonder why there is a substantial rise in the cases or do they believe that ‘sharing is caring’?
On the other hand, the helpline numbers provided by the government hospitals are quite busy receiving calls from citizens of the country, who are desperate to seek information regarding the test. But, the responses to such calls are always to "stay safe and maintain distance". Most of the citizens do not get an opportunity to prove themselves as fluky even though they are diehard believers of the saying ‘be positive’. The reason is not clear, probably because the operators are busy in personal talks or testing the patience of the callers or it may be a technical snag in operating system. In such a time of crisis, it has been observed more often that some people do not forget to use the situation to be a 'millionaire' or a 'celebrity'.
In spite of this, some celebrities have experience to be in between the devil and the deep blue sea. Elon Musk and Erykah Badu got both positive and negative results for covid-19 tests. The SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk said he was "tested for the novel corona virus four times in one day" and the results were different. Two tests were positive while the other two were negative. In the same fashion, Erykah Badu, a distinguished singer and song writer is dancing on her own tune. She says she was tested and received her results: positive in one nostril and negative in the other, even though she showed no symptoms for the virus. The case of Amitabh Bachchan
is quite bizarre because his whole family got COVID-19 test positive, except Jaya Bachchan even though they live under the same roof. Jaya probably cherishes the patriarchal notion that Indian women always see the negative side of life.
Recently an erroneous test at a UK-based testing lab led to over a 1000 people receiving incorrect result on a single day. Loopholes like this, have also led many to bat an eye over COVID-19 testing standards and it is nerve wracking to know how many valid COVID-19 cases might be overlooked. Here we wonder why and how this is happening. Certainly, it is not because they wanted to gain the world’s attention but because the accuracy of the test is still not hundred percent. Even then, the world is still not giving any notice to it. While there may have been a mistake in finding the COVID-19 test results but we have some intelligent people who think that they can have the liberty to do what they want. With this, we come across a situation where healthcare officials are purposely giving out fake results and admitting them in the hospitals which are already overburdened.
Furthermore, the government has announced the testing charge as Rs 4,500, which is a really exuberant amount, to prove the generosity towards fellow country-men and women, without any prejudice against caste and creed, the rich and the poor, labourers and the business tycoons. However, some think that the amount to be paid for the vaccine is much higher for the lower strata of the society as the virus infects only the rich, not the poor.
Keeping this argument in mind, it can only be said that ‘India is too much of a democracy’. To sum it up, it can be said that the government is moving in the right direction, fulfilling its commitment to uphold the sanctity of the constitution with regards to maintain equality among citizens of the country and paving the path for ‘one disease, one vaccine with one price’.