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Coronavirus: Nagaland students in Kolkata called ‘coronavirus’, forced to leave their house

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus: Nagaland students in Kolkata called ‘coronavirus’, forced to leave their house

A video has surfaced, in which a group of residents belonging to a particular locality are seen assaulting some students and then dragging them away from there. It is being alleged that in the incident which transpired in some locality in Kolkata, few students of Nagaland were harassed and forced to leave their houses by the local residents. They were also mocked by being referred to as “coronavirus”.

A digital media platform The North-Eastern Chronicle shared the video on its Instagram page, with the caption: “Students from Nagaland are forced to leave their houses in Kolkata, they are being harassed and mocked as “CoronaVirus”.

Earlier in the day, the Delhi Police had registered a case against a man who allegedly spat on Manipuri woman and called her ‘corona’. The incident allegedly took place in Vijay Nagar area of North Delhi on Sunday night. A case under section 509 of the Indian Penal Code is registered for insulting the modesty of a woman.

In a similar incident on March 18, two students from Darjeeling Hills studying at premier institutes in Kolkata had allegedly faced racial taunts linked to coronavirus in separate incidents on city streets.

Both had taken to social media sites to narrate their ordeal. One of them, a 21-year old woman who is pursuing Masters degree at the Presidency University, shared a video on WhatsApp on Monday, in which she was seen confronting two men who had allegedly uttered ‘coronavirus’ pointing at her on a central Kolkata.

The second incident involved a male student of the Jadavpur University, who claimed that when he was waiting for an autorickshaw, a transgender woman asked her companion to move away from him, saying “coronavirus esechhe” (coronavirus has arrived).

While the Kolkata Police sources said no complaint has been lodged by any of the two students, the students said that after they threatened to take action against the men, they apologised, therefore they did not take any follow-up action.

Pakistan: Minister of Education of Sindh tests positive for Wuhan Coronavirus, government deploys Army

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Pakistan: Minister of Education of Sindh tests positive for Wuhan Coronavirus, government deploys Army

Minister of Education and Labour for Sindh, Pakistan, Saeed Ghani, has tested positive for the Wuhan Coronavirus. Ghani made the revelation in a video posted through his account on Twitter. He said that he was tested a day earlier and its results turned out to be positive.

The minister said that he has not felt any symptoms of the infection and felt healthy but nevertheless, he was isolating himself from everyone as he could infect others. “If anyone of my friends and acquaintances feels the symptoms, then please get tested and isolate,” Ghani said. The minister also urged people to take the government’s instruction seriously and advised them to stay at home so that the spread of the pandemic could be curbed.

Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry of Pakistan has issued a notification announcing the deployment of the Army across all the provinces of the country including Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. As of the moment of writing this report, Pakistan had recorded 873 cases of Covid-19 infections and six deaths due to the virus.

Pakistan has not been able to handle the pandemic very well. Earlier, shocking visuals had emerged of the quarantine camps in the country that showed that the facilities were extremely unhygienic and filthy and thus, would not help in curbing the spread of the virus at all.

India Inc. pitches in to support the battle against the coronavirus outbreak

OpIndia Staff
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India Inc. pitches in to support the battle against the coronavirus outbreak

As the scourge of novel coronavirus sweeps across India, the Indian Business magnates have risen to the occasion to extend assistance to the government in their fight against the covid-19. Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries, Anand Mahindra, the chairman of Mahindra Group and Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal have pledged their support amidst the unprecedented crisis that has triggered widespread lockdowns across many parts of the country.

Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance has announced a slew of measures taken by the conglomerate to shore up India’s battle against the covid-19. Reliance has decided to step up production of 1 lakh masks per day, free fuel to emergency vehicles carrying Covid-19 patients and free meals to the needy ones in several cities to support the livelihood of those affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

In a press release, Reliance announced the measures it has decided to undertake to support the government’s effort in halting the spread of coronavirus and provide a cushion against the economic impact of the crisis. The press release said that the Reliance had deployed the combined strengths of Reliance Foundation, Reliance Retail, Jio, Reliance Life Sciences, Reliance Industries and all the 6 lakh employees of Reliance to fight against the covid-19.

