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A single patient of Coronavirus can infect 406 people in a month if social distancing and lockdown are not enforced: Union Health Ministry

OpIndia Staff
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A single patient of Coronavirus can infect 406 people in a month if social distancing and lockdown are not enforced: Union Health Ministry

While quoting the Indian Council of Medical Research, the Union Health Ministry revealed during a press briefing that if a single patient who is infected by the Wuhan coronavirus, defies isolation or does not follow safety norms such as social distancing, he/she may end up infecting near 406 persons in 30 days.

As per reports, in medical terms, the phenomenon is known as R-naught or R0, is the basic reproductive number of a virus, an epidemiologic metric used to describe the contagiousness of the infectious agents.

“If we take the ‘R0’ to be 2.5 then one positive person can infect 406 people in 30 days if the social distancing and lockdown measures are not in place, but if social exposure is reduced by 75 per cent then that one sick person will only be able to infect only 2.5 persons,” said Joint secretary Luv Agarwal.

Joint Secretary Luv Agarwal clarified that no official decision to extend the lockdown has been made as of now and that speculation should not be made about the same.

Agarwal added, “Till now 326 persons have been discharged after recovery. Till now there are 4,421 COVID-19 positive cases in the country, including 354 cases in the last 24 hours.”

He added “Indian Railways has prepared 40,000 isolation beds in 2,500 coaches. They are making 375 isolation beds daily and this is going on across 133 locations across the country. The government has been adopting a strategy for cluster containment & for outbreaks that are amenable to management. This strategy is producing positive results, especially in Agra, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Pathanamthitta, Bhilwara & East Delhi.”

He stated that several strategies are being conducted on a large scale to combat the novel coronavirus.

The Union Home Ministry also asserted that the status of essential goods and services is by and large satisfactory. The ministry said, “Home Minister did a detailed review of the status of essential commodities & lockdown measures, he gave directions to take appropriate measures and ensure hoarding & black marketing is not done.”

The coronavirus infected cases have reached a distressing mark of 4451 in India. While 114 have succumbed to the disease and 326 have been recovered and discharged.

Son of Hindu woman killed over switching off lights on 5 April, says village head Alam and RJD MLA Fayaz Ahmed protecting accused, narrates ordeal

OpIndia Staff
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Son of Hindu woman killed over switching off lights on 5 April, says village head Alam and RJD MLA Fayaz Ahmed protecting accused, narrates ordeal

Earlier in the day, we reported how an altercation which broke out on 5th April (Sunday) in Bihar’s Madhubani district between a Hindu and Muslim families, allegedly over switching off lights following PM Modi’s call, to show complete resolve and solidarity in the fight against coronavirus with this symbolic gesture, led to the murder of an elderly Hindu woman by Sulaiman Nadaf, Khalil Nadaf, Malil Nadaf, Jalil Nadaf etc.

Now, while speaking to OpIndia, Surendra Mandal, son of the deceased woman Kaili Devi, has given out the details of what exactly transpired on the night of April 5. Surendra Mandal said that the area they live in is predominately a Hindu-dominated area. Only two Muslim families lived here and they too have migrated elsewhere. One of the accused, Sharif Nadaf has his in-laws living in that area. Meanwhile, Sharif’s own house is in a Muslim colony inside Rahika.

On April 5, after lighting diyas to support PM Narendra Modi’s call, nine children were playing outside Surendra Mandal’s house, said Kaili Devi’s son. Suddenly, Sharif Nadaf appeared from nowhere and started abusing the children. Besides using filthy language, Sharif Mandal, who was reportedly intoxicated, also shamed the children’s family by saying that no child belongs to a Hindu in this locality, all the Hindu children too are born out of Muslims.

Surendra’s family was sitting there listening to all of this, but none of them responded to those Muslims as they were drunk and Surendra’s family thought that it would not be appropriate to engage with them or argue with them.

