Bharat Rakshak

IndraD wrote:a more contagious mutant strain has been sweeping globe

More lethal mutant of nCV with a different spike protein on envelope has taken over the original strain in Eu & US, and matter needs immediate attention as antibody (plasma) treatment won’t work https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus- ... s-11983554

"We hope to begin mass production within two months. The cost will be approximately $60-80 million for a new plant we are setting up. We will export the vaccine if we feel there is enough supply, but first, we want to give it to our own country," Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute, told Khaleej Times.

It could cost as little as Rs1,000 (Dh50). Regulatory approvals from the Indian Council for Medical Research and other agencies will also need to be obtained. It remains a risky bet but the company hopes to produce 5 million doses per month from July and scale it up to have 40 million doses ready by September, the company's CEO said. The plan is to fast-track the production process to meet demand even as the vaccine is undergoing trials in the UK.

Serum, a Pune-based company, is among seven backers of the Oxford Vaccine Group to develop the vaccine that is now at the human trials stage. The trials began on April 23 and Poonawalla is guarded yet confident that the core vaccine team in the UK will pull it off in record time.

UK scientist pushing social distancing resigns after violating rules with married lover

The scientist who convinced British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to finally shut down the country amid the coronavirus has resigned from his government post — after he was caught violating social-distancing rules by meeting up with his married lover, a report said Tuesday.

Epidemiologist Neil Ferguson, 51, whose nickname is “Professor Lockdown,” admitted to the Telegraph that he “made an error of judgment” by inviting Antonia Staats, 38, to his home at least twice while pushing strict distancing guidelines for the UK public, the paper said. Staats lives across London — with her husband and two children, the Telegraph said.

“I accept I made an error of judgment and took the wrong course of action,” Ferguson, a researcher with the Imperial College London, told the Telegraph. “I have therefore stepped back from my involvement in Sage [the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies].

“I acted in the belief that I was immune, having tested positive for coronavirus and completely isolated myself for almost two weeks after developing symptoms,” he said.

“I deeply regret any undermining of the clear messages around the continued need for social distancing to control this devastating epidemic. The government guidance is unequivocal and is there to protect all of us.”Ferguson led the scientific team that came up with the research that pushed Johnson to close down much of the country in late March, as the contagion was already well under way there. The PM later developed the virus and nearly died.

Ferguson has been very public in urging people to maintain strict social distancing and quarantining.

Staats is believed to have an open marriage, even telling pals about her affair with Ferguson, the Telegraph said.

Rahul M wrote:Docs, there have been articles that finger oximeter readings at home might be a reliable indicator of when and if to see a doctor. Is it something you would recommend ?

my parents are in my hometown I am thinking if I should get them one for them to monitor oxygen levels regularly.

Rsatchi wrote:http://a.msn.com/01/en-gb/BB13Dz66?ocid=se
Imagine this had happened in India!!!
Namo and BJP would have been taken to the cleaners!!
Boris has some sympathy given that he contracted the virus!!
No guarantee that his head wont roll though!

"The earlier you identify the person, you can isolate him faster. So, it is not only good for the patient, but for the population also. When an asymptomatic patient walks around, s/he spreads the virus," Dr Anoop Thekkuveettil, senior scientist in the division of molecular medicine at the Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology in Thiruvanathapuram, tells Shobha Warrier/Rediff.com in the second segment of a three-part interview.

You and your team developed the testing kit Chitra Gene Lamp-N first, and now Chitra Magna. What is the difference between the two?

They are not two different things; just two parts of a kit.

In COVID-19 detection, you need RNA isolation because this is an RNA virus. Only if you isolate the RNA can you convert it to the DNA.

After that you need to amplify it either in a lab or in a PCR (polymerase chain reaction, which is a method widely used in molecular biology to make millions of copies of a specific DNA sample).

We do lab LAMP (loop-mediated isothermal amplification) reaction of the DNA, and that's why our testing kit is called Chitra Lamp-N.