The Key efforts initiated by Reliance against battling coronavirus include the following:

  • Reliance Industries has set up a first dedicated hospital for covid-19 in collaboration with Bruhanmumbai Municipal Corporation(BMC) with a capacity of 100 beds at Seven Hills Hospital, Mumbai for patients who test positive for coronavirus. All beds are equipped with the required infrastructure, biomedical equipment such as ventilators, pacemakers, dialysis machine and patient monitoring devices.
  • Sir H. N Reliance Foundation Hospital will be setting up a special quarantine facility to isolate travellers from notified countries and suspected cases identified through contact tracing.
  • Reliance Foundation to collaborate with NGOs across the country to provide free meals to people across various cities.
  • Reliance has set up a fully functional isolation facility at Lodhivali, Maharashtra and handed it over to the District authorities.
  • Reliance Life Science is importing additional kits and equipment for better and effective testing.
  • Reliance has announced that it has scaled up its production capacities to churn out 1 lakh masks per day to ensure that there is no shortage of protective equipment in the country.
  • RIL has extended initial support of Rs 5 crore to the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
  • Reliance Jio has teamed up with Microsoft team to build an online platform “Symptoms Checker” that enables users to check their symptoms for coronavirus from their homes and prevent unwarranted pressure on the medical professionals
  • Jio Haptik Technologies has powered the Indian government’s new Whatsapp chatbot around the coronavirus outbreak and provide verified information.
  • Reliance will provide free fuel to all vehicles used for transporting coronavirus patients for treatment and quarantined people as per the list provided by the government.
  • Through Reliance Retail, with their 736 grocery stores across the country, Reliance has assured sufficient supply of daily essentials, breakfast cereals, fruits and vegetables and items of daily necessities so that citizens don’t have to stock up. The stores will also remain open for longer from 7 am to 11 pm.

Anand Mahindra, the chairman of the Mahindra group, cautioned that India might already be in stage 3 of the transmission and urged the government to announce the continuation of lockdown for a few more weeks to blunt the spread of the virus. He also added that he is exploring ways to use his organisation’s manufacturing facilities to make ventilators. Mahindra has also offered resorts under Mahindra Holidays as temporary care facilities for the patients.

In addition, he claimed that his group’s project team stands ready to assist the government and Army to help set up care facilities and that Mahindra Foundation will be setting aside a fund to help the worst-hit tide over the current crisis. Urging his associates to voluntarily make contribution to this fund, Anand said that he will contribute 100 per cent of his salary to the fund and add more over the coming months.

Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal has pledged an amount of Rs 100 crores to fight the pandemic of coronavirus that has hit the nation. Agarwal took to Twitter to make the declaration while raising concerns for the daily wage earners who are amongst the most seriously affected by the contagion’s outbreak in India.

As of now, India has recovered 433 positive cases in COVID19 and 9 people have died till now. States across the country have announced stringent lockdown to curb the further spread of the disease which threatens to overwhelm the nation’s public health system.

Kolkata: Presidency University student reveals SFI plot to put fake rape charges against BJP supporters

OpIndia Staff
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Kolkata: Presidency University student reveals SFI plot to put fake rape charges against BJP supporters

A student of Presidency University, Kolkata has alleged that she was asked by a member of the SFI to ‘sleep with’ people associated with the BJP on the campus so that she could then play the victim card when SFI would come to ‘rescue’ her. In a Facebook post, the student said, “All of this started in first year, when Malyaban Ganguly came up to me and said I should try sleeping with the BJP people in campus and then play a victim card while SFI would come up to rescue me and this is how they would throw BJP out.” Malyaban is an SFI leader.

