Rebuilding Post COVID India With Traditional Indian Knowledge
The pandemic caused by SAR COV-2 or Coronavirus has already entered its third year. While the good news in fight against Corona is that the impact of Omicron is less severe than the earlier waves, but the bad news is that long lasting respite from COVID-19 is still not in sight and there is evident pandemic fatigue where medical systems and tired staff are feeling the pinch. It’s high time, therefore, that we reassess our priorities as a nation and start thinking about rebuilding the country with innovative solutions.
The government has skillfully, through its campaigns, highlighted the importance of wearing masks, appropriate hand hygiene along with other public health measures such as maintaining physical distance and avoiding crowded places. That’s a must and we must adhere to it. Moreover, various studies have indicated that SARS COV-2 infection can spread through touch surfaces. With Omicron variant (having higher infection rate than the Delta variant) around, it is important that we take all such measures which can reduce infection and give particular attention to touch surfaces or high-touch points that can be breeding grounds of infection.
Here we can learn from our glorious past and leverage the traditional wisdom and knowledge systems of our ancestors to effectively fight the current wave and also subsequent ones. For example, Tamra or copper is one of the most revered elements that is mentioned in the ancient texts including Rigveda and Atharveda. The Sushruta Samhita, a comprehensive Sanskrit text on medicine and surgery by the Father of Indian Medicine Sushruta, mentions the usage of copper both internally and externally to treat disease conditions.
The Ayurveda talks about 'Tamra Bhasma' or copper ash as a miraculous medicinal ingredient. In Indian households, Copper has been used since time immemorial for drinkware and utensils to store water and food respectively as it was believed that it eliminates harmful bacteria, boosts digestion and helps flush out toxins from the body. This shows that since ages, Indians knew about coppers disinfectant powers and anti-microbial properties.
The same is getting confirmed by the modern scientific research now. In February last year, the US Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) has said that copper eliminates Coronavirus within 2 hours. The US-EPA, whose certifications are considered as gold standard has said that alloys of copper that have 95.6 per cent copper or above can eliminate 99.9 per cent of SARS-CoV-2 within 2 hours and can continuously eliminates viruses that come into contact with them. The certificate was issued after rigorous testing supported and conducted by the Copper Development Association as per the US-EPA’s protocols. In the same statement, the US-EPA has also said that 'antimicrobial copper alloys can be manufactured into a wide range of surfaces, including doorknobs and handrails.'
Another study done by the New England Journal of Medicine in 2020 has said that SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 virus disappears from copper surfaces within 4 hours, whereas it can survive on stainless steel and plastic surfaces for 72 hours.
All these studies are endorsements of Indian wisdom and traditional knowledge systems which are now getting certified by the modern science and are backed up with scientific evidences and data. This is a huge win and needs to be utilised fully in reconstruction and rebuilding the bruised health and wellness systems across the length and breadth of our nation.
The touch surfaces made of copper alloys can be installed in hospitals and medical facilities, specifically doorknobs, patient stretcher handles, ICU bed rails, IV-stands, tray tables, chair arms etc. India ranks one of the highest in terms of number of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) which are acquired by patients during their stay in a hospital or other healthcare facilities such as nursing homes, outpatient clinics or health centres. Such infections lead to high morbidity, mortality, prolonged hospital stay and increased healthcare expenditure.
The copper alloys including brass, bronze etc are versatile in terms of applications and can limit infections even beyond healthcare settings. Mass transit systems are another area that can benefit from this ‘wonder metal’ where copper alloys can be deployed at those surfaces which are most touched within the metro, railway coaches and buses. Residential facilities, especially apartment complexes, as well as places of mass gatherings like parks, historical monuments, tourist places etc too can benefit from copper touch surfaces as they can be installed in lifts, staircase rails, doorknobs and all such surfaces that are frequently touched to ensure they are continuously disinfected and thereby provide twenty-four seven inbuilt safety systems against viruses like COVID-19, influenza and other germs.
It is a matter of pride for all Indians that the properties of copper are now recognised by modern science. Embracing innovative solutions that have Indic roots, therefore, must be part of the vision and goal for all policymakers and government machinery. The vaccination in India has crossed the 160-crore mark and its crucial for all of us not to let our guards down and strictly adhere to guidelines. At the same time, we should also utilise the opportunity to rebuild and reconstruct our lives and the nation. Therefore, it is sine qua non to come up with similar innovative solutions like copper to control the contagion and say goodbye to the pandemic once and for all.
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