Soon, another accused, Sulaiman Nadaf’s son Malin Nadaf came out of the house and pushed a child away from there. Surendra objected to this, saying that they should not be bullying the children as they were not playing in front of their house. “Let them play, if you cannot obey the Prime Minister of the country, then at least do not violate it. Let those who are following, do it”, recollected Surendra Mandal as saying to Sulaiman and Malin Nadaf. This enraged the duo who then left the children and headed towards Surendra’s house.

Surendra too, walked towards the duo. His mother Kaili Devi was sitting on the bench outside Surendra’s house. Malin Nadaf hit Kaili Devi two or three times on her head. Surendra saw this but he did not think that he would do something beyond that, so he moved forward. Surendra’s younger brother who was also there opposed Malin when he hit his mother and told him to go away from there as he was drunk. But before they could realise anything further, Malin Nadaf held Kaili Devi by her neck and strangulated her so hard that she fell down from the bench.

The sons recollect of immediately rushing towards their mother after she fell hard on the street. She was then rushed to the hospital, where the doctor declared her brought dead.

Infuriated by the incident, Surendra Kumar said: “There was so much anger amongst us that we feel like killing the accused and setting his house on fire. But we have never done anything like this before. We have left everything in our society. We will do, as they say, said Surendra.

After narrating the entire incident, Surendra claimed that the authorities are not taking up the case seriously. Its been more than 24 hours since the incident occurred and the accused are absconding since then, but the police are putting in no efforts to catch them, claimed Surendra.

Concerned about their safety, Surendra said if the accused are not brought to books then tomorrow something similar might happen with someone else.

Surendra recollected that after the incident, at 10-11 o’clock in the night, he informed the senior officer of the police station over the phone, but could not speak to him properly. He then went to the police station with 4 people and lodged a report against all the three accused. Following the complaint, the police went to his house and took full information about the incident. The police also spoke to Sulaiman over the phone and asked him to report at the police station in half an hour. But still none of the accused have been arrested yet.

On being asked about the accused’s connection with RJD MLA Fayaz Ahmed, Surendra said that due to their political connections, the police were not taking action against the accused. He expressed fear that the case might be dismissed and the accused might not be booked due to their political connections. “These Muslim families get all the help. If those people have the smallest problem, then there is an immediate solution’, claimed Surendra.

OpIndia also tried to contact MLA Fayaz Ahmed several times to get his comment on the allegations meted at him by Surendra, but he did not pick up the phone (we will update it when we talk to him). Surendra also did not speak explicitly on Fayaz Ahmad’s intervention in this matter, but he did say that “When those two Muslims face any problem they administration is always there to help but even after such a big incident has transpired with us no one is there to help us. How do we believe that they are in our support? Today, if anything happens to the Muslims, then MLA Fayaz ji would also come and Fakre Alam would also run. But no one came since it has happened to us”, claimed Surendra.

He further informed that the village Sarpanch (head), Fakre Alam is helping Sulaiman Nadaf, Malil Nadaf and Sharif Nadaf. He said that he was told yesterday, that the accused had gone to see Fakre Alam before absconding and also visited him again today for help. He claimed that Fakre Alam is trying his best not to involve the names of Muslims in this case, but we will not allow this to happen, said Surendra. He said that all the Hindu brothers of the neighbourhood have extended their support to his family and assured that they would make sure that the accused are punished.

OpIndia also got in touch with VHP District President Mahesh Prasad, District Vice President Ratish Mishra and BJP’s Legislative Council Suman Mahaseth for information about this incident. All confirmed the incident.

An altercation broke out on 5th April (Sunday) in Bihar’s Madhubani district between a Hindu and Muslim families, allegedly over switching off lights following PM Modi’s call, to show complete resolve and solidarity in the fight against coronavirus with this symbolic gesture, which led to the murder of an elderly Hindu woman.

The accused Sulaiman Nadaf, Khalil Nadaf, Malil Nadaf, Jalil Nadaf etc, who strangulated 70-year-old Kaili Devi after the argument, are now absconding. The deceased’s son Surendra Mandal has filed an FIR for murder against all the accused.

This incident has sparked anger and rage in the Hindus of the area. The locals have demanded justice and a compensation of Rs 10 lakh from the administration for the deceased’s family at an expeditious level. They have also demanded that the accused should be arrested soon and awarded the death penalty. A heavy police force has been deployed in the area to avoid communal tension after the incident.