Source: Facebook

The student said that she was mortified by the suggestion and said that she was ‘shattered’. She then confronted some of her close friends associated with the SFI. She continued, “The story doesn’t end her (sic), few days later, Manjima Dasgupta asked me to come and meet her and talk about this in front of Malyaban Ganguly to make things clear, however I disagreed and we talked somewhat far from Sukumar Da’s place where I found Magur Da and Malyaban talking. Anyway, Manjima di said, this won’t be tolerated by SFI and she would take care that this kind of things don’t happen (sic) and also said that ami jeno egulo arr kauke na boil (I don’t tell anyone else about this).”

Subsequently, the student received calls from several members associated with the SFI and asked whether she had told anyone about the entire matter. She continued, “This is the time, when I found Malyaban Ganguly staring at me creepily in campus, and doing random things like if I’m talking to someone else, he would come and push him/her in a joking way and greet them while he knew that I’m inevitably traumatised by everything that he did.” Furthermore, she revealed a charade was orchestrated to give the pretense that Malyaban Ganguly had been suspended only for her to later find out that the entire matter was a farce.

Source: Facebook

The student said that she wouldn’t be taking any legal actions in the matter. She also said several people mocked her for being ‘uncomfortable’ with the entire incident. According to her, they proved that “Songothon shobar cheye boro” (The organization is bigger than everyone). She also said that nobody cared when she suggested that Malyaban apologized to her and sought counseling for his perverse conduct. She, however, said that she doesn’t have proof of the incident.

Another student of the university has also made accusations of sexual misconduct against Malyaban. She has alleged that he tried to kiss her without her consent “made it look like it was consensual” when it was not. Simultaneously, he was going around telling people that she was like his sister. She added, “I confronted him with the help of my friends and my seniors but he kept denying and stating that it was consensual.”

Source: Facebook

OpIndia reached out to the lady for her comments on the allegations she has put across, she told us that the grave allegations she put against SFI are not “tool which could be used to share right wing propaganda”.

Sexual harassment allegations against members of the Leftist student organizations have surfaced time and again in Kolkata. In 2018, a member of the Students Federation of India (SFI) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) who happened to be a student at Jadavpur University came forward with her account of the rampant sexual harassment she suffered within the organization. She had also encountered a negligent attitude from her higher-ups when she approached them over the matter.

Amidst coronavirus outbreak, IMCR recommends medicines to prevent infection in high-risk cases

OpIndia Staff
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Amidst coronavirus outbreak, IMCR recommends medicines to prevent infection in high-risk cases

Amid increasing cases of coronavirus outbreak in India which has claimed 8 lives and over 400 confirmed cases till today, the National Task Force COVID-19 constituted by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Monday recommended the use of hydroxy-chloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19 for high-risk cases.

In an advisory issued by the department, asymptomatic healthcare workers involved in the care of suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19, and asymptomatic household contacts of laboratory-confirmed cases have been advised to be placed under chemoprophylaxis with hydroxychloroquine.

“Hydroxychloroquine is recommended only for a healthcare worker who is treating a #COVID patient. Secondly, it’s recommended only for persons staying and caring for a household positive patient. They can take that only for prophylaxis, only for prevention,” said ICMR Director-General Balram Bhargava.

The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has also approved the protocol recommended by the ICMR National Task Force for restricted use in an emergency situation.

The key considerations to administer the medication are:

  • The drug has to be given only on the prescription of a registered medical practitioner.
  • If anyone becomes symptomatic while on prophylaxis, he or she should immediately contact the health facility, get tested as per national guidelines and follow the standard treatment protocol.
  • The intake of hydroxychloroquine should be coupled with a proper lookout for adverse drug reactions through self-reporting using the Pharmacovigilance Program of India app or helpline.
  • The asymptomatic contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases should maintain home quarantine as per the guidelines even if they are taking hydroxychloroquine.
  • The drug is not recommended for prophylaxis in children under 15 years of age.
  • It is contraindicated in persons with a known case of retinopathy, known hypersensitivity to hydroxychloroquine and 4-aminoquinoline compounds.

