‘Novel method to understand how coronavirus evolves developed

LONDON: Researchers have developed a new method to analyse the genetic code of the novel coronavirus, an advance that can shed light on how the virus evolves, and help identify new clusters of the disease.According to the scientists, including those from the University of York in the UK, analysing global data on the published genome sequences of the novel coronavirus can help accelerate our understanding of COVID-19....read more

CMAAO Coronavirus Facts and Myth Buster 67

(With regular inputs from Dr Monica Vasudev)Did Indian Government ask hospitals to stop functioning during lockdown“As per Order No. F.51/DGHS/PH-IV/COVID-19/2020/M/prsecyhfw/2916-3015 dated 20.03.2020 {uploaded on Delhi Govt. Website http://www.health.delhigovt.nic.in/ (Coronavirus updated)}, all MSs/ Directors/ MDs/ HODs of Government of NCT of Delhi Hospitals were directed vide Point 17 to ensure that hospitals should suspend non-essential elective surgery for the time being to ensure bed availability for COVID-19 patients....read more

CMAAO Coronavirus Facts and Myth Buster 66

(With regular inputs from Dr Monica Vasudev)Is alcohol safe during pandemicAs per WHO, an increase of alcohol consumption can lead to health vulnerability, risk-taking behaviors, mental health issues and violence. Alcohol tends to compromise the immune system and heightens the risk of adverse health outcomes....read more

The Buddha Description of a Disease: Desire, Hatred and Ignorance

According to Buddhism, three negative emotions cause a disease and they are “ignorance, hatred and desire”. According to the Buddhist philosophy, physical sicknesses are classified into three main types -Disorders of the desire (Ayurvedic equivalent Vata Imbalance): These are disharmony of the wind or energy. The seed of these disorders is located in the lower part of the body. It has cold preferences and affected by mental desires. A person suffers from the disorders of movement functions....read more

Health Sutras By Dr K K Aggarwal

Thermal screening is not the test for Covid 19

Healthcare News Monitor

Lockdown hits production of anti-TB drugs, health min seeks to ban export

Business Standard- Ruchika Chitravanshi & Sohini Das

India’s fight against Covid-19 might be costing it in its battle against tuberculosis (TB) with supply and production of a key anti-TB drug taking a hit amid emergency measures being taken to tackle the spread of coronavirus. The industry, however, claims that the shortage is because of production hurdles at two pharma hubs Daman and Baddi (Himachal Pradesh) caused by restriction on inter-state movement of workers. The health ministry has taken note of concerns raised by suppliers that because of limited material for production and manpower, the drug supplies could be delayed. The suppliers have said the delays are because of the force majeure in light of Covid-19 response. The health ministry has asked the ministries of commerce, chemical and fertilizer and the department of pharmaceuticals to give directions to prohibit the export of anti-TB medicines, and ensure smooth supply of these drugs. It has asked states to ensure transportation services for workers and maintaining the supplies of the finished product. In a letter to various departments, the health ministry has said the “situation calls for extraordinary measures” to make sure that TB patients do not face challenges in diagnosis or treatment. Sudarshan Jain, secretary general of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA), said the production in pharma hubs like Daman and Baddi has taken a hit. “Macleods makes anti-TB medicine in Daman. Some production of the drug also happens in Baddi, which borders Punjab and Haryana. Many workers travel from these neighbouring areas, some had gone home. We have been requesting the government to allow the movement of essential commodities like pharma,” he said.

