Study shows middle-age COVID-19 mortality risk

Paris: Middle-aged people, and not just the elderly, have a dramatically higher risk of dying or developing serious illness from COVID-19, new research from Britain showed on Tuesday. The findings came in a new comprehensive analysis of virus cases in mainland China.Researchers from Britain analysed more than 3,600 confirmed COVID-19 cases as well as data from hundreds of passengers repatriated from the outbreak city of Wuhan....read more

World COVID-19 Meter 31st March

31st March COVID-19 Update: Deaths will cross 45,000 in 200 Countries, Minimum expected deaths 42,2131st one lac were infected in 67 days, 2nd in 11 days, 3rd in 4 days, 4th in 3 days, 5th in 2.5 days, 6th in 2 days, 7th in 2 daysUSA and Italy cross China’s mark, Spain may cross todayFirst reported case: 10th JanuaryIndia: 1251 cases, 32 deaths....read more

CMAAO IMA HCFI Corona Myth Buster 26

COVID-19 cannot occur in animalsThe infectious dose of SARSCoV-2, which causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19), for humans is currently unknown via all exposure routes. Animal data are used as surrogates.Rhesus macaques are infected with SARS-CoV-2 through the ocular conjunctival and intratracheal route at a dose of 700,000 PFU. A dose of 700,000 PFU of SARS-CoV-2 infected cynomolgus macaques through combined intranasal and intratracheal exposure (106 TCID50 total dose). Macaques did not show any clinical symptoms, but shed virus through the nose and throat....read more

Signs of Spiritual Awakening

• More experiences of telepathy.●More experiences of reverse telepathy.●More spontaneous fulfilment of desires.●Increased tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen. Work done with the least effort....read more

How Corona Aware Are You

Health Sutras By Dr K K Aggarwal

Spend 80 minutes with yourself every day (relaxation, meditation, helping others etc.)

Healthcare News Monitor

NovaLead identifies 42 approved drugs with potential to treat coronavirus

Financial Express

NovaLead Pharma has identified 42 approved drugs with the potential to treat SARS-Cov-2, or coronavirus. NovaLead, based in Pune, is a technology-enabled drug-discovery and development company that works in the field of drug repurposing. It uses its proprietary computational technology for identifying existing drugs, which may be potentially effective against the SARS-Cov2 virus, as well as for minimising its impact on human body. Through a complex and extensive computational study involving 2,010 approved drugs and 30 potential viral and human targets, NovaLead has identified 42 existing drugs which may be helpful to patients at different stages of SARS-Cov-2 infection, NovaLead Pharma CEO Supreet Deshpande said. Deshpande said the use of existing drugs already approved by the regulators can offer a huge relief in the short to medium term, if found effective against Covid 19; the major advantage with this approach is that the drugs being approved are already proved to be safe for humans, are being actively manufactured and therefore can be immediately put to use in a very short time. If successful, physicians can save lives and also prevent early infections from turning critical, he said.

Pharma industry on a drip as lockdown locks out allied services, workers

The Indian Express- Shimla

Despite being part of essential services, production of pharmaceuticals in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh industrial belt of Himachal Pradesh has suffered a blow following the lockdown with many units, especially MSMEs, suspending operations or running at sub-optimal capacity. According to employees in the industry, disruptions in allied services such as supply of raw materials, transport, packaging and stringent lockdown conditions have led to a drastic decline in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Rajeev Gupta, president of the Himachal Drug Manufacturers’ Association, said the overall output of the pharmaceutical industry has dipped below 25 per cent, and 70 per cent of the units in the state are running with a workforce capacity of 25 per cent or below. “Following the Janata Curfew, we voluntarily shut down all units for a few days. After resuming work, the government has been supportive, but the allied industries such as logistics have been disrupted. Raw materials are mostly transported from other states and many of the employees come from the Tricity, but it has been a different story since the borders were sealed,” he said. D K Tiwari, managing director of Tiwari Chemicals, said production in his plant has fallen by more than 90 per cent because of lack of raw materials and active pharmaceutical ingredients, or APIs. “While large plants may buy APIs in bulk, most MSMEs buy small stocks of raw materials on a daily basis as per their needs. For example, for formulating Crocin from paracetamol API, around 40 other ingredients are needed. How do we get those?” he asked.

Indian Railways marks more than 6,500 hospital beds from its 125 rail hospitals for COVID-19 patients

Financial Express- Nikita Prasad

Indian Railways fights COVID-19 pandemic! Piyush Goyal-led Indian Railways has dedicated more than 6,500 hospital beds, which is half the number of beds from its 125 railway hospitals, to COVID-19 patients across the country, according to an IE report. Out of these, one third of the beds will be fitted with ventilators, leading to 2,000 such beds. The Railway Board, headed by Chairman, Vinod Kumar Yadav, announced on March 30, 2020 that as many as 20,000 train coaches spread across all railway zones in the country, can be converted into isolation wards, to develop quarantine facilities for Coronavirus patients, or to place individuals showing symptoms of the infection. The Railway Board has issued orders to all zones that in the initial phase, 5,000 train coaches should be converted. According to the report, Indian Railways has around 13,000 beds in its 125 railway hospitals across India, including in remote areas. Now, Indian Railways is in the process of deciding whether to dedicate around 60-70 strategically located railway hospitals completely for the COVID-19 patients or to keep some of the key hospitals in a dual mode, having dedicated entry points and exclusive wings and blocks for the Coronavirus patients.

16 doctors, nurses quarantined at Tanda hospital

Tribune India

At least 16 doctors and nurses of Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College at Tanda in Kangra district who attended to the Covid patients have been quarantined by the district administration for a period of 14 days. The hospital had received three positive cases. While a Tibetan national, who arrived in India from the US on March 15, died at the hospital on March 23, the other two patients were Kangra residents with travel history of high-risk countries. One patient has been discharge while the other is recovering. Sources said that the staff members had gone to their home after about a week. But the district administration realised that they were also at risk of contracting Covid-19 infection. They were immediately called back and put in a hotel under quarantine for a period of 14 days. The step was taken as a safety measure to check Covid spread.