Rajasthan: Man who claimed that his pregnant wife was turned away from Bharatpur hospital for being Muslim, now admits concocting the story

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan: Man who claimed that his pregnant wife was turned away from Bharatpur hospital for being Muslim, now admits concocting the story

Recently an incident of alleged religious discrimination came to light, where a Muslim pregnant woman of Bharatpur in Rajasthan who was in labour, was allegedly denied admission to a hospital by the staff over her religion. The media lapped up the incident saying that this was a direct consequence of the reportage over Tablighi Jamaat and how they had spread Coronavirus in the country. The husband had claimed that because of the doctor’s religious bias and negligence, they lost their child. The video of the Muslim man’s allegations soon went viral which eventually triggered internal politics in Congress.

Now, a video has emerged where the husband of the pregnant woman, Irfan Khan, who had then alleged religious discrimination in Rajasthan hospital due to them being Muslim, is seen admitting that he had concocted the religious angle.

In the video shared by Hindustan Times Bureau Chief Rakesh Awasthi, Irfan Khan is heard saying that no one mentioned his religion while referring his wife to another hospital in Jaipur, it was a figment of his imagination. “I thought if I weren’t a Muslim maybe they would have taken my wife in,” he says in the video.

“When my wife was being taken to Jaipur in the ambulance, she delivered the child but the baby died. When I saw my wife suffering and my child die, I felt that this has happened to me because of my religious identity. Had I not been a Muslim this would never happen. This was, however, not told to me by any doctor, but was indeed a figment of my imagination, Irfan Khan is heard saying.

Irfan Khan had earlier alleged: “My pregnant wife had to deliver a child. She was referred from Sikri to the Janana Hospital in the district headquarter but the doctors here mentioned that we should go to Jaipur because we are Muslim. As I was taking her in the ambulance, she delivered the child but the baby died. I hold the administration responsible for my child’s death.”

Rajasthan’s Tourism Minister and Congress leader Vishvendra Singh, Rajasthan tourism minister, lashed out at the refusal of the doctor, currently posted as the Head of Department in OBS and Gynae department at the Government hospital in Bharatpur for refusing admission to the woman because of her religion.

Read: Rajasthan Muslim woman, who was referred to another hospital, was 7th time pregnant with complicated anaemia case

This, within no time, triggered internal politics in Congress. Singh tweeted a video in which he stated that the woman was referred to the Janana Hospital in Bharatpur where she was refused admission by a doctor named Dr Moneet Walia. He added that the state health minister is also an MLA from Bharatpur.

Vishvendra Singh accused the Congress government in Rajasthan of trying to cover-up the matter. He said that he was a cabinet minister and does not speak without proof. He also added that just because the Tablighi Jamaat has been linked to a surge of coronavirus cases in the country it does not mean that citizens of the Islamic faith are going to be treated the way the pregnant lady was.

However, later, it became known that the Muslim woman was pregnant for the 7th time and was suffering from anaemia due to which she was referred to a different hospital. Journalist Soumyadipta shared the referral slip issued by the clinic which showed that the patient, the Muslim woman, was highly anaemic and on her 7th pregnancy which made it a complicated case.

As per the referral slip, the patient was suffering from Antepartum Haemorrhage (APH), i.e. bleeding prior to delivery. She was anaemic and on her 7th pregnancy. Hence, owing to the complications of the case, she was referred to the bigger hospital in Jaipur since the clinic was not equipped to handle the complicated case.

Media Coordinator of Shaheen Bagh, who had once called a panelist ‘tawaif ka baccha’, threatens media for coverage of Tablighi Jamaat

OpIndia Staff
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Media Coordinator of Shaheen Bagh, who had once called a panelist ‘tawaif ka baccha’, threatens media for coverage of Tablighi Jamaat

Shoaib Jamei, president of the Indian Muslim Foundation and the media coordinator of the Shaheen Bagh ‘movement’ today posted a menacing tweet, asserting that the Indian media will have to pay one day for casting Muslims in the bad light. Jamai’s tweet was perhaps in response to the Indian media’s coverage of Tablighi Jamaat, the Islamist organisation which has contributed 30 per cent of the total Wuhan coronavirus cases in the country and whose Muslim members are evading police and medical authorities while those held at quarantine facilities are accused of spitting on doctors, nurses and attendants and defecating in the corridor.