Chitra Magna is mainly to isolate the RNA, and it is part of Chitra Lamp-N.

Right now, all the RNA isolation kits, rather 99% of them, are coming from abroad. Because we do not have any good high-quality RNA isolation kit, we decided to develop it.

In fact, it is mainly for the LAMP reaction that we developed it.

Will you be able to make it in bulk so that it is available all over the country?

We plan to make the testing kit Chitra Lamp-N together with Chitra Magna, and also Chitra Magna alone, available in the market.

We have given the technology to a company in Kochi and they are making it in bulk.

We also plan to give it to three more companies so that more kits are available in the market. We will be signing an MoU with one of the biggest companies in the country very soon.

Is it because the genetic information specific to the coronavirus is in the RNA that the extraction of RNA is very important in detecting the virus?

Yes. Only by testing the RNA can you recognise whether it is COVID-19 or not. That's because every virus has a particular signature gene.

Sachin wrote:

Bart S wrote:It's well known that many will not take lockdowns seriously, but it is not up to the people. The whole point of the lockdown is that authorities must strictly enforce it. So, it means that the govts messed up the lockdown, no point in blaming people at large for the same.

What are the areas in which the governments (both state & central) messed up? What was the better way to implement the lock down?

vijayk wrote:https://www.khaleejtimes.com/coronaviru ... -mouth-is-
Combating coronavirus: Dh50 vaccine by July? Indian major puts its money where its mouth is

"We hope to begin mass production within two months. The cost will be approximately $60-80 million for a new plant we are setting up. We will export the vaccine if we feel there is enough supply, but first, we want to give it to our own country," Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute, told Khaleej Times.

It could cost as little as Rs1,000 (Dh50). Regulatory approvals from the Indian Council for Medical Research and other agencies will also need to be obtained. It remains a risky bet but the company hopes to produce 5 million doses per month from July and scale it up to have 40 million doses ready by September, the company's CEO said. The plan is to fast-track the production process to meet demand even as the vaccine is undergoing trials in the UK.

Serum, a Pune-based company, is among seven backers of the Oxford Vaccine Group to develop the vaccine that is now at the human trials stage. The trials began on April 23 and Poonawalla is guarded yet confident that the core vaccine team in the UK will pull it off in record time.

If this works, there will a huge pressure on Modi to give vaccine to US and even UK. They might even call for sanctions and if Modi gives it, he will be called all sorts of names in India by scum media. Same scums will be writing articles against him in white racists ragtags in US/UK if he doesn't give.

Shouldn't GOI put in money for 3-4 plants and even ask US/UK/Europe to invest? Should we not think in advance?

anmol wrote:The guy who predicted 2.2 million deaths in US and half a million in UK.
...
Epidemiologist Neil Ferguson, 51, whose nickname is “Professor Lockdown,” admitted to the Telegraph that he “made an error of judgment” by inviting Antonia Staats, 38 ...

Ms Staats, 38, is a left-wing campaigner who works for US-based online network Avaaz.
The organisation promotes global activism on issues such as climate change.
She grew up in Isny, south Germany, went to university in Berlin and came to London in 2003.
Ms Staats gained a masters in Asian politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London.

sanjaykumar wrote:Avaaz? I smell a Paki.

Another Canadian, conservative media personality Ezra Levant,[36] tried to make a link between Soros and Avaaz.org as an indirect supporter through MoveOn, but the article was later retracted as baseless and an apology was offered to Soros

Covid-19, for all its infectiousness, has killed 1,694 Indians so far. In the foreseeable future (which means till August-end), it may not kill more than 25,000 people. That would be far less than the numbers already killed in each one of the following countries — US, UK, Spain, Italy and France — as of today.

