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Uttar Pradesh: Suspected COVID-19 patient flees from isolation ward, police in search

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Suspected COVID-19 patient flees from isolation ward, police in search

A suspected patient of coronavirus has fled the isolation ward of the district hospital of Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh. He had come in contact with a man who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus after returning from Dubai recently.

He was kept in an isolation ward and his samplings are being investigated. The man named as Vineet was brought by the health department after the COVID-19 positive man went to the district hospital for investigation. Vineet was brought from Sankroud village of Khekra police station of Baghpat on Thursday. But later he escaped the isolation by dodging the health workers.

After the information from the health department, the police have registered a case against the man and the search operation is underway.

His friend had returned from Dubai on 19 March, and kept himself isolated himself at home after he had felt unwell. But when his health deteriorated, he himself reached the district hospital on 24 March, and he was found to be Covid-19 positive after testing. In the meanwhile, he had already come in contact with many people before isolating himself. His friend Vineet was also one of them.

After that, the Health Department team is tracing that every person who came in contact with the man and investigating them, while police are looking for Vineet.

Jan Ki Baat Coronavirus Survey: Over 80% support lockdown and approve of government’s actions, at least 47% suspect Chinese conspiracy

OpIndia Staff
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Jan Ki Baat Coronavirus Survey: Over 80% support lockdown and approve of government’s actions, at least 47% suspect Chinese conspiracy

Jan Ki Baat conducted a survey of over 2,000 people across 20 states and Union Territories through conversations over phone in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic between the 18th and 24th of March. “We asked people about their Coronavirus related fears, precautionary measures they‘ve been taking and felt the impact of the immense dispensation of information taking place across the mediums to inform people about the biggest Public Health challenge that has broken the globalized channels in this century,” the polling organization said.

The survey has thrown up some interesting data regarding the mood of the nation over the pandemic. Over eighty percent of those surveyed back the government’s action to combat the spread of the pandemic. Over eighty percent also back the government’s decision to enforce a lockdown but remain apprehensive about the economical prospect of the situation. Sixty-one percent felt that the economic crisis as a consequence of the pandemic could result in job losses. Interestingly enough, at least forty-seven suspected a Chinese conspiracy behind the pandemic.

The survey also showed that people are generally aware of the symptoms and the measures they could take to safeguard themselves against the virus. Forty-two percent of those surveyed use soap or sanitizer and do not go out of their homes even once while thirty-eight percent went out once. Eighty percent of the respondents were aware of the symptoms of the disease and seventy percent believe that they could be infected with the virus.

Forty-one percent of those surveyed receive their information regarding the pandemic from social media. The survey also showed that people believe the pandemic crisis in India could get a lot worse. Fifty-six percent believe that if the disease spreads further, it will burden the Indian healthcare system. Over sixty-five percent believe that the situation could get worse in the country.

Jan Ki Baat also noted, “Eight in ten respondents (over eighty percent of them) were satisfied in this regard, with the respondents feeling convinced about the viability of steps like ‘Janata Curfew‘. A few responses in the beginning until PM Modi hadn‘t addressed the nation were doubtful and filled with pessimistic insecurity. Post the Janta curfew, people started taking it as a matter of survival, and being supportive-or not of Modi, in general, didn‘t matter. They were ready to be galvanized behind the leader.” With regards to the lockdown, Jan Ki Baat observed, “The majority of people support 21 days lockdown, with a remarkable chunk of them advocating the need of a curfew in their respective cities (both tier one and two), if need be. However, daily wages laborers expressed apprehensions on means of economic sustenance.”

The results of the survey indicate that vast sections of the country are taking the pandemic seriously. People are aware of the symptoms of the disease and know the safety measures that ought to be taken regarding the same. It also reveals that the country is overwhelmingly supportive of the government’s actions regarding the matter, however, they are pessimistic about the immediate future of the country.

Kerala IAS officer who violated home quarantine suspended, says ‘mistook home quarantine as permission to go home’

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala IAS officer who violated home quarantine suspended, says ‘mistook home quarantine as permission to go home’

Kollam Sub Collector Anupam Mishra, who had jumped the mandatory 14-day home quarantine and left for Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh during the nation-wide lockdown, came up with a bizarre explanation after being suspended by the Kerala state government. Mishra was required to stay in home quarantine as he had returned from Singapore last week.

