Kerala, The COVID-19 pandemic continues to claim lives and wreck livelihoods across the globe. Though the virus transmission was believed to have been contained after the first phase in some countries, the dreaded illness continued to spread. Research studies are being conducted, but no vaccination or treatment has been developed.
KK Shailaja is constantly being praised for her role in leading Kerala’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. A former science teacher and former health minister of Kerala she steadfastly acted in helping Kerala in limiting the spread of novel coronavirus cases in the state and help those who were infected. Even international media is showering praises on her. The global
media is calling her “The coronavirus slayer and Kerala’s Rockstar health minister”.
She was also involved in the containment of the Nipah virus in 2018. That prepared her to deal with the current covid-19 situation, better than most world leaders. She already had a well-thought-out plan ready before the situation turned dreary in India. This included Detecting, Testing, Isolating, and treating every case and tracing every contact and also dealing with Keralites coming from abroad. Her foresight of the situation was commendable.
Kerala declared Covid-19 a “state calamity” and entire state machinery swung into action. Kerala has a high Expat population. As many returned homes, the state could have many cases. The recovery rate and the mortality rate are even more impressive. The coronavirus mortality rate in Kerala is below 0.5%, while globally it is over 5%. The recovery rate in Kerala is 77.47%, whereas the national average is 38.4%. while even the most affluent economies are struggling to save lives, the state of Kerala which is over 35 million has just four fatalities.
Fondly called “Shailaja Teacher”, she is credited with having played a major role in keeping the whole situation under control. She has set a strong example around the world. Despite the success so far, Shailaja and her team who spend most of their day monitoring the developments in the state is not in a celebratory mood and keeps on reminding people that any careless act could bring the virus back. No country can continue to be in lockdown for a long period. Therefore, keeping this in mind Shailaja Teacher is preparing Kerala to face this scenario scientifically.
The world is now forced to live with the Coronavirus crisis. Shailaja Teacher has intensified the
‘Break the Chain’ campaign. This campaign promotes the importance of personal hygiene and
maintaining social distancing. The fight against the pandemic continues, and the world is looking toward the strategies made by KK Shailaja.