The idea here is not to be casual about the human tragedy involved in every single death, but when it comes to making policies, it is this larger perspective that needs to be kept in mind.

disha wrote: I have stated earlier, and even now going on the limb. I fear TB. It is highly infectious with no vaccine. 1200 Indians die every day. Why is that infectious disease not a concern?

he West Bengal government has identified over 92,000 cases of influenza-like illness and 870 people with severe acute respiratory illness across the state, findings that serve as "early warning signals" in the fight against COVID-19, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said.

Mamata said the results were the outcome of her government's extensive door-to-door surveillance over a month in April, covering over 5.5 crore households, and the exercise will continue "till the virus is defeated".

sooraj wrote:West Bengal govt identifies over 92,000 respiratory, flu-like cases; confirms 1,344 COVID-19 positive patients so far

he West Bengal government has identified over 92,000 cases of influenza-like illness and 870 people with severe acute respiratory illness across the state, findings that serve as "early warning signals" in the fight against COVID-19, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said.

Mamata said the results were the outcome of her government's extensive door-to-door surveillance over a month in April, covering over 5.5 crore households, and the exercise will continue "till the virus is defeated".

vimal wrote:^^ Wasn't the reason India never got rid of TB was due to NGO vultures who made a hue and cry about AIDS when it first appeared in 80s. That diverted precious healthcare resources away from TB, giving it chance to thrive again.

saip wrote: What is BCG vaccine for?

saip wrote:

disha wrote: I have stated earlier, and even now going on the limb. I fear TB. It is highly infectious with no vaccine. 1200 Indians die every day. Why is that infectious disease not a concern?

What is BCG vaccine for?

IndraD wrote:

Rahul M wrote:Docs, there have been articles that finger oximeter readings at home might be a reliable indicator of when and if to see a doctor. Is it something you would recommend ?

my parents are in my hometown I am thinking if I should get them one for them to monitor oxygen levels regularly.

yes they are helpful buy them if you can.
Some of my colleagues have kept pulse oximeter at house.
Also in US people have bought CPAP machine & O2 cylinders from web (not advised).

DrRatnadip wrote: I am unsure.. Hope we are not loosing salvagable patients in govt setups.. Need to utilize private sector in better way..

PUNE: Rude medical staffers treating patients like “untouchable”, filthy toilets and unpalatable food, coronavirus patients recall
their ordeal at government-run hospitals in the city, which scared and shook them more than the disease.
After finding blood in his vomit, a Kondhwa resident landed at the government hospital where he was made to wait for one
hour before anybody checked on him. “I was attended to only after the people who were sitting next to me told the staffers that
I looked very sick and needed urgent attention. They then did some investigations,” he said.
After conducting the basic check-up, the person was told to get admitted in the hospital. “At this juncture, a nurse called out my
name from at least a 100-ft distance, leaving me wondering if somebody really called out my name or was I just hallucinating. In
no condition to walk due to breathlessness, I somehow managed to give my swab sample for Covid-19,” he recalled.
When his test report came positive for coronavirus the next morning, he was shifted to an upper floor. With his condition
worsened through the night, he was unable to even get out of his bed. Yet, at the time of shifting, he was made to walk two
floors above. “When I reached the designated ward, I saw six beds kept very close to each other in a room. I didn’t have cough
then, but contracted it after being shifted to the ward where other patients were coughing consistently,” he said.
The patient was then asked to collect his breakfast. “I was surprised that I had to go outside my ward in another passage for
breakfast. Even water was kept there. So, patients wanting to drink water had to go there and fill up their bottles,” he said,
adding, “I did not even take a bath or refreshed myself at the room-attached washrooms as it was filthy and would stink badly. I
did not see any anybody cleaning it either.”
By the end of the day, he started throwing up blood again in his vomit. “Though I tried to tell the nurses, they did not help. They
put two tablets in a paper chit and gave to me. The next morning, when I told the doctors what I had gone through the entire
night, they told me that I was going to be shifted to another hospital,” he said, adding, “There was a marked difference in the
facilities and treatment in the second hospital," he added.
Another patient, who was admitted in Sassoon hospital, said the medical staff treated all the patients like "untouchables". A
recovered patient whose 55-year-old mother is still undergoing treatment at Sassoon hospital said, "My mother keeps pleading
me to take her away from the hospital. She tells me that the staffers are extremely rude. The bathroom is also very dirty and
food quality extremely poor. She barely manages to eat chapati and the vegetable provided to her."
Patients undergoing care at the Sassoon hospital also expressed their anger about non-cooperative class four staff. "Despite
being conscious, mamas (class four staff) always put an adult diaper around me. When I asked for a pot, they refused. They
even didn’t allow me to use the loo when I was healthy enough to move around," a 40-year-old Covid-19 survivor from Tadiwala
Road said.
A 49-year-old patient from Wanowrie said, “I had moderate symptoms of coronavirus. Though I was not intubated or on
ventilator support, I was not allowed to eat food at the Sassoon hospital. They gave me parenteral nutrition through the drip.
After some private doctors serving at the hospital raised their voice against it, people like me were allowed food."
When contacted, acting dean of the Sassoon hospital Muralidhar Tambe said, “We have conducted at least two
workshops with the hospital staffers on this aspect of treating the patients. I think there has been improvement in the behaviour. At the same time, I also feel that there is scope for improvement. We will surely look at it closely and see how we can give better treatment to patients."
A top official of a private hospital in the city said, "We are receiving calls from patients and their relatives on daily basis that they
want to shift to our hospital. These patients are already taking treatment at government hospitals. They want to shift for sheer
lack of facilities, ill-treatment and uncleanliness. However, we are now allowed to take such patients unless referred by these
hospitals according to the protocol."

SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Testing: Status Update:
A total of 1357413 samples have been tested as on 7 May 2020, 9 AM IST.

24 April 2020 - 541789 [ 41247 tested, 1667 positive (4.04%) ]
25 April 2020 - 579957 [ 38168 tested,1408 positive (3.68%) ]
26 April 2020 - 625309 [ 45352 tested, 1835 positive (4.04%) ]
27 April 2020 - 665819 [ 40510 tested, 1607 positive (3.96%) ]
28 April 2020 - 716733 [ 50914 tested, 1568 positive (3.07%) ]
29 April 2020 - 770764 [ 54031 tested, 1902 positive (3.52%) ]
30 April 2020 - 830201 [ 59437 tested, 1705 positive (2.86%) ]
1 May 2020 - 902654 [ 72453 tested, 1801 positive (2.48%) ]
2 May 2020 - 976363 [ 73709 tested, 2396 positive (3.25%) ]
3 May 2020 - 1046450 [ 70087 tested, 2564 positive (3.65%) ]
4 May 2020 - 1107233 [ 60783 tested, 2952 positive (4.85%) ]
5 May 2020 - 1191946 [ 84713 tested, 3656 positive (4.31%) ]
6 May 2020 - 1276781 [ 84835 tested, 2971 positive (3.50%) ]
7 May 2020 - 1357413 [ 80632 tested, 3602 positive (4.47%) ]

sajo wrote:

DrRatnadip wrote: I am unsure.. Hope we are not loosing salvagable patients in govt setups.. Need to utilize private sector in better way..

As reported in today's TOIlet paper, the govt setup in Pune atleast is typical of the stereotype that we have heard of .
- filthy conditions including absolutely disgusting toilets.
- Mismanagement and crowding of even confirmed COVID patients with 6 closely in a room. One patient seems to have had his infection become worse.
- Rude support staff, with no control by docs as in private setups.
- No transfer of patients to private setups even if the patient is willing to pay for better care.
- Intubating patient after death, after rigor mortis had set in, leading to breakage of the tube. Tube left inside the body

No wonder people are not willing to seek help, single source or otherwise.
Article Link[/url]

sajo wrote: - No transfer of patients to private setups even if the patient is willing to pay for better care.