Unsolved mystery of Karnatakas Patient 52. No one knows how he was infected

India Today- Nagarjun Dwarakanath

The Karnataka government today said it is yet to solve the "mystery" behind the source of high number of Covid-19 cases in Nanjungud in Mysuru. Nanjungud alone has 65 novel coronavirus cases and there has been little information on how the viral infection reached here. The first Covid-19 patient in Nanjungud was an employee of a pharmaceutical company. Earlier the states medical education minister had said the person visited China and contracted the viral infection there. However, today senior state cabinet minister Suresh Kumar set aside this theory and said the government has not "cracked" the Nanjungud mystery yet. "No one knows how the first patient contracted the viral infection. We know that around 10 foreign delegates visited the pharmaceutical company. Maybe one of them had the virus and passed it on. One can assume that the infected delegate(s) was asymptomatic. We are getting more details about this," Suresh Kumar said. The pharma company employee who was the first to test positive for Covid-19 in Nanjungud is designated as Patient 52. Initially, the state government thought he contracted the infection from the products that the company had imported from China. However, when the products were sent for lab tests, they did not show any presence of Covid-19. It was following this that state medical education minister Sudhakar claimed that the home ministry has "cracked" the case and that the patient had visited China.

J&K: Doctor among 12 new COVID-19 cases

The Indian Express- Adil Akhzer

A doctor at the Government Medical College (GMC) in Baramulla is among 12 fresh COVID-19 cases reported in J&K on Tuesday. The junior doctor in the hospital’s medicine department is the first doctor in the Valley to have tested positive for the coronavirus. His sample was sent for testing on Monday as he showed symptoms over the last few days. At least 19 people at the hospital, who were the doctor’s contacts, have been quarantined, a senior health official said. “His family has also been taken into quarantine,” the official said. Officials said the doctor may have been infected while examining patients. J-K government spokesperson Rohit Kansal tweeted, “12 new cases- 11 from Kashmir 1 from Jammu division (Kathua). 10 recoveries too. Total cases now 380. Jammu Division-56 and Kashmir Division-324.”

It’s time to separate non-Covid hospitals

The Times of India- Dr. P Jagannath

The Covid-19 pandemic is an overwhelming global crisis. Most of the attention and response is obviously drawn towards Covid19 — social isolation, containment, testing, and above all earmarking beds in various hospitals. As a cancer surgeon I have also kept my patients, waiting for surgeries, over three weeks because of lockdown as they should not be exposed. I am sure this is true of chemotherapy, radiation and other fields at all centres. The cancer patients are vulnerable. Some hospitals are functioning on partial basis to provide services. The real problem is that the other supporting infrastructure like nurses and ward boys, who are already strained by the epidemic, will be put to additional strain if there is a sudden increase in the cases and need for ICU beds, for non-Covid 19 patients. So far, and I say this with fingers crossed, we do not have a flood of sick COVID-19 patients in the ICU at the same time, we also know that the current situation is not going to end soon. We have to ensure that the non-Covid-19 patients do not suffer. Now, what is the magnitude of this problem? 30% of surgeries in any multispecialty hospital are cancer related. In addition, we also have patients who could develop additional problems. For example — chest pain, which can sometimes be managed with medication, but could also need angiography. Similarly, there are children waiting for surgeries which cannot be delayed for too long and so on and so forth. Every single discipline has patients waiting. Of course, there are guidelines for prioritizing patients in each of the disciplines and that includes cancer. The category of semi-emergency surgeries is available. What is the pragmatic solution for this? One of the major shocks in Mumbai is that two major hospitals in the city are declared as containment zones, Jaslok and Wockhardt. These are major multispecialty hospitals treating not just infectious diseases but many other diseases by various disciplines. If these major hospitals are closed, we are taking out a huge chunk of healthcare infrastructure from the system. We must remember that while the coronavirus pandemic continues, other healthcare needs persist. Looking at what the other countries have done, particularly in China and in Italy, non Covid-19 hospitals and Covid-19 hospitals are clearly separated. I think it is time to look into that for India as well. Say the geographic area around a hospital where staff are infected eg; Wockhardt hospital is already declared as a ‘Covid containment zone’, the hospitals in the neighbouring areas can be declared as ‘non-Covid hospitals’ preserving the balance of the beds which are earmarked for the Covid emergencies. It is difficult to contain Covid patients within the hospital treating non-Covid patients and there is likely to be cross infection of staff leading to isolation of a critical resource. The hospitals must have to have strong protocols in place. As Covid is highly infective, the spread within the hospital is very likely.