COVID-19 tests must be free in government, private labs: Supreme Court

Laying emphasis on the urgency of increased testing for novel coronavirus, the Supreme Court today directed the government to issue directions to approved testing laboratories for conducting COVID-19 tests free of cost.This comes hours after the top court suggested that the Centre should create a mechanism wherein private laboratories did not charge exorbitant fees from public and government should reimburse the fees charged by labs....read more

Special SERIES ONLY EVIDENCES on SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19): Decontamination (Part 9)

(Source: DHS Science and Technology, Master Question List for COVID-19 (caused by SARS-CoV-2), Weekly Report, 18 March 2020)What are effective methods to kill the agent in the environment?What is known?SSARS-CoV-2,Twice-daily cleaning with sodium dichloroisocyanurate of decontaminated surfaces in COVID-19 patient hospital rooms.1....read more

CMAAO Corona Facts and Myth Buster 41

Extended Wear vs Reuse of masksFact: The project has launched a website for patients who have recovered from COVID-19 and want to donate plasma, and for healthcare providers who are considering this treatment for their patients.Doctors will be able to use the platform to input data on their patients’ response to the plasma treatment. The hope is that this potentially life-saving therapy can be moved to controlled clinical trials followed by wider use if effectiveness is shown as quickly as possible....read more

Prayer for Inner Happiness

Stress is the reaction of the body or the mind to the interpretation of a known situation. Stress management, therefore, involves either changing the situation, changing the interpretation or taming the body the yogic way in such a way that stress does not affect the body.There has to be a right, conscience-based interpretation of the situation as the same situation can bring happiness to one and stress to the other....read more

Health Sutras By Dr K K Aggarwal

Corona Namaste

Healthcare News Monitor

No dearth of anti-malaria drug, say states amid local concerns

Hindustan Times

A day after India said it will allow limited exports of the anti-malaria hydroxychloroquine, officials across several states insisted there is no shortage of the drug. Hydroxychloroquine has emerged as the most sought-after medicine after preliminary trials in China suggested it boosted recovery and lowered the severity of the coronavirus disease. The limited exports were allowed after US president Donald Trump requested the supply of the drug from India in a phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday. Trump also warned of retaliation if India did not take up his request. On Wednesday, HT did a reality check across states on the availability of the medicine amid complaints by patients about its shortage. Here, is a summary of reports from various states: The Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd, the state’s medicine and medical equipment procurement agency, managing director Dr S R Dileep Kumar said they have enough stock of the hydroxychloroquine tablets. “We have got 1.2 million tablets last week and we placed the order for another five lakh that we will get next week. There is no shortage,” he said. But many retail medical outlets said their stocks have exhausted after people started buying in panic. Worried, the health department has asked medical shops to supply the tablets only to the people who come with prescriptions.

Indian-Americans pharma firm donates 34 lakh hydroxychloroquine tablets

Business Today- PTI

An Indian American-owned pharma firm has pledged to donate 34 lakh Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate tablets to some of the key COVID-19 battleground states, including New York and Louisiana, joining the war against the dreaded coronavirus which by Tuesday had taken lives of more than 12,800 people in the US alone.Owned by philanthropic billionaire Chirag and Chintu Patel, New Jersey-based Amneal Pharmaceuticals, which is one of the largest US-based manufacturers, has also announced ramping up production of Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate at several of its manufacturing sites and expects to produce approximately 2 crore tablets between now and mid-April. Those tablets will be made available nationwide through Amneals existing retail and wholesale customers, as well as through direct sales to larger institutions in need, the company said. Amneal has donated 20 lakh tablets of 200mg Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate to New York, and 10 lakh to Texas to be used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. It is ready to provide more as needed. It is also donating and providing products directly to hospitals across the country, the company said. Amneal has also announced a donation of 400,000 Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate tablets to Louisiana.

Andhra doctor suspended after complaining about lack of protective gear, masks

India Today- Ashish Pandey

The Andhra Pradha government has suspended a doctor after his video, complaining about a lack of protective gear and masks at a coronavirus faculty, went viral. In the video, shared by a senior Andhra Pradesh opposition politician, Dr Sudhakar Rao can be seen complaining of a lack of safety gear and police misbehaviour. The doctor, Sudhakar Rao, said his hospitals district coordinator was unavailable at a time of crisis, and that no ministers or lawmakers had visited to take stock of the situation. In the video, Dr Sudhakar Rao requested Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to intervene. However, the government has suspended the doctor instead. The suspension triggered a massive outrage with TDP National President and former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu hitting out at YS Jaganmohan Reddy government. In a tweet, Chandrababu Naidu said, "Dr Sudhakar opened up about the lack of masks and gloves at Narsipatnam Government Hospital which is the minimum responsibility of AP Government. Instead of addressing the issue, the doctor was suspended. His only crime was to demand for an N-95 mask. This is utterly shocking." Naidu also tweeted a video of a junior doctor complaining about lack of facilities.

Doctor on coronavirus duty in Bhopal living inside his car to protect family

India Today- Ravish Pal Singh

tories of warriors fighting the war against coronavirus are being heard from across the country. One such warrior is Dr. Sachin Nayak working at JP Hospital in Bhopal, who has been living in his car, to prevent passing on the virus to anyone else. Dr. Nayak, working among the coronavirus-infected people in the hospital, is not going to his house these days after finishing his work at the hospital. Instead he has made his car his home for the next few days. He has moved inside his car to protect his wife and child from the possibilities of contracting the infection. After finishing his duty, Dr. Nayak lives in his car which he has parked near the hospital. In the car itself, he has stocked up his daily use items and books. In his spare time, he read books and talks to his family on the phone or video call. According to Dr. Sachin Nayak, he has been doing this for about a week. When coronavirus cases started being reporting in Bhopal, I was not so afraid but over the last few days we have seen positive cases in large numbers so I have decided to stay in the car, added Dr. Nayak. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has also praised Dr. Nayak after a photo of him went viral on social media. Chouhan wrote in a tweet, I and the entire Madhya Pradesh greet warriors like you who are fighting the war against Corona. If we all continue with this resolve, then we will be able to win this great war more quickly. Sachin ji, salute your spirit.