Explaining the lapse from his side to Abdul Nasir, the Kollam Collector, the IAS officer who hails from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, had reportedly stated that he “mistook home quarantine as permission to go back home”. His explanation has, however, not been accepted by the district administration or the state government.

In his inquiry report submitted to the state government, on the violation committed by the Sub-collector, Kollam Collector Abdul Nasir mentioned that “this was a grave lapse from an official who is supposed to become a role model to the public.” On the basis of this inquiry report, the administration has now suspended Kollam Sub Collector Anupam Mishra.

A case had been lodged against Kollam Sub Collector Anupam Mishra for jumping home quarantine and leaving for Uttar Pradesh during the nation-wide lockdown. According to the reports, IAS officer Anupam Mishra had come back from Singapore last week and was asked to self-quarantine for 14 dats due to the global spread of Wuhan Coronavirus. However, the young officer left for his hometown Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

Mishra is believed to have returned to Kanpur on March 21, a few days before a three-week countrywide lockdown began to check the spread of Wuhan Coronavirus. The officer was under home quarantine since March 18 after returning from abroad. District Collector B Abdul Nazer had directed the sub-collector to remain under observation at his official residence.

Describing the officer’s behaviour as “a serious lapse on part of an IAS officer” the spokesperson said that the Kerala government is in touch with the UP government.

The Kollam administration has put Mishra’s driver, personal security guard and secretary in isolation after his disappearance came to light. 

Kerala is one of the worst-affected states due to the Chinese COVID-19 outbreak in the country. The state was already in a lockdown state when on Tuesday evening, the central government announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown beginning midnight.

More than 78,560 persons are under surveillance in the state in the view of suspected exposure to novel Coronavirus. Nineteen more persons in Kerala were tested COVID-19 positive in Kerala on Thursday alone taking the total number of Chinese virus active patients now to 126 in the state. Among the total of 137 infected persons in the state so far, 11 have been found negative.

British PM Boris Johnson who tested positive for COVID-19 had confirmed shaking hands with coronavirus patients in a hospital

OpIndia Staff
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British PM Boris Johnson who tested positive for COVID-19 had confirmed shaking hands with coronavirus patients in a hospital

The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson today made a grim announcement that he has tested positive for the Wuhan Coronavirus. The Prime Minister claimed that he is in self-isolation in Downing street with mild symptoms for the disease. Johnson’s confirmation on contracting the deadly contagion came weeks after his admission that he met coronavirus patients and shook hands with them at a hospital.

“I was at the hospital the other night where there were some coronavirus patients admitted as well. But I shook hands with everybody. You would be pleased to know that I shook hands with everyone in the hospital and I continue to shake hands…” an upbeat British PM Boris Johnson said in a press briefing on March 3, 2020.

However, weeks after brazenly defying the instructions advised by healthcare professionals to maintain social distancing and avoid physical contact, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom was found carrying “mild symptoms” for COVID-19 that has so far affected around 560,000 people worldwide and left more than 25000 people dead.

In addition to Boris Johnson, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock also tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus. He uploaded a video on Twitter confirming of contracting the virus and exhibiting mild symptoms of the contagion.

“I have been working from home since the last couple of days because everyone who can work from home should work from home. I have also had some mild symptoms of coronavirus and upon medical advice, I was tested and that test has been positive. So, I have been self-isolating myself and working from home till next Thursday,” Hancock said.

The explosive revelation that the Britain Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the British Health Secretary Matt Hancock tested positive for the novel coronavirus may have set a large number of people on their heels. However, for many, who had been critical of Britain’s laissez-faire initial approach in fighting the scourge of the COVID-19, Johnson and Hancock’s confirmed infection did not come as a surprise.

