Distinct immune system pattern in severe Covid-19 patients identified

WASHINGTON: Researchers studying the immune responses of 125 hospitalised COVID-19 patients have identified distinct immune profiles, or "immunotypes", and showed how these were linked to disease severity, an advance which may aid in the development of novel therapeutics against the disease.According to the study, published in the journal Science, whether there is a common profile of immune dysfunction in critically ill COVID-19 patients remains unknown."By localizing patients on an immune topology map, we can begin to infer which types of therapeutic interventions may be most useful in specific patients," said the scientists, including Divij Mathew from the University of Pennsylvania in the US....read more

CMAAO Coronavirus Facts and Myth Buster: ICMR Vaccine

With inputs from Dr Monica Vasudev975: Round Table Expert Zoom Meeting on “Covid-19 vaccine update”14th July, 2020, 11am-12pm ,Participants: Dr KK Aggarwal, Dr Ashok Gupta, Dr AK Agarwal, Dr Ashok Gupta, Dr Suneela Garg, Dr DR Rai, Dr Narottam Puri, Dr JA Jayalal, Dr Jayakrishnan AV, Dr Alex Thomas, Dr Atul M Kochhar, Dr Glory Alexander, Ms Meenakshi Datta Ghosh, Mrs Upasana Arora, Dr K Kalra, Ms Ira Gupta, Dr S Sharma ,Faculty: Dr NK Ganguly, Former Director-General, ICMR,Faculty: Dr NK Ganguly, Former Director-General, ICMRKey points from the discussion:A herd immunity of 60-70% is required to stop the spread of infection in the community; however, development of herd immunity will take time. This can be achieved with vaccine.A vaccine which gives 40% protection may not be ideal; if it gives 70% protection, it will stop transmission. ....read more

World Covid Meter 15th July: India Number 3, 213 Countries Affected

Cases: 1M April 2, 2M April 15, 3M April 27, 4M May 8, 5M May 20, 6M May 30, 7M June 7, 8M June 15, 9M June 22, 10M June 29, 11M July 4, 12M July 10 ,Ground Zero: Wuhan - in live animal market or cafeteria for animal pathogens: 10th January; Total cases are based on RT PCR, 67% sensitivity ,Doubling time India 21 days, USA 33 days, Brazil 13 days, Russia 18 days, Spain 47 days, UK 35 days, Italy 55 days, France 49 days, Turkey 37 days ,Coronavirus Cases: 13,487,210,Deaths: 581,967,Recovered: 7,876,550,ACTIVE CASES: 5,028,693,Currently Infected Patients 4,969,120 (99%) in Mild Condition ....read more

The 3 Cs: Dont Criticize, Condemn, or Complain!

Don’t Criticize. Always look for positive in a person or a situation. There is always something positive in every situation.Don’t Condemn a situation (and a person) howsoever small it may be.Don’t Complain unless it is a must. ....read more

Video of The day

What is the advantage if initial results of OXFORD covid 19 vaccine

Healthcare News Monitor

17 workers get Covid, pharma firm shuts plant in Ankleshwar

The Indian Express

One of the plants of an Ankleshwar-based pharmaceutical company, Lupin, has been closed for seven days after 17 employees tested positive for Covid-19. ,Bharuch district officials are awaiting the test reports of around 100 other workers from the company. ,Confirming that 17 workers tested positive till Tuesday, District Collector MD Modhiya said, “The first batch of workers tested positive on Saturday, after which the plant was asked to be closed for seven days. Other employees are also being tested for Covid-19. They have about 11 plants in Ankleshwar GIDC area. The plant that has been closed manufactures drugs for tuberculosis.”

House panel urges govt to cap coronavirus medicine prices

HT

The parliamentary standing committee on home affairs, chaired by Congress leader Anand Sharma, has asked the Union government to regulate the prices of coronavirus medicines being made by various pharma companies, citing reports of black marketing of drugs such as Remdesivir and Tocilizumab, people familiar with the matter said. ,The panel also told the government that hospitals and pharma companies are charging exorbitant amounts from the patients and that this “lobby” needs to be stopped, the people added.Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla, joint secretary in health ministry Lav Agarwal, and other senior officials the briefed the committee, which pointed out that locally made affordable drugs should be made available to the public. The home secretary informed the committee that letters have been sent to states asking them to take measures to stop the sale at higher than prescribed prices of life-saving drugs.

Indian doctors throng foreign medical education websites to keep knowledge base enhanced: Doceree analysis

Express Healthcare

Data, analysed for June this year, shows 432 million login sessions of top 10 foreign doctor-only medical education websites from US, UK, Canada, a staggering 20 million were from India ,Doctors continuously need to keep themselves updated with regard to medical advancement, new research and latest techniques in the field, and Indian doctors throng foreign doctor-only medical education websites to keep their knowledge base enhanced than Indian ones, reveals an analysis carried out by Doceree. ,The data, analysed for June this year, shows that of the 432 million login sessions of top 10 foreign doctor-only medical education websites from the US, the UK and Canada, a staggering 20 million were from India. During the same span, India’s top six doctor-only medical education websites recorded a dismal 43K sessions.

Gujarat: MBBS doctor can prescribe Covid-19 test

The Indian Express

Gujarat health department on Wednesday revised its testing policy permitting Covid-19 tests if recommended by an MBBS doctor. The revised policy also permits frontline health workers and also cancer patients who may be undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy to take Covid-19 test without the approval of authorities. This is the fourth revision of the state’s testing policy since June.While the earlier testing policy permitted Covid=19 testing if prescribed by an MD doctor, Ahmedabad Medical Association (AMA) had opposed this move, primarily on the grounds that rural areas often have MBBS qualified doctors manning primary healthcare centres (PHCs) and thus the specification of recommendation from an MD doctor may hinder suspected patients from taking the test.