As for the dosage it has been recommended that the asymptomatic healthcare workers who have been involved in the care of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases can be given 400mg of hydroxychloroquine twice a day on Day 1 and then 400mg once in a week for the next seven weeks. The drug has to be taken with meals. 

The task force also warned the health workers that placing them under chemoprophylaxis should not instil a sense of false security in them and asked the health-workers to follow all prescribed public health measures such as frequent washing of hands, respiratory etiquettes, keeping a safe distance of minimum 1 metre and use of personal protective equipment.

Bhargava also announced that the process of Covid-19 test kit manufacturing has been fast-tracked at ICMR-NIV Pune and two manufacturers are already approved.

The ICMR director furthered that he would like to clarify that FDA/CE approval isn’t mandatory. ICMR-NIV approved tests which will be done there on a fast-track basis will also be acceptable for COVID-19 testing, ANI reported.

“I am the enemy of the society, I won’t stay at home”, Cops publicly shame violators of lockdown amidst coronavirus outbreak

OpIndia Staff
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“I am the enemy of the society, I won’t stay at home”, Cops publicly shame violators of lockdown amidst coronavirus outbreak

Despite the urgent need for social distancing and avoiding unnecessary commutation, several people were seen flouting guidelines issued by various State Governments for public safety in the wake of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. In order to make such violators comply with the lockdown, the police have come up with creative measures.

In Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh, cops publicly shamed miscreants, unnecessarily wandering on the streets during the ‘Janata Curfew‘ on Sunday, by making them hold posters that read, “I am the enemy of the society. I would not stay at home.” A First Information Report (FIR) was registered against 50 such people in Ghaziabad as well.

A similar strategy was adopted by Madhya Pradesh police as well in Mandasur district. Those found violating CrPC Section 144 (unlawful assembly) was snapped with pamphlets that shamed them for exposing others to the deadly coronavirus. In its defence, SP Hitesh Chaudhary said, “This is a part of a social experiment to make people stay at home.”

Punjab Police is also not leaving any stone unturned to make people aware of the coronavirus. A video of Punjab Police dancing to an altered version of the Punjabi folk song, ‘Bari Barsi’ had gone viral on social media. The cops were also seen punishing defaulters of lockdown by making them ‘Murga‘, a form of corporal punishment quite prevalent in the subcontinent. They also made violators hold pamphlets that read, Main Samaaj Da Dushman Haa. Main Ghar Vich Nahin Rahanga (I am an enemy of the society. I will not stay at home.)

Pictures of Rajasthan Police stopping wanderers on the streets and making them accept their mistake of endangering the lives of others had also come to light.

The Wuhan coronavirus pandemic has created a sense of fear and panic among the masses. Around 422 people have been infected while 8 have lost their lives. A complete or partial lockdown has been imposed in several states such as Maharashtra, Delhi, Telangana, Odisha, Rajasthan etc. The operation of domestic flights has also been curtailed.

Earlier, the Gujarat government had put up posters outside houses of people who have been kept under home quarantine to prevent others from entering their houses. One poster read, “Do not visit this house, this is under quarantine.” The Ahmedabad Police has registered a case against a crowd of people for violating section 144 during the Janta Curfew on Sunday. At around 5 PM, many in the state took out processions, with complete disregard for social distancing and avoiding public gatherings. Many youngsters were found shooting videos by riding triple seat on the bikes in the middle of the curfew.

Coronavirus outbreak: Olympics 2020 may get postponed, IOC and Japan’s PM share concerns while Canada, Australia pull out of the event

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus outbreak: Olympics 2020 may get postponed, IOC and Japan’s PM share concerns while Canada, Australia pull out of the event

Olympics 2020 that is scheduled to commence from July 24 at Japan’s Tokyo, may be postponed in the wake of coronavirus outbreak. Cancelling the event is however not under consideration as it would destroy the “Olympic dream” of 11,000 players. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was earlier adamant on not “disrupting the schedule”, despite the fact that athlete training had been jeopardised due to the pandemic.

