Articles by News Desk

India's indigenous vaccine gets nod for human trials AIIMS Ethics Committee has given a go-ahead to India's indigenous vaccine, COVAXIN, for conducting human trials. In Stage I, the vaccine will be tested on 375 volunteers, of which 100 will be from AIIMS - Delhi, one of the twelve sites shortlisted by ICMR for conducting Stage I and Stage II human trials of COVAXIN. Volunteers with good health, no co-morbidities and no COVID-19 history, aged more than 18 years and less than 55 years will only be eligible for the clinical trials, as per the guidelines of AIIMS Ethics Committee. The…

COVID-19: Antibody testing for frontline workers, COVID-19 test for all inmates of IMH On July 17th, Chennai recorded 1,329 fresh COVID-19 cases taking the total to 83,377. There were 1,329 recoveries and 36 deaths. A total of 14,923 patients are under treatment in the city’s various hospitals and COVID Care Centers. It is to be noted that 65,748 patients have recovered from the disease.  Zone-wise growth rate of new cases under the limits of Greater Chennai Corporation, for the last 7 days till July 17. Pic: GCC/Twitter The Greater Chennai Corporation has begun antibody testing for the frontline workers including…

Bengaluru has seen many citizen-driven campaigns around sustainable mobility. Notable among them was the 'Bus Day' campaign spearheaded by the non-profit Praja RAAG. Subsequently, several volunteer groups have campaigned for effective, efficient and reliable public transport. The BMTC (Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation) has also launched several initiatives - Pink Buses, Vayu Vajra Volvo, G8 buses and so on - to promote the use of public transport. On July 9, Citizen Matters and Radio Active hosted a Twitter chat where experts and citizens discussed the past, present and future of public transport in the city. As the COVID crisis worsens and…

Several cities to undergo lockdown as infection spreads AS the COVID-19 graph continues to rise exponentially in India, several cities are reimposing lockdowns to contain the spread. The Karnataka Government has announced a complete lockdown for Bengaluru from July 14th to July 22nd, as total cases stood at 16,862 with 229 deaths. Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation areas will witness a ten-day lockdown in two phases from July 14th. The decision was taken by the administration with the objective of breaking the chain of transmission and boosting the critical health care infrastructure. Several areas from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region…

COVID-19: New plasma bank and night shelter on the cards Chennai recorded 1,205 fresh COVID-19 cases on July 10th. There were 2,869 recoveries and 27 deaths. A total of 18,616 patients are under treatment in the city's various hospitals and COVID Care Centers. Infographic summary of COVID-19 cases in Chennai as on July 10. Pic: GCC/Twitter The state government has announced that the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) will soon get India’s second plasma bank. The facility will be established at a cost of Rs 2 crore.  As Chennai witnesses a drop in the number of COVID-19 cases, the…

Complete lockdown from July 14 to 22 Bengaluru will go into complete lockdown from July 14 to 22 in the wake of surging COVID cases, state government announced on Saturday. The lockdown will be in effect in Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts from 8 pm on July 14 to 5 am on July 22. Essential services like hospitals and grocery shops will be allowed, along with scheduled exams. Detailed guidelines would be released on July 13, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa tweeted. On Saturday, Bengaluru reported a record 1,533 new cases, taking its overall COVID tally to 16,862. The city…

With the surge in COVID cases, Karnataka government recently announced that asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients need not get admitted to hospitals and may only need to go into home isolation. On July 4, the Department of Health and Family Welfare issued guidelines on home isolation. Following are these guidelines, specifying which categories of patients are eligible, and the protocols for their isolation and release. The persons who have tested COVID positive shall be permitted to be in "home isolation" on meeting the following conditions: Only those who are asymptomatic or mild symptomatic shall be allowed to be in isolation…

Citizen group opposes separate Pharma City for Hyderabad Citizens Against Pollution, a Hyderabad based rights group, has opposed the Telangana Government's move to establish a separate Hyderabad Pharma City. The group has claimed that the existing pharma city -- Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City at Parwada near Vizag -- is already responsible for causing severe pollution, negative impact on the local economy and destroying livelihoods. The organization, comprised of scientists, policy experts and activists, has claimed that the pharmaceutical city is responsible for polluting the water bodies. Thus having another pharma city along the same lines will be dangerous for the…

Daily COVID cases near 1000-mark On Friday, July 3, Bengaluru reported 994 cases of COVID-19. With this, the city overtook Kolkata in the total number of positive cases. The day before, on July 2, 889 cases had been reported. As of 2nd, Bengaluru topped the list of 30 districts in the state in terms of fresh cases reported, most cumulative deaths (100), and most active cases (5505). However, Padarayanapura, Shivajinagar and Hongasandra that seemed to be on the verge of community transmission until recently, now have zero positive cases. But these localities remain containment zones, as a preventive measure. Meanwhile,…

COVID-19: Walkie-talkie for healthcare workers, number of fever camps to be increased, PPEs dumped at Kodungaiyur On July 3rd, Chennai recorded 2,082 fresh COVID cases, taking the state’s total to 4,329 for the day. Meanwhile 2,357 recovered and 64 patients succumbed to the disease in the state on the same day. Infographic summary of COVID-19 cases in Chennai as on July 4. Pic: GCC/Twitter Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital has distributed 20 walkie-talkie devices and 20 mobile phones to healthcare providers in COVID wards for better communication. According to the hospital Dean Dr E Theranirajan, each floor will have a…