Understanding the ins and outs of coronavirus has remained nearly out of reach of the existing capabilities of medical and virology sciences since its inception. It’s more so at the current moment for most of the major suffering countries and for India it has really evolved as an enigma. In earlier part of the preceding week, daily increment to the tune of 8000+ became a routine and on Saturday with the highest single-day spike of 9,971 the total is not far from the 2.5 lakh mark. Currently at the fifth position globally, it seems, slowly but surely, the upward climb in all probability can hardly be avoided. The biggest confusing part seems that despite putting into effect the world’s harshest lockdown, the exponential rise of cases has defied all ‘better expectations’. But it’s interesting to observe that a global consensus or rather an admission by the medical science fraternity has now arrived which is, despite successive episodes of lockdowns, until and unless an effective vaccine is found, nothing really fruitful should be expected. Even after spending a prolonged regimented tenure, it’s thus back to square one where the naked truth still continues to chase humanity- it’s vaccine and only vaccine.

Over the last one month or so, news about this desperately-sought-after antidote had surfaced, but discussions haven’t lingered as most of them were ‘blown out of proportions’ and contained little elements to usher solid hopes. Over the last few days, a panoply of news about the vaccine in the making have again arrived and among them all, since it’s about Oxford University(OU), upon whom world confidence has remained more or less intact, a renewed hope can be tracked. A British pharma giant which is developing a vaccine in collaboration with OU has ‘assured’ that they are on track to present the distressed world a cache of up to two billion doses in September. The principal ‘competitor’, the US, meanwhile, has even declared that it had already produced two million doses that are ready to hit the market, with the caveat though ‘if it proves safe’. It’s not sure how many of such ‘claims’ will flow in the coming months. But, for sure, looking at the ‘opacity’ and the new-born global diplomacy surrounding the vaccine and its making, it all suggests that it will take time.

For India, going by the statement made by the AIIMS Director to a national TV channel where he said that cases could peak in next 2-3 months, it seems the worst is still to arrive.

Nothing doing for the citizens but to follow all the SOPs religiously. But, an instantaneous feeling is hard to suppress- if coronavirus is an enigma, so is the awaited vaccine.