The Health Ministry on Monday said two more positive cases of the novel coronavirus -- one in Delhi and another in Telangana -- have been reported.

New Delhi: Industry body FICCI on Monday called for measures to prevent the spread of deadly coronavirus in India, even as two more cases -- one in Delhi and another in Telangana -- were reported in the country. It suggested adoption of infection control practices and strengthening of screening at airports, among others....read more

Two more cases of COVID-19 in India

One in Delhi and one in Telangana. Both had a history of travel in corona affected area. We hope none of them is a super spreader and the infection will die out like earlier three cases in Kerala.

What is COVID-19?

It is a type of infectious corona virus with high contagiousness and low mortality. The name China pneumonia was changed to COVID-19 as per WHO policy of not linking the name to a person, place or country....read more

March 1 COVID-19 Update

ASIA

• 4 new cases, 2 new discharges in Singapore
• 1 new death in Thailand
• 4 new cases in Malaysia: a nurse infected....read more

Why WHO is not declaring COVID-19 a pandemic?

2nd March: CMAAO Update on COVID-19

Breaking News: A 36-year-old Kerala man, who returned from coronavirus-hit Malaysia, died with pneumonia and diabetic ketoacidosis in Ernakulam government hospital in Kochi, a day after he tested negative for the deadly coronavirus....read more

How Corona Aware Are You

Health Sutras By Dr K K Aggarwal

Eat seasonal and locally grown fruits and vegetables.

Healthcare News Monitor

Coronavirus impact: Is there hope for Indian pharma beyond Ides of March?

Business Today- E Kumar Sharma

Time is ticking and Indian pharmaceutical units dependent on crucial raw materials from China - active pharmaceutical ingredients and key starting materials to make medicines in India - are waiting and watching developments unfold this month. The industry expected things in China to return back to normal by mid-February at the conclusion of the extended Chinese New Year holidays. However, it seems far from business as usual. According to a senior member of the Bulk Drug Manufacturers Association, if raw material supplies from China remain disrupted beyond March then it would have an impact on production of the active pharmaceutical ingredients made using key starting materials and drug intermediates from China. This will, in turn, affect the production of final formulated products - the tablets and capsules that people consume. It is not as if there is a complete standstill in imports from China. Officials from Indian pharmaceutical companies say manufacturing and shipping have resumed in parts of China away from the epicenter of coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. There is, however, no clarity on the extent to which production has resumed and shipments commenced. For instance, a senior official of a leading company estimates that around 30 per cent of usual pharmaceutical production appears to have started in China, and 25 per cent of shipments have resumed.

Sun Pharma says shortage of hypertension drug in US

Mint- Reuters

Indian drugmaker Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd reported a shortage of its generic version of hypertension drug pindolol in the United States due to a lack of pharmaceutical ingredients, but said the shortfall did not stem from China. Indian companies are the main supplier of generic drugs to the world and procure almost 70% of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for their medicines from China.The coronavirus outbreak has disrupted international businesses dependent on Chinese supplies and industry experts expect Indian generic drugmakers to face supply shortages from China if the epidemic drags on. "At the moment, we havent seen any major disruption in API supplies due to the coronavirus outbreak in China," Sun Pharma said in an email on Monday, without giving details on the reasons for the shortfall in pindolol ingredients. "We have sufficient inventory of API and raw materials for the short term," it added. Sun Pharma, however, reiterated that there had been some impact on supplies for a few APIs, but did not identify the drugs that might be affected. Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the first coronavirus-related drug shortage in the United States, but declined to name the drug in question, leaving industry players debating which medicines were at risk. Pindolol, sold under the brand name Visken by Novartis, is an orally administered drug used alone or with other medications to treat high blood pressure.

Maoist ‘doctor’, 25, surrenders in Chhattisgarh

Hindustan Times- Ritesh Mishra

A senior Maoist, allegedly involved in several cases of killing of security forces in Chhattisgarh and Odisha, surrendered himself before the Bijapur police on Monday, the police said. ‘Doctor’ Prashant Modiyam alias Sonu (25) was divisional committee member of Kandhamal-Kalahandi-Boudh-Nayagarh (KKBN) division and was active in Abujmaad (Chhattisgarh), Bijapur (Chhattisgarh) and Odisha. “Sonu, one of the important cadre of the CPI (Maoist) in the region, surrendered in front of the Bijapur police claiming that he was disillusioned with the Maoist ideology,” said inspector general of police, Bastar, Sunderaj P. The IG said the Maoist was a resident of Peddakorma village which comes under Bijapur district and started working for ultras when he was twelve-year-old. “In 2007, Sonu was inducted as militia member and later 2008, he was selected as member of Platoon number 12 of Maoists’, which was active in the region. Sonu was later inducted as ‘doctor’ of divisional supply team and trained to provide medical help for Maoist supply team. In 2013, he was made a divisional committee member,” the IG said. The police said that Sonu was involved in eight cases of violence, including killing of security forces and looting weapons in two states. Sonu is accused of killing five security personnel in Pamalvaya village in 2007, Nayagarh (Odisha) training quarters attack in 2009, in 2013 Bhejji (Sukma) attack, Konjologo attack of 2013 and other rebel attacks in Chhattisgarh and Odisha, the IG said. Sonu was given an ‘encouragement’ amount of Rs 10,000 and he will be provided further assistance as per the Chhattisgarh government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy, the police said.

If coronavirus spreads in India, will we know?

Mint- Rukmini S

As the coronavirus contagion hits the Indian capital, the country has good reason to fear that it could be missing many novel coronavirus cases. Given the glaring gaps in how health and mortality data are recorded in the country, the official figure of zero death so far could be an underestimate. While the true picture on coronavirus will take some time to appear, past studies show that few deaths are certified and among those that are certified, doctors routinely misdiagnose the cause of death. Since 1969, the registration of a death is legally mandatory in the country. However, only 77% of deaths are officially registered, and just 22% of these registered deaths are medically certified, according to data from the Registrar General of India (RGI). Medical certification takes place mainly in urban areas and for deaths that make it to hospitals. Hospitals record more sudden deaths while more deaths from chronic illness and infectious disease take place at home, and never make it to hospital death records. Medical certification takes place mainly in urban areas and for deaths that make it to hospitals. Hospitals record more sudden deaths while more deaths from chronic illness and infectious disease take place at home, and never make it to hospital death records.