Britain had earlier adopted a hair-brained approach to confront the threat posed by the Wuhan coronavirus. The United Kingdom, through its initial strategy, tried to build “herd immunity” against the contagion which involved allowing “enough of Britons to contract the virus and get mild illness to become immune to the pathogen”. It chose not to shut down large gatherings or introduce stringent social distancing measures. But, the virus’ devastating run causing grave destruction in many countries across the world, including Spain and Italy, forced Britain to alter its strategy in its fight against the virus. Ramping up the country’s response to the virus, it announced sweeping lockdown of the entire country. However, it is now being widely reported that Britain’s relaxed approach initially may have rendered half of the population of the country infected.

Infosys employee Mujeeb Mohammad arrested for asking people to ‘spread the virus’ by sneezing in public, fired by the company

OpIndia Staff
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Infosys employee Mujeeb Mohammad arrested for asking people to ‘spread the virus’ by sneezing in public, fired by the company

A Muslim man by the name of Mujeeb Mohammed who works as a Technical Architect at IT major Infosys, has been arrested by police after he had uploaded a contentious post on social media. Subsequently, the IT major also terminated his service.

The Infosys employee had written, “Let’s join hands, go out & sneeze with open mouth in public. Spread the virus.” Soon after Mujeeb advocated spreading the Wuhan Coronavirus, the screenshots of his post went viral on social media. Netizens demanded strict action from Infosys, adding that such people are a threat to society.

Following the backlash on social media over its inaction against the employee, Infosys took to Twitter to pacify the situation. The company said, “We strongly reaffirm our commitment to responsible social sharing.” However, after preliminary enquiry and discussion with the said employee, Infosys suggested that it could be a case of mistaken identity. Nevertheless, it assured of appropriate action based on further investigation, keeping in mind the seriousness of the issue.

According to a report by Kannada TV Channel Suvarna News, the Infosys employee who openly advocated to spread the deadly Coronavirus has now been apprehended by the police.

According to sources, Mujeeb was arrested by the City Crime Branch of the Bengaluru Police from Electronic City in Bengaluru.

Soon after Mujeeb was arrested, Infosys informed that they have completed the investigation into the issue and confirmed that it was not a case of mistaken identity, and he is indeed an employee of the company. The IT company informed that they have terminated the services of the employee. Infosys added, “the social media post by the employee is against Infosys’ code of conduct and its commitment to responsible social sharing. Infosys has a zero tolerance policy towards such act and has accordingly, terminated the services of the employee”.

Earlier, taking strict action against the anti-social elements for spreading rumours about inflated numbers of the Chinese epidemic COVID-19 cases, the Nagpur cyber police had arrested three people for spreading a fake audio clip claiming ’59 positive cases’ exist in the city.

Reportedly, the viral clip had caused severe panic across the city. Perhaps, this is the first case in the region where cyber police have successfully managed to trace the source of the fake audio. The police have now arrested Jay Gupta (37), Amit Pardhi (38) and Divyanshu Mishra (33) for circulating fake audio clip to create a scare in the city.

In a first, India to begin antibody test to check previous exposure to the Wuhan Coronavirus

OpIndia Staff
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In a first, India to begin antibody test to check previous exposure to the Wuhan Coronavirus

As the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak has infected more than 5,50,000 people worldwide so far, causing almost 25,000 deaths, India has upped its preparedness to tackle the deadly Chinese virus outbreak in the country. In a first, the country is all set to start an antibody test to check if a person had previously been infected with the virus.

Also known as a serological test, this test will look for antibodies in the blood. The test will allow doctors to confirm if previously the patient had the Covid-19 virus present in their body. It will help in understanding the epidemiology of Covid-19 in the country.

This will, however, not be similar to the diagnostic tests that determine the infection by nasal or throat swabs. Right now, the NHS tests for Sars-CoV-2 – the virus that causes Covid-19 – is done through a diagnostic technique called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) which detects the virus’s genetic material in oral or nasal swabs. It’s highly effective, but it only returns a positive result when the virus is still present in the body. Serological testing, meanwhile, will tell us how many people crossed paths with the coronavirus weeks or even months ago, sometimes even inadvertently.