Tweet by Shoaib Jamai

“Indian media becomes 100 per cent anti-Muslim and communal. You have to pay one day for making lives of Muslims in danger by your fake news and propaganda. 25 crore Muslims are very angry people. I don’t know what is gonna happen next. #MajorThreatMediaVirus,” Jamei tweeted.

After threatening with dire consequences, Jamei tempered his opinions a bit saying that Muslim organisations will start filing FIR against news channels for circulating fake news and using references such as ‘corona bomb’, ‘corona jihad’ etc. He added that 25 crores Muslims shouldn’t be taken lightly and the media channels will have to face the law of the land. He also asserted that though Muslims don’t believe in violence, but they will definitely put up a legal fight against the Indian media.

Muslim members of Tablighi Jamaat came under the attack after the Nizamuddin centre of the organisation emerged as the latest hotspot of the coronavirus in the country. As many as 1445 cases out of the country’s total coronavirus cases of 4281 have been said to be linked to the congregation organised by Tablighi Jamaat in mid-March. Several Tablighi Jamaat members in different parts of the state are still absconding and evading police officials and medical authorities. Those who have been shifted to quarantine facilities have been throwing tantrums with unreasonable food demands, spitting on the attendants, nurses and doctors treating them. Some of the Tablighi Jamaat members are also reported to have been lingering around the quarantine facilities naked and making lewd gestures to the nurses. A couple of Tablighi Jamaat members today created a ruckus and defecated in the corridor in the Narela quarantine facility.

Read: Media Coordinator of Shaheen Bagh protests calls fellow panelist ‘tawaif ka bachha’ on Arnab Goswami’s debate

However, while censuring media channels for reporting the facts about the behaviour of Muslim members of Tablighi Jamaat, Jamei has so far not denounced the unruly and vulgar behaviour exhibited by his fellow co-religionists. Instead, he has vented his spleen on the media organisations for reporting the uncomfortable realities about the Tablighi Jamaat members.

While Jamei claims that Indian media has wrongly shown Indian Muslims in the bad light, his own conduct on national television has been far from exemplary. Earlier this year, Jamei had lashed out at a fellow panelist during Arnab Goswami’s debate on Republic TV and called him ‘tawaif ke bachche’ (son of a ‘wh*re’). However, it’s unclear who exactly he was referring to as there were six other people apart from Arnab Goswami on the debate. Although the word ‘tawaif’ technically refers to a courtesan, when used in a derogatory manner, it is another word for a prostitute.

Recently, a video of a Muslim cleric and a member of the Tablighi Jamaat warning media not to report against the Islamic organisation had surfaced on social media. The video of the Tablighi Jamaat member where he threatens the media was released by Maulana Mahfooz Ur Rahman, the Tahaffuz-E-Deen India. In the video, the cleric accuses media of spreading rumours and disseminating propaganda against Tablighi Jamaat and coronavirus pandemic and targeting a particular community.

Lawyer slapped with contempt action after he curses Calcutta High Court Judge to be infected by Coronavirus

OpIndia Staff
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Lawyer slapped with contempt action after he curses Calcutta High Court Judge to be infected by Coronavirus

On March 23, Justice Dipankar Datta of the Calcutta High Court has recommended initiating contempt proceedings against a lawyer Bijoy Adhikary after the latter cursed him to “be infected with coronavirus” following an unfavourable judgment.

The Calcutta High Court has been hearing only urgent cases since March 15, owing to the outbreak of the Wuhan Coronavirus. Adhikary had moved the Court seeking an urgent stay on the auction of his client’s bus that was seized by a nationalised bank due to failure in repaying the loan on time. Justice Dipankar Datta observed that the bus was seized on January 15 and thus refused to grant an urgent hearing.

