Health

Translated by Sandhya Raju கண்ணகி நகரில் வாகன போக்குவரத்தற்ற குறுகிய தெருவில், ஐந்து வயது குமார் (பெயர் மாற்றப்பட்டுள்ளது) அவனை விட வயதில் பெரிய சிறுவர்களின் குழுவுடன் கிரிக்கெட் விளையாடுகிறான். மதிய உணவுக்காக அனைவரும் கலைந்து செல்ல, குமார் மட்டும் தனியாக அங்கயே இருக்கிறான். தெரு ஓரத்தில் உள்ள பெஞ்சில் அமர்ந்து, அடுத்து விளையாட யாரேனும் வருவார்களா என எதிர்பார்த்து காத்திருக்கிறான். சாப்பிட போகவில்லையா என கேட்டால் "பசி இல்லை" என்கிறான். ஆனால், உண்மை அதுவல்ல - வீட்டில் நல்ல உணவு இல்லை என்பதே உண்மையான காரணம். சென்னையில் பொதுமுடக்கம் தொடங்கியது முதல் குமார் மதிய உணவு இல்லாமல் இருக்கிறான். பொதுமுடக்கத்திற்கு முன், 23ம் தெருவில் உள்ள அங்கன்வாடி மையத்தில் தான் அவன் மதிய உணவு உண்டான். அவனுக்க பிடித்த சாம்பார் சாதம் முட்டையுடன் அல்லது காயுடன் அங்கே பரிமாறப்பட்டது. கடந்த மூன்று மாதங்களாக ஆசிரியர் இல்லாமல் மூடியே உள்ளது.…

Chennaiites feel a slight sense of relief and hope, now that the number of COVID cases reported in the city has dipped considerably. However, the city will breathe easier when the mortality rate can be controlled. As on July 27th, a total of 2,032 patients had succumbed to the disease in Chennai. According to Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), Chennai’s overall mortality rate is 2.12% as on July 27th, which is marginally lower than the national average of 2.25% on the same date. However, within the state, it remains the highest and has been a cause of concern for citizens and…

For asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients with varying degrees of deep pockets and a healthy aversion to hospitals, there’s an alternative: Many private hospitals and business-starved hotels have joined hands to make isolation not just palatable, but even a bit posh. The initiative comes at a rather grim time for the city: the pandemic rampages while a beleaguered infrastructure is struggling to keep up. The new treatment option, authorities hope, will free up precious healthcare resources for the truly needy. After months of bucking the national trend, especially in comparison with other Metros, COVID-19 positive cases in Bengaluru have…

An interview with Kiran Dighavkar, Assistant Municipal Commissioner of G-North Ward. He received acclaim from the WHO which cited Dharavi as an example in how to manage the fight against the virus. By the end of March, three positive COVID-19 cases were reported in a two day period in Dharavi, one of the largest slum clusters in Mumbai. Soon after, on April 1, the first death from the virus was reported when a 56-year-old resident of Baliga Nagar in Dharavi died. The person had no travel  history. Within eight days of the first death, as the city reported 320 positive…

Home quarantine is often not possible in low-income settlements. Pic: Raghav Indra The state government and BBMP have been prescribing preventive measures ever since COVID-19 cases started to be reported in Bengaluru. But for the city's low-income communities, these are nearly impossible to follow. For example, you can't wash your hands regularly if you don't have regular piped water supply, or practise social distancing in a densely-populated slum. As the city's health system is overwhelmed, those living in slums are left without basic support. Residents who had come in contact with COVID-positive persons are unable to even self-quarantine due to…

They came. They saw. They left. The Central team that visited Gujarat on July 17-18th to assess the state’s response to the continuing surge in COVID-19 cases in Ahmedabad and Surat did just that, even as the Ahmedabad Medical Association (AMA), on July 17th, filed an SOS writ petition in the Gujarat High Court. The petition expressed serious concern over the low number of tests being conducted and on the state’s dilly-dallying on granting approval for more testing laboratories. The AMA also sought a direction that tests at the OPD level should be permitted. It was only on July 15th,…

The Maharashtra Government and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation have bolstered health infrastructure in Mumbai to tackle COVID-19, but insufficient healthcare facilities in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) are affecting the COVID-19 response in bordering districts. MMR is the country’s largest urban agglomeration with eight municipal corporati­ons: Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli, Mira-Bhayandar, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, and Vasai-Virar, according to MMRDA. MMR is spread over 4,354 sqkm, while the Greater Mumbai region, comprising of Mumbai city and Mumbai suburb, has a geographical area of 437.71 sqkm, about a 10th of MMR. There are currently 92,864 confirmed cases in MMR, almost as much as…

Recently, the state government and BBMP decided to allow apartment RWAs (Resident Welfare Associations) in Bengaluru to set up their own in-situ COVID Care Centres (CCCs). CCCs are facilities where COVID patients with mild or no symptoms can be isolated and monitored. The idea was to relieve the burden on the healthcare system as the city's daily COVID count rose to the thousands. Though the government has released guidelines on community CCCs, setting these up remains a difficult task, requiring RWAs to arrange hard-to-obtain medical equipment and expertise. What are the nuances for setting up a COVID facility for apartments?…

Pregnancy is a tumultuous time for any woman. The mixed bag of emotions can be daunting and exciting in equal measure. But with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the overriding emotion in mothers-to-be has been one of anxiety rather than happiness.  The world may have come to a screeching halt, as it is battles the COVID-19 pandemic. But even in epicentres, children are being born. Because life always finds a way. But there are many questions are making life difficult for new mothers and mothers-to-be: What are your chances of infection?How do you avoid getting infected?What can you do to…

On March 9, Bengaluru reported its first COVID case, that of a software engineer with travel history to the US. Since then, the state government and BBMP have taken aggressive measures to contain virus spread. The Centre even recognised Bengaluru as a model city in COVID management. But since mid-June, the number of cases have rocketed, and now we are back to having another lockdown. What transpired between one case on March 9 to over 22,000 cases now? Here's a timeline of COVID cases in Bengaluru, and how the government has tried to tackle it. *Data is of Bengaluru Urban…