Covid-19 cases to be discharged only after 2 negative tests in 24 hours: Govt

The government has issued a discharge policy for Covid-19 cases under which a positive case shall be managed as per protocol and discharged after only two samples test negative within 24 hours and there’s evidence of chest radiographic clearance and viral clearance in respiratory samples.

NEW DELHI: The government has issued a discharge policy for Covid-19 cases under which a positive case shall be managed as per protocol and discharged after only two samples test negative within 24 hours and there’s evidence of chest radiographic clearance and viral clearance in respiratory samples. ....read more

Acts as applicable to COVID-19

The legislative section is divided into three lists: Union List, State List and Concurrent List. It is true that public health is a state subject. The Concurrent List or List-III (Seventh Schedule) is a list of 52 items given in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India. It includes the power to be considered by both the central and state government.

The State list (6) includes Public health and sanitation; hospitals and dispensaries. However the concurrent list 26 covers Legal, medical and other professions and 29 covers Prevention of the extension from one State to another of infectious or contagious diseases or pests affecting men, animals or plants....read more

Science behind Training and Development

Training in any field requires gaining knowledge, skills and positive mental attitude towards the object of learning. Knowledge is everything about what and why. In Yoga, it correlates with the Gyan (Gnana) Marg. The skill is all about how to do it and correlates with Karma Marg. A positive mental attitude is linked to willingness to do any work or in other words one’s Astha in that action. In Yoga, it is synonymous with Bhakti Marg....read more

How Corona Aware Are You

Health Sutras By Dr K K Aggarwal

High fever and no sweating is a danger sign. Low body temperature (hypothermia) with no shivering is a danger sign.

Healthcare News Monitor

Is India running too few coronavirus tests?

The Hindu Business Line- Maitri Porecha

At ₹5,000 per head, only those with travel and contact histories are being tested now; testing protocol doesn’t address community transmission. In the light of the limited testing protocol charted out by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), a Maharashtra-based physician faced a strange dilemma while treating a patient with severe multi-organ failure and pneumonia at the ICU of a rural hospital. SP Kalantri, Professor of Medicine at Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, in Wardha, said: “We are unable to figure out who the villain is — bacteria or viruses (in this case). The regional lab refused to test his sample for Covid-19 because he lacked a travel history.” Kalantri wondered if the testing criteria for Covid-19 are too restrictive. Balram Bhargava, Head, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and Secretary, Department of Health Research, is emphatic that only those who have a travel history, and those who have come in contact with them, and then have gone on to develop the symptoms of cough, cold, fever, breathlessness and so on will be tested for Covid-19.

Pharma wrap: Need for more regulation to curb shortages & ensure quality face masks, sanitizers

moneyconrol- Viswanath Pilla

The novel coronavirus epidemic (COVID-19) has driven the demand for sanitizers, disinfectants and face masks manifolds. While price gouging and hoarding has been rampant, we are now seeing substandard and counterfeits products as well. The government and e-commerce players have taken some much-needed steps to curb the unethical behaviour in the market, but a lot needs to done to address the challenge of availability at reasonable prices and quality products. The government had brought face masks (2 ply and 3 ply surgical masks, N95 masks) and hand sanitizers under Essential Commodities Act. This order will be effective up to June 30, 2020. The move is aimed at ensuring that these items are available to people at reasonable prices and to crack down the hoarders. State food and drug administrators (FDAs) also swung into action, raiding chemist shops and godowns who are resorting to such unethical practices. For instance Haryana FDA last week busted a fake hand sanitizer manufacturing company in Gurugram. There are numerous cases of people getting duped by fake N95 masks.

The threat of community transmission of coronavirus looms large

Hindustan Times- Sanchita Sharma

“If community transmission doesn’t happen in the next 30 days, we may be on a good wicket,” said Dr Balram Bhargava, director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research on Friday evening, when India had confirmed 81 cases. Between then and Sunday night, coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases have jumped to 107. At this rate of increase, the number of cases is set to double by midweek. India is on a very sticky wicket. With several instances of at-risk travellers and their contacts evading screening, refusing to stay home quarantined for two weeks, or slipping out of isolation wards across the country, the threat of community transmission of Sars-Cov-2, the viruses that causes Covid-19, is likely to happen sooner than later. Community transmission is said to occur when Covid-19 is diagnosed in someone who has not travelled to a country with an ongoing outbreak and has not been near a confirmed case or their close contacts. It is far more difficult to contain because anyone and everyone could be infected or infecting others, as is happening in China, Italy, Iran and South Korea, which would mean everyone with fever and cough will need to be home quarantined for Covid-19.

Coronavirus in Delhi: Testing facilities and precautions; Here’s what AIIMS doctor has to say about COVID-19

Financial Express

As the positive cases in India reach beyond 90 and Delhi reports several positive cases, it is imperative for one to take precautions. In order to stop other people from infection, one should focus on self-quarantine, said Randeep Guleria, Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). According to him, the sudden spike in COVID-19 positive cases in Iran and Italy shows the infection spread quite fast through the crowd with absence of an index case, The Indian Express reported. Therefore, he feels that avoiding crowded places and staying at home is one of the best practices to pull the breaks on the novel Coronavirus. He added that Indians have been lucky so far and the government has also been taking effective measures to avoid the out spread. The report citing the doctor said that AIIMS has enough capacity for testing the samples sent by the government and they are tested on a regular basis. Further, the capacity is expected to increase as well depending upon the situation. In fact, National Cancer Institute in Jhajjar will also start testing at its new lab facility if the number of cases increase, the report added. Moreover, AIIMS is also sending the identified positives samples to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for confirmation.