Our body’s adaptive immune response identifies foreign material and creates antibodies specific to them. These complex proteins then attract immune cells to deal with the invaders. Antibodies remain in the blood even after an infection has been cleared, which leaves lasting evidence of the infection. With the latest serological test, a person’s blood serum will be tested with specialized antibodies to detect the presence of COVID-19 antibodies.

According to reports, this method is effective at spotting infection in as little as three days after exposure. If rolled out successfully, this blood test could show us how many people have been infected by COVID-19 even if they never developed symptoms. With more accurate data, we could figure out how dangerous the virus actually is and also evaluate the effectiveness of the new vaccines on the horizon.

The tests that have been done on random samples suggest that there is no community transmission so far in India and with the help of serological tests, the researchers will be able to understand the behaviour of the virus.

Read- Did Gujarat company ‘CoSara’ become ‘the first and only’ company to get ​license to make Covid-19 testing kits? Here are the facts

Chairman of the high-level expert committee formed to review the testing strategy for Covid-19 by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Randeep Guleria, speaking to Economic Times, said that the test is not confirmatory and it is for surveillance to generate data and check if people got exposed to the virus.

ICMR officials have said that these tests can be done on a mass scale at an affordable price. However, they are contemplating if these tests should be conducted on people who have come in contact with the Coronavirus infected people.

For carrying this out successfully, ICMR will require 1 million test kits for the country, it said.

The ICMR invited bids on Wednesday for the antibody kit for diagnosis of Covid-19.

India has confirmed a total of 860 coronavirus positive cases and 19 people have succumbed to the virus as of 7.15 pm on March 27 (Friday).

Odisha CM Navin Patnaik announces relief package of Rs 2200 crore for the poor in the fight against COVID-19 epidemic

OpIndia Staff
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Odisha CM Navin Patnaik announces relief package of Rs 2200 crore for the poor in the fight against COVID-19 epidemic

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced a relief package of Rs 2200 Crores aiming towards the welfare of the poor in dealing with the COVID-19 novel coronavirus.

CM Naveen Patnaik said that under Food Security scheme, the state government is giving three months advance PDS ration to all the beneficiaries, all the PDS beneficiaries will get rupees 1,000 each that will cost 940 crores of the budget.

CM asserted that the Odisha government will be giving four months advance allowance to other 48 lac beneficiaries under different social welfare schemes which will cost Rupees 932 crores. The state government will provide Rupees 1500 each to 22 lakh construction workers, which will cost Rupees 330 crores.

The Odisha government has also announced various measures to tackle the deadly Coronavirus. On Thursday, the state government had announced the largest hospital for COVID-19 patients with a combined capacity of 1000 beds. The State of Odisha had also announced an advance salary for doctors, nurses and healthcare workers for the next four months.

The government is also setting up testing labs in various districts and also announced earlier to arrange 2000 isolation beds for the coronavirus patients.

Supreme Court seeks response from Centre​ on plea to evacuate 850 Indian Shia pilgrims stranded in the Iranian city of Qom

OpIndia Staff
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Supreme Court seeks response from Centre​ on plea to evacuate 850 Indian Shia pilgrims stranded in the Iranian city of Qom

The apex court of the country has issued a notice to the central government, directing it to respond to plea that seeks directive be issued to the Government to evacuate 850 Indian Shia pilgrims marooned in the city of Qom, the Iranian epicentre of coronavirus outbreak. Amidst the nationwide lockdown in the wake of rising coronavirus cases in India, the Supreme Court on Friday conducted a hearing on video-conferencing on the immediate evacuation of the stranded Indian Shia pilgrims.

A bench presided over by Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Surya Kant issued a notice to the Centre to respond to the plea that sought the evacuation of pilgrims from Iran, one of the worst-hit Asian countries by COVID-19 with more than 2300 fatalities. The petition filed in the top court asserted that the pilgrims, who hailed mostly from a poor financial background, were scheduled to return weeks ago but because of the coronavirus onslaught in the central Asian country, got stranded there indefinitely.

The bench ordered the next hearing in the case on March 30.

A plea was filed by one Mustafa M.H whose three relatives are stuck in Iran. The petitioner was represented by Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde who contended before the court that devotees were trapped in Iran without any health/medical facilities and food supplies. He also claimed that most of the pilgrims have run out of funds and are dependent upon the generosity of the locals.

