Factors behind higher COVID-19 recovery and lower fatality rates in India - need for a focused study

It is an undisputed fact that the COVID-19 recovery rate of 97.6% and the death per million of 314 in India (as of 28 Aug 2021) are significantly better than the corresponding values in the USA, UK, France, Italy, Spain, and most of Europe, which have much better health infrastructure. Even though the population of the USA is only one-fourth that of India, the number of lives lost in the USA due to COVID is unfortunately 1.5 times that of India. Similarly, the population of Brazil is marginally lower than that of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, but the fatalities in Brazil are 32.2% higher than that of the whole of India. Clearly, this necessitates a detailed scientific study on the causative factors behind these striking differences. It is time to study what factors cause recovery with minimal medical intervention and what lifestyle and other factors are correlated to serious complications, leading to belated recovery and sometimes death. Obesity, excessive consumption of alcohol, soft drinks, ultra-processed meat, processed food, and maida-sugar baked items may have a role to play in the health scenario in USA. On the other hand, the use of turmeric, black pepper, ginger, lemon, etc. in daily cooking and the enormous increase in awareness and the consequent consumption of Indian gooseberry, Tulasi, different decoctions (Kashaya) and the practice of various immune-boosting and breathing exercises and yogasanas might have had a role in the Indian medical scenario. A detailed study involving a sizable number of cases of recovery and death in India, Brazil, the USA, and some European countries will throw light on the causative factors behind the significant differences. The results shall provide crucial learning for managing future waves and pandemics.