An infuriated Adhikary then thumped the table and banged the microphone on it. When Justice Dipankar asked him to behave properly, the lawyer said that the future of the judge would be doomed by him and that he would be infected by the Wuhan virus. Undeterred by his actions, Adhikary was relentlessly “shouting at the top of his voice”.

Justice Dipankar Datta wrote, “Adhikary was curtly told that neither do I fear dooming of my future nor being infected by the virus; the majesty of the Court is what is paramount in my mind and to uphold that a rule for contempt could be issued against him.”

He also reprimanded the lawyer for his “abominable” behaviour and acting in a manner “not behoving a member of the noble profession and thereby undermining the dignity and prestige of this Court.” The Calcutta High Court judge then directed the matter be heard by an appropriate division bench upon reopening of the court after the summer vacation.

Enraged Canadian leader reminds Donald Trump of help during 9/11 after the American President blocks N-95 mask exports

OpIndia Staff
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Enraged Canadian leader reminds Donald Trump of help during 9/11 after the American President blocks N-95 mask exports

Canadians are infuriated with the decision of US President Donald Trump to ban the exports of protective equipment such as N-95 masks to its northern neighbour as the raging Wuhan coronavirus sweeps the globe. One of the enraged Canadian ministers reminded Trump of how Canada helped the United States in the aftermath of the deadly twin-tower attack on September 11, 2001.

While speaking to the Associated Press, the Newfoundland Premier Dwight Ball said, “It is an understatement to say that I am simply infuriated with the United States President’s recent reaction amidst the coronavirus pandemic,” adding “It is absolutely unbelievable that in a time of crisis that President Trump would even think of leaving Canada in the lurch by banning key medical supplies.”

During the 9/11 attacks, at least 7000 American passengers were provided shelter at Newfoundland in Canada when flights to and from America were grounded there. The former Gander Mayor Claude Elliott said that the modest town of Gander, which had only about 500 hotel rooms, ensured that each and every passenger who landed at Newfoundland was provided with a place to stay.

Reminding President Trump of the town’s generosity, Premier Ball said, “Newfoundland and Labrador will never give up on humanity. We will not hesitate for one second if we had to repeat what we did on 9-11. We would do it again.”

He further added that this is the time that countries should come together and work in collaboration to protect their residents and keep them safe from the threat and the challenges posed by COVID-19, regardless of their passport or the place of their domicile.

While Trump has banned the export of N-95 masks to Canada, he issued a veiled threat to India earlier yesterday if it blocks the supplies of Hydroxychloroquine to the United States.

“I spoke to him (PM Modi), Sunday morning & I said we appreciate it that you are allowing our supply (of Hydroxychloroquine) to come out, if he doesn’t allow it to come out, that would be okay, but of course, there may be retaliation, why wouldn’t there be?” US President Donald Trump said.

With multiple reports claiming that Hydroxychloroquine has proven beneficial in the treatment of COVID-19, India had placed a blanket export ban on a malaria drug that was touted by Trump as possible therapy for coronavirus. India’s decision to block the exports stemmed from its concerns about the possibility of a scarcity of the drug in the country if the ban is not imposed.

However, after American President sought supplies for the US, India had partially lifted the ban on the malaria drug, said officials with knowledge of the matter.

BJP woman panchayat candidate and her husband brutally killed in West Bengal, ‘political killings continue’, says party

OpIndia Staff
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BJP woman panchayat candidate and her husband brutally killed in West Bengal, ‘political killings continue’, says party

A BJP woman Panchayat candidate Shakuntala Haldar and her husband Chandra Halder were found dead in Kankasa village of Kultali, West Bengal, on April 6, under mysterious conditions. According to reports while Shakuntala Halder was found lying dead on the bed in her house, her husband was found hanging from a mango tree in the backyard of the house.

BJP West Bengal took to Twitter today to reveal that the couple was brutally murdered in West Bengal. “Shakuntala Haldar, a BJP candidate for panchayat polls and her husband Chandra Haldar were brutally murdered in Kultali, West Bengal. The world may be busy fighting Corona but political killings are still continuing in West Bengal”, tweeted BJP Bengal.