In a letter to the athletes, IOC President Thomas Bach wrote, “I know that this unprecedented situation leaves many of your questions open. I also know that this rational approach may not be in line with the emotions many of you have to go through.”

IOC’s Flip-Flop

The IOC then came under fierce criticism, from athletes and other National Olympic Committees. World Athletics President Seb Coe said that holding the Olympics 2020 games in July was neither desirable nor feasible. He added, “No one wants to see the Olympic Games postponed but … we cannot hold the event at all costs, certainly not at the cost of athlete safety. “

Retracting from its previous stand, IOC said, “There is a dramatic increase in cases and new outbreaks of COVID-19 in different countries on different continents. This led the (board) to the conclusion that the IOC needs to take the next step in its scenario-planning.”

Japan’s Reaction

On Monday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who has been a long proponent of holding the Olympics in a ‘complete form’, however, conceded, “If it is difficult to hold the games in such a way, we have to decide to postpone them, giving top priority to (the health of the) athletes. Although the IOC will make a final decision (on the matter), we are of the same view that cancellation is not an option.”

He informed the Parliament that he had discussed the matter to Tokyo Games chief Yoshiro Mori on Sunday who then conveyed his concern’s to the IOC President, Thomas Bach. The transmission of COVID-19 has infected 1,055 people and claimed 37 deaths as of March 22.

The reaction of National Olympic Committees

On Sunday, the Canadian Olympic Committee informed IOC that it would not send its athletes to Olympics 2020 unless the games are postponed to the next year. It added that the outbreak of coronavirus has made it difficult for the sportspersons to continue training.

A joint statement by the Candian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee read, ” While we recognize the inherent complexities around a postponement, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community. This is not solely about athlete health — it is about public health.”

On Monday, the Australian Olympic Committee’s (AOC) executive board unanimously decided that it was unsafe to send its players to Tokyo for the upcoming Olympics 2020 Games. The committee said, “Our athletes now need to prioritise their own health and of those around them, and to be able to return to the families.”

The CEO of AOC, Matt Caroll was quoted as saying,” The athletes desperately want to go to the games, but they also take on board their own personal health.” He advised the athletes to prepare for the sporting event in 2021.

National Olympic committees in Slovenia and Brazil asked IOC to postpone the sporting event to 2021. The United States governing bodies of swimming and track have also pushed for a postponement. Norway announced that it would not send its athletes to Olympics 2020 Games until the coronavirus pandemic was under control.

India’s Stand

On Monday, the Secretary-General of the Indian Olympic Association, Rajeev Mehta said, “We will wait and watch for 4 to 5 weeks and then come to any decision after consultation with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the sports ministry.” He added that the situation owing to the coronavirus outbreak was not as bad in India as it is in other countries.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had released a revised strategy to battle the spread of the contagion that has infected 415 people and claimed 7 lives in India. As per new guidelines announced by the ICMR on March 21, all the asymptomatic individuals who have undertaken international travel in the last 14 days are mandated to stay home quarantine for 14 days.

The new ICMR guidelines say that all asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of confirmed cases should get themselves tested once between day 5 and day 14 of coming in his/her contact. The revised guidelines also added that such individuals who have come from abroad should be tested for COVID-19 only if they develop symptoms for the novel coronavirus.

The new strategy includes testing of all symptomatic contacts of laboratory-confirmed cases as well as of symptomatic health-care workers. All hospitalised patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Illnesses, including cough and fever and/or shortness of breath, will be tested for the contagion.

As West Bengal records its first coronavirus death, CM Mamata Banerjee blames centre for not helping the state to maintain quarantine protocol

OpIndia Staff
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As West Bengal records its first coronavirus death, CM Mamata Banerjee blames centre for not helping the state to maintain quarantine protocol

West Bengal reported its first Coronavirus death on March 23 (Monday) as a 55-year-old railway employee passed away. The resident of Dum Dum in Kolkata had tested positive and was on a ventilator at AMRI hospital in Kolkata’s Salt Lake area. According to reports, he suffered a cardiac arrest today.

