COVID-19

Renee McPereira is a worried young girl. Her pre-board exams ahead of the 12th standard Central Board of Secondary Examinations (CBSE) exams should normally have been over by now. But now they are slated to begin on January 16th. The school final exams would normally have begun in March 2021. But as the countdown to an unknown date begins, Renee does not know when they will be held and counts herself lucky that she is in the Arts group and does not have to worry about practicals. Vaccine or no vaccine, “it is unlikely to be a happy new year for students, parents, teachers—all…

The Covid-19 pandemic put to test the capacity and resilience of health systems across the globe. Public health systems in countries witnessing widespread virus transmission (USA, western European countries, Iran and India) were overwhelmed, leading to higher mortality. Despite lower disease incidence when compared to western countries, major cities of India witnessed significant Covid-19 related mortality. Various shades of lockdowns and civilian restrictions aided containment efforts, but caused severe socio-economic distress.   In India, the pandemic response relied on tertiary hospitals with intensive care units and ventilators to treat Covid-19 and prevent deaths. Expectedly, the technocratic part of health systems led…

[This article was updated after an official order, with several changes to the original announcement, was issued by the Chief Secretary, Karnataka. The full text of the order can be found here] The Karnataka government has imposed a State-wide night curfew for eight days beginning December 24. The curfew will come into effect at 11 pm and last till 5 am on those days. The decision was taken in view of the new strain of Covid-19 virus, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa announced, a day after he had ruled out the possibility of night curfew. "In view of the new…

It was only last week that work hours returned to “normal” for Sajida, an Accredited Social Health Worker (ASHA), also known as Community Health Worker, who lives in Mahalakshmi Layout.   As with all ASHA workers, she was part of the critical front line; keeping her ears to the ground and eyes peeled for any sign of Covid-19 and its spread in her locality. Since March, when the city recorded its first coronavirus case, Sajida has worked up to 16 hours a day, surveying neighbourhoods and tracing contacts of those who tested positive.  Although Covid-19 cases and positivity rates have…

On November 30, the State Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) for COVID-19 issued an advisory to Karnataka government, detailing the measures needed to contain the second wave of the pandemic in the state. According to the TAC, the second wave is expected in January-February. Following is an edited version of the advisory. Key measures to contain second wave: The 7-day average growth rate as well as Reproduction number (Ro) of COVID cases will be closely monitored at the district and state levels for early recognition of the second wave.An epidemic intelligence team shall support the state war room for early recognition…

2020 is almost nearing its end. It has been a most unpredictable year for almost everyone across the globe. What COVID-19 has taught the masses over the past year can be summed up as “life is unpredictable, be mindful of what matters the most”.  When everything begins at home, cultivating mindfulness in children through the actions of their parents is crucial for strengthening the bonds of love and respect.  While parents relentlessly uphold the cause of their children’s future and happiness, they must also pause and ask if they have totally forgotten to live and revel in the present? Being…

On a busy noon last week, as Kavya, 63, was scouting for medicine for her husband at the Yusuf Sarai market in south Delhi, she noticed that salesmen in many drug stores were either without masks, or were not covering their nose and mouth. The elbowing crowd of customers, too, were not wearing masks. “I got terribly scared and was virtually in tears,” says a frightened Kavya as she rushed out of the shop. This market is lined with more than 50 drug stores as two big hospitals—AIIMS and the Safdarjung—are in proximity.  At the giant commercial-cum-office complex at Nehru…

After six months of working from home, I had to report in-person to my office near Central station from November 1st. When the mail about this first came in, I was a bit flummoxed over how to plan my transportation all the way from Ponneri. The MTC buses were already crowded and travelling in them would be throwing caution to the winds. I did not want to take any chances. Not having much of a choice, I sought help from my friend who works with one of the private riding sharing platforms. He offered to pick me up from home…

It's been a week of promising news on the various COVID-19vaccines under development. Moderna announced that it's vaccine has been found to be 94.5% effective based on its trials. Pfizer followed with the news that it's vaccine was found to be 95% effective. Closer to home, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine being manufactured at the Serum Institute of India declared that its vaccine has 90% efficacy. Subject to regulatory approvals, the first doses of these could be available to the public at different parts of the world as early as December.  The collaborative effort to find a vaccine to halt COVID-19 has…

It’s easy to complain about our city’s bureaucracy, but we need to appreciate it when it works. When Chennai, like the rest of India and most of the world, went into lockdown in March, my husband and I weren’t too worried. We were confident that if we took adequate precautions, we’d escape the scourge. We thought that any problems we faced would be more because of social distancing requirements than anything else. We were wrong. Receiving the diagnosis One evening in October, I found that I had a stuffy nose. Out of an abundance of caution, I avoided people and…