The West Bengal police have started probing the incident as the dead bodies have been sent for postmortem.

On Tuesday morning, the locals saw the body of Chandra Haldhar hanging on a mango tree in the backyard of the house. Then the neighbours went to the house and saw that his wife Shakuntala was lying on the bed. Villagers reported the incident to the police station.

Some people are of the view that the couple committed suicide, however, there are many who opined that there is a political reason behind this incident.

Though the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc in the country, politically motivated attacks and murders in TMC ruled West Bengal continue unabated. Earlier this week, another BJP member was attacked in West Bengal by TMC workers over a local issue.

A doctor in West Bengal who had raised concerns on social media over the lack of PPE for medical staffers handling coronavirus cases in the state was allegedly targeted and victimised by the state administration and police.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee besides being criticised from playing politics over an issue as serious as this pandemic has also been in the middle of a controversy where she is being accused of mishandling the pandemic, hiding facts and figures in connection with the coronavirus cases.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that as of 12 pm on the 6th of April, there were only 61 active Coronavirus cases in West Bengal, of which 55 were from 7 families. However, as per the Ministry of Family and Health Welfare, there are currently 67 active cases excluding the 10 cured and 3 deaths.

Maharashtra Cyber department files 113 FIRs for spreading rumours and ‘communal hatred’ amid lockdown

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra Cyber department files 113 FIRs for spreading rumours and ‘communal hatred’ amid lockdown

A report by the state home department of Maharashtra has revealed that the Cyber department has registered 113 FIRs for spreading misinformation and spreading communal/casteist hatred on social media amid the nationwide lockdown across the country due to the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic.

As the masses are staying indoors amid the lockdown, people are sticking to social media where they get enough and explosive pieces of information to pass time. The government had already declared that the rumor-mongering especially related to Wuhan coronavirus during lockdown will be punished. However, it’s still not yet clear precisely what kind of posts will be regarded as ‘spreading hatred’ considering the fact that ‘secular’ governments use such laws to silence criticism of Radical Islam.

Earlier on Tuesday, an FIR was lodged against the members of Tablighi Jamaat for fleeing quarantine and violating official preventive orders in Mumbai’s Azad Maidan Police station but only 10 of them could have been successfully traced. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said that about 50 Tablighi Jamaat meet attendees in Maharashtra are on the run and their phones are switched off. He asserted that Fifty people who returned to Maharashtra from Tablighi Jamaat are missing. They are being searched. Out of 1400 people who returned from Tablighi Jamaat, 1350 people were tested. 50 people are still hiding and their phones are switched off.

As per Union Home Ministry, 4421 people in India have been contracted the novel coronavirus while 114 have succumbed to the disease and 326 have recovered. Maharashtra is the worst-hit state by the pandemic with the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country with the tally of affected at 868 and 48 fatalities as of the time of writing this report.

Taiwan government bans the use of Zoom software over ‘cybersecurity concerns’

OpIndia Staff
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Taiwan government bans the use of Zoom software over ‘cybersecurity concerns’

The Taiwan cabinet has asked its government agencies to stop using Zoom Video Communications Inc’s conferencing app and other video software “associated security or privacy concerns”. An advisory was issued by the Taiwan government on Tuesday proscribing the country’s government agencies from using Zoom while urging the usage of alternative apps from Google and Microsoft.

Several organisations across the globe have been using the services of Zoom to hold meetings as the coronavirus pandemic has rendered much of the world paralysed and penned in their respective houses. However, the video conferencing app has also been under the fire lining of critics who have criticised it for its security and privacy issues.

Zoom’s daily user base shot up to more than 200 million in March as the lockdowns induced by coronavirus pandemic forced the employees and workers to switch to work from home.

The announcement to ban the use of Zoom by the Taiwanese government said, “The Executive Yuan’s Department of Cyber Security (DCS) today formally issued an advisory to all government organisations and specific non-government agencies that should it become operationally necessary to engage in video conferencing, the underlying video software to be used should not have associated security or privacy concerns, such as the Zoom video communication service.”

