Health systems and nutrition in the time of COVID-19

As infection rates rise, job losses increase and workers leave cities to walk back home, and there is a silent hunger and nutrition crisis striking the country. Those who will bear the brunt of this are the already vulnerable—namely, children, adolescent girls, nursing and expectant mothers—now denied even basic calories. Among these are some who are also suffering huge weight losses because of the 15 days of high fever. This tragedy will play out in various horrifying ways in the future and must be addressed with urgency. Our stimulus package promises loans, which will take time to reach the poor, and a meager ration of cereals and pulses, while hunger and insufficient nutrition are immediate problems as Raghuram Rajan pointed out recently.