According to reports, when the elderly man suffered a cardiac arrest, doctors strived hard to revive him till 3:45 pm but failed. Eventually, the hospital authorities informed the Bengal health department about death.

The deceased had no recent history of travelling abroad but had gone to Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh his February. “The man had acute respiratory distress syndrome. We had taken proper protective measures but he died this afternoon,” a spokesperson for the hospital said.

Meanwhile, his family members are under observation in an isolation ward at a state-run hospital, state government officials have confirmed.

With this, the total number of coronavirus deaths in the country has risen to 8. While India grapples to deal with this ongoing crisis, TMC supremo and WB Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee used the incident to trade barbs at the central government.

Mamata reportedly said that her government has placed West Bengal under partial lockdown to fight against coronavirus, but the Centre is not helping the cause much by allowing the operation of domestic flights.

Calling the operation of flights a “huge breach of shut down and quarantine protocol”, Minister Mamata Banerjee, reportedly, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding a ban on all flights coming to the state.

In her letter, she wrote: “I, would, therefore, request you to kindly arrange to issue necessary instructions to stop all flights coming to West Bengal with immediate effect so that the source of spreading infection is effectively contained and lockdown in the state is implemented in true letter and spirit.” 

Meanwhile, Hardeep Singh Puri, the Union Civil Aviation Minister today stated that the Centre would soon take a call on suspending domestic flights to curb the spread of coronavirus in the country.

It is appalling that even when Novel coronavirus cases in India has risen to over 400 today and we stand at the brink of entering stage-3 (community transmission) of Wuhan Coronavirus, opposition leaders like Mamata Banerjee, who has always been critical of BJP Government, are not refraining themselves from playing politics over an issue as serious as this pandemic.

While Prime Minister Modi had appealed for ‘Janta Curfew‘ across India on Sunday, Mamata Banerjee had chosen the same day to distribute rice and potato in schools, triggering allegations that the Mamata Banerjee govt has decided to do this just to defy the Prime Minister’s appeal.

Moreover, the West Bengal CM had gone on to accuse the central government of ‘creating coronavirus panic’ to ‘divert attention’ from Delhi anti-Hindu riots. She even alleged that BJP killed those who died in the communal violence in the national capital. The TMC chief alleged that the BJP government at the Centre is trying to cover up the riots with coronavirus.

Loss of the senses of smell and taste could be symptoms of Coronavirus even when no other symptoms are seen, doctors say

OpIndia Staff
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Loss of the senses of smell and taste could be symptoms of Coronavirus even when no other symptoms are seen, doctors say

Anosmia, the loss of sense of smell, and ageusia, an accompanying diminished sense of taste, have emerged as telltale signs of being infected by the Coronavirus. It is reported that almost one-third of those infected with the virus suffered a loss of the senses of smell and taste. Doctors in the United Kingdom have compiled evidence that suggests that anyone experiencing a sudden loss of smell or taste could be an asymptomatic carrier of the virus even if they do not have any other symptoms.

Professor Claire Hopkins, president of the British Rhinological Society wrote: “We really want to raise awareness that this is a sign of infection and that anyone who develops a loss of sense of smell should self-isolate. “It could contribute to slowing transmission and save lives,” she added. “In South Korea, where testing has been more widespread, 30% of patients testing positive have had anosmia as their major presenting symptom in otherwise mild cases,” President of the British Rhinological Society Professor, Clare Hopkins, and the president of the British Association of Otorhinolaryngology, Professor Nirmal Kumar, said in a joint statement.

“There have been a rapidly growing number of reports of a significant increase in the number of patients presenting with anosmia in the absence of other symptoms,” the statement says. “Iran has reported a sudden increase in cases of isolated anosmia, and many colleagues from the US, France and Northern Italy have the same experience,” it adds. “I think these patients may be some of the hitherto hidden carriers that have facilitated the rapid spread of COVID-19,” they added.