In addition, the DCS added that if it is absolutely vital for the organisation to use non-domestically produced software for international communication, then they should resort to more reliable options offered by the likes of Google and Microsoft, who are providing much more secure services for free amid the current pandemic. It suggested considering these options before evaluating the associated data security risks.

Besides Taiwan, the governments of other countries have also forbidden their agencies from using Zoom. The New York City officials have restricted the usage of Zoom by schools for remote teaching and Australia’s Defence forces and its MPs are barred from using the services provided by Zoom.

Acknowledging the security concerns with his services, Zoom founder and CEO Eric Yuan has apologised for the company’s privacy and security flaws and assured that they are looking into each and every one of them and addressing them as expeditiously as they can.

Soon after the usage of Zoom increased multifold in the wake of coronavirus lockdown in most part of the world, “ZoomBombing” became an issue as people started using the software’s screen-sharing feature to interrupt meeting with inappropriate content, including violent images and pornography. According to The Intercept, Zoom video calls are not end-to-end encrypted as the company claimed and are linked to China. A few days ago, Citizen Lab researchers discovered that some of the calls through the service were routed through China.

AIIMS doctor, who deliberately hid his coronavirus infection, used to visit a mosque daily, media spread fake news about him contracting virus from patients

OpIndia Staff
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AIIMS doctor, who deliberately hid his coronavirus infection, used to visit a mosque daily, media spread fake news about him contracting virus from patients

A few days ago, a doctor at AIIMS was found infected with the novel Wuhan coronavirus. His wife was in her ninth month of pregnancy. The woman doctor and her brother were also found infected from the coronavirus. It is now being alleged that the doctor’s identity has been withheld because he is a Muslim. The employees working at the AIIMS are resentful as to why the doctor hid his illness. The Doctor is a resident of Malviya Nagar where he used to frequent to the mosque nearby. It is being speculated that perhaps he picked up the infection from the mosque after coming in contact with one of the infected Tablighi Jamaat attendees visiting the mosque.

Despite the overt symptoms, he kept going to the mosque daily and also boarded the institute bus to come to the AIIMS. Media reports claimed that the doctor would have caught the infection from his patients but this is not the case since he was not involved in the treatment of coronavirus infected patients. There is seething anger amongst the hospital staff who feel that the doctor was deliberately trying to spread the malady to others. All the employees who travelled with him on the bus, along with the driver of the bus have been quarantined. According to people, being a doctor and despite knowing the gravity of the disease, he allowed the contagion to spread.

One of the nurses working in AIIMS claimed that despite the doctor’s apparent mistake, he is being made a hero by the media. Media reports have attributed the source of his contagion to his treatment of sick patients. However, this has not been the case. The nurse did not reveal the doctor’s identity but said that he is a senior resident in the Physiology Department. On the condition of anonymity, one of the medical workers employed at the AIIMS said:

“In view of the coronavirus outbreak, all the necessary precautions and social distancing measures were taken even on the buses. People were seated far and wide, so fewer people used to go. The doctor was aware that he had the contagion. But he hid this information and kept coming to the hospital on the same bus. There was also a WhatsApp group of people who came on the bus. When his infection was confirmed, people started asking him on Whatsapp why did he come on the bus and he kept apologising to them.”

The hospital staff is thoroughly miffed with the doctor for deliberately concealing his illness and jeopardising their lives. According to our sources in AIIMS, the matter has been referred to director Randeep Guleria and the hospital staff expects that an exemplary action will be taken against the culprit by the director. The staff believes that an action against the doctor is in order as the AIIMS has very strict rules and regulations regarding infectious diseases. All the employees have to mandatorily abide by them. Negligence has no place and someone who is found guilty of it is punished according to the hospital rules.

It is being bandied about by several media outlets that since the infected doctor has no travel history, he was infected with the coronavirus while treating the patients. It is being claimed that the infection was passed on to the wife through the doctor husband, after which all the people suspected to have come in contact with both have been quarantined. The doctor was initially admitted in the Emergency ward. After several tests and medical examinations, the doctor was admitted to the private ward.

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