“In addition, they have been sheltered in hotel rooms in groups of 4-5. It is worth noting that the situation in Iran with regards to the spread of the virus has been extremely critical. There are about 250 people within the group of pilgrims who could be tested positive for corona and thereby pose a grave health hazard and could lead to deleterious consequences,” the petition read.

The petition read, “The petitioner (Mustafa) is constrained to move this court in extreme exigency under Article 32 of the Constitution of India praying inter alia for issuance of an appropriate writ, order or direction including the writ of mandamus for the immediate evacuation of the citizens of India who are stranded in Iran, in view of the situation arising out of the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).”

Furthermore, along with seeking direction from the apex court on the evacuation of pilgrims immediately, the petitioner, in his plea, also asserted that till the time pilgrims are not evacuated, the Central government should provide adequate health and medical support. The petition which was filed through advocate Ashish Virman also said, “The Centre be directed to ensure that the passengers are quarantined in a manner prescribed by the WHO.”

Wuhan Coronavirus: The United Nations lauds India’s 21-day comprehensive lockdown

OpIndia Staff
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Wuhan Coronavirus: The United Nations lauds India’s 21-day comprehensive lockdown

On March 25, Renata Dessallien, the United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in India, hailed India’s comprehensive lockdown in the wake of Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak. She had also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for social distancing.

Dessallien said, “The UN system in India is fully mobilized and ready to further step up its support to the Government of India to fight COVID-19. I believe that if we work together, we can overcome one of the greatest health threats of our lifetimes.” She along with WHO Representative to India, Dr Henk Bekedam, had also met the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan on March 24 wherein they lauded the BJP Government for its “early and robust response.”

On March 24, WHO Executive J Ryan was quoted as saying, “India is a very populous country and the future of this virus will be considered in a very highly and densely populated country. India led the world in eradicating two pandemics, small-pox and polio so India has a tremendous capacity. There are no easy answers. It is exceptionally important that countries like India show the way to the world as they have done before “

Earlier, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had also praised India’s efforts in containing the spread of coronavirus. The representative of WHO to India, Henk Bekedam said, “The commitment from the Indian government and the Prime Minister’s Office has been enormous, very impressive. It is one of the reasons why India is still doing quite well. I am very impressed that everyone has been mobilised.”

He added, “We have very good research capacity in India and especially at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and department of health research. They have been able to identify the virus. Now India will continue to be part of the research community.”

Coronavirus fight: Indian Railways readies more than 1 lac wagons of essential supplies in 4 days

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus fight: Indian Railways readies more than 1 lac wagons of essential supplies in 4 days

On Friday, the official Twitter handle of the Indian Railways informed that more than 1,00,000 wagons of essential items had been readied in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak. The essential supplies included the likes of foodgrains, fruits, vegetables, sugar, salt, dairy products, coal and petroleum products. The feat was achieved within 4 days wherein workers toiled 24 hours round the clock.

In a bid to meet the large demand for milk in the National Capital, the Guntakal Division of Indian Railways transported milk from Renigunta in Andhra Pradesh to Delhi yesterday.

Earlier, the Indian Railways had offered its coaches and cabins to be used as isolation wards for the patients who are tested positive Wuhan coronavirus. It will be used as a hospital on the wheel for mainly those areas where people have inadequate medical facilities. Reportedly, the proposal was discussed in a meeting of Railway Minister Piyush Goyal with Chairman Railway Board VK Yadav, General Managers of all zones and Divisional Railway Managers through video conferencing on Wednesday.

The idea popped up after Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the cabinet to look for innovative ideas in order to boost medical facilities across the nation in wake of novel coronavirus crisis that is spreading rapidly. The compartments of railways will be used as a hospital on wheels with consultation rooms, medical stores, Intensive Care Unit, and pantry. These hospitals on wheels will be settled anywhere across the country wherever the patients will be found with inadequate medical facilities. Railways will also have a slew of Accident Relief Medical Equipment Vans (ARME) called as rail ambulances.

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