Professor Nirmal Kumar said, “In young patients, they do not have any significant symptoms such as the cough and fever, but they may have just the loss of sense of smell and taste, which suggests that these viruses are lodging in the nose.” He added, “At the present time PPE is available only in limited quantities and will be reserved for use only when patients presenting as emergencies show up.”

Deputy Chairman of Iran’s Rhinology Association Dr. Ebrahim Razmpa told the Iranian ISNA news that there has been “a sudden, unexpected and unbelievable jump in cases of weak sense of smell and difficulty with vision”. However, it isn’t clear yet whether the spike was caused by the Wuhan Coronavirus or other factors. The reason for the loss of smell is believed to be the fact that the nose is the entry point of the virus and it could be that the virus lodges itself in the nose.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology on Sunday said that mounting anecdotal evidence indicates that lost or reduced sense of smell and loss of taste are significant symptoms associated with the Wuhan Coronavirus, and that they have been observed in patients who ultimately tested positive with no other symptoms. However, other doctors have warned that the new symptoms aren’t yet widespread in the medical community.

Arvind Kejriwal takes a U-turn, announces to implement BJP’s flagship Ayushman Bharat Yojana in Delhi from the upcoming financial year

OpIndia Staff
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Arvind Kejriwal takes a U-turn, announces to implement BJP’s flagship Ayushman Bharat Yojana in Delhi from the upcoming financial year

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed 7 lives in India with 415 confirmed cases so far, the Delhi finance minister Manish Sisodia announced in his 2020-21 budget speech on the floor of the legislative assembly on Monday that the national capital will implement Centre’s flagship scheme, ‘Ayushman Bharat’ from the upcoming financial year.

Manish Sisodia while presenting the Rs 65,000-crore budget for 2020-21 in the Assembly, announced that the Delhi Government is willing to implement the scheme through which the Modi Government aims to provide financial protection (Swasthya Suraksha) to 10.74 crores poor, deprived rural families.

This scheme becomes particularly helpful for the poor people amidst the coronavirus outbreak in the nation, as it would cater to their medical needs. The AAP government has been regularly criticised for not allowing the Ayushman Bharat Yojana to be implemented in Delhi.

During the election campaign for Delhi polls 2020, PM Narendra Modi had slammed Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for not allowing the implementation of the flagship scheme in the national capital.

Last year, the AAP government was criticised after it’s health minister had said that the Delhi government will not allow Ayushman Bharat Yojana to be implemented. Instead, the government will give ‘free healthcare for all’. Earlier, the Delhi Government had put the scheme in jeopardy because it wanted to add the party name in the scheme.

Through Ayushman Bharat, the Modi Government aims to provide financial protection (Swasthya Suraksha) to 10.74 crores poor, deprived rural families and identified occupational categories of urban workers’ families (approx. 50 crore beneficiaries). The number of beneficiaries is almost equal to the population of Canada, Mexico and the US taken together.

The pace of implementation by the Modi Government has been particularly impressive as nearly one-fifth of beneficiary families (2.05 crore), as on March 11, 2019, had already been given e-cards under the scheme, which offers a benefit cover of Rs. 5,00,000 per family per year. It covers medical and hospitalization expenses for almost all secondary care and most of the tertiary care procedures.

The Ayushman Bharat scheme as conceptualized by the Modi Government is so overarching that it has defined 1,350 medical packages covering surgery, medical and daycare treatments including medicines, diagnostics and transport. Furthermore, to ensure that nobody is left out (especially the girl child, women, children and elderly), there is no cap on family size and age in the Mission. Keeping in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of Digital India within the healthcare sector, the scheme is cashless & paperless at the 14,708 public hospitals and empanelled private hospitals. The number of hospitals is widely expected to touch over one lakh within the next few months. When fully implemented by 2022, it will become the world’s largest government-funded health protection mission.

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