May 7, 2021
Dear Members of the Baylor College of Medicine Community,
The COVID-19 situation in India is very alarming, and there is some concern for what is happening in the United States as well. In this week’s video, I focus on both countries. India moved from having low numbers to a huge surge starting in late March. In the United States, we continue to have a variants vs. vaccination battle, with interest in the vaccine waning as we have ample supply.
After the first wave of coronavirus in India in 2020, the government mandated lockdowns. At that time, from June to November of 2020, the country was reporting about 100,000 cases a day. When the numbers went down to below 10,000 a day following the lockdowns, public health restrictions were dropped, large gatherings occurred and schools reopened. That led to the big surge in cases, with about 400,000 cases a day by early May. The video features additional info about the death rate in India and defines some of the super spreader events that led to the surge.
One of the problems in India was that there were different rules in India’s 36 states on lockdowns and public health measures. Sound familiar? This is the same situation that has occurred in the United States. While numbers are improving in the U.S., it looks like we may stay with many cases a day through the summer. In the Texas Medical Center, we are still having over 700 cases a day. The greatest need is to have more people vaccinated. Locally, we need close to 2 million more people to be vaccinated to reach herd immunity. In the video I suggest some ways to speed up the process.
Thanks to all of you for all that you do and the example that you set in the community. Have a safe weekend. Happy Mother’s Day!
Paul Klotman, M.D.
President & CEO
Executive Dean
