Health

The percentage of deaths from COVID-19 in Gujarat is among the highest in the country, even as the number of tests remains among the lowest, government denials to the contrary notwithstanding. Numbers apart, the fact that the state was consistently trying to cut down on testing got some credence, when on May 10th, it made it mandatory for all private hospitals to get government approval before testing patients, admitted for treatment of other ailments, for the coronavirus infection. The Gujarat High Court however rescinded the order on May 29th, in response to a PIL. Another evidence of the Gujarat government’s…

Last week, the Department of Health and Family Welfare Services released new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for travellers entering Karnataka. The new SOPs offer many relaxations, particularly for inter-state and inter-district travellers. Inter-district travellers no longer need to be screened at the point of entry and don’t have to undergo institutional quarantine, while inter-state travellers have been given a way out of it. Here are the new rules for travelling to Karnataka during Lockdown 4.0: Inter-District Travel CategoryQuarantineTestingCategory 1 (Symptomatic)* Screened at point of origin (bus station, railway station)* Symptomatic passengers will be referred to fever clinicsDecided at fever clinicCategory…

Kumari (name changed), a nurse at a reputed government hospital in Chennai has not been able to feed her child for over 10 days now. She had been exclusively breastfeeding her infant boy till weeks back, but these days she has to leave instructions with her husband on what to feed him and the lullabies to sing in her absence. She then leaves for the hospital, only to come home after 14 days.  A lactating mother, Kumari has a tough and choiceless job ahead: 12-hour long shifts for five days at a stretch, attending to COVID-19 positive patients and to…

With the country entering the fourth phase of lockdown in the COVID battle, relaxations on movement have been granted leading to more people entering states from within and outside the country. Tamil Nadu, too, has seen more people come in since relaxations were put in place. Accordingly, testing and quarantine rules have been revised for those entering the state, with certain exemptions. What do you need to do if you have to come to Chennai now? Here's a quick explainer: How can you enter Tamil Nadu? At present, Shramik trains for migrant workers are allowed entry into Chennai. Air travel…

Translated by Sandhya Raju 60 வயதான அனிதா மற்றும் அவரின் 65 வயதான கணவருக்கு கோவிட்-19 தொற்று உறுதி செய்யப்பட்டதும், இது அதிர்ச்சியளிக்கும் தகவலாக அவர்களுக்கு அமையவில்லை. "மார்ச் 15 அன்று நியூசிலாந்த்திலிருந்து நாங்கள் திரும்பினோம். எங்களுடன் விமானத்தில் பயணம் செய்த ஒருவர் உடல்நிலை பாதிக்கப்பட்டிருந்ததால், எங்களுக்கும் தொற்று வரும் வாய்ப்பு உள்ளதை நாங்கள் அறிந்திருந்தோம்," என்கிறார் அனிதா. கோவிட் தொற்றை எதிர்கொண்டதை பற்றியும், தன் அனுபவத்தையும் அனிதா விவரிக்கிறார். தொற்றின் ஆரம்பம் “நியூசிலாந்த் நாட்டில் தொற்று எண்ணிக்கை அந்த நேரத்தில் அவ்வளவாக இல்லை என்பதால் நாங்கள் நாடு திரும்பிய போது சோதனைக்கு உட்படுத்தப்படவில்லை. ஆனாலும், எங்களின் கோட்டூர்புர வீட்டில் நாங்களே எங்களை தனிமைப்படுத்திக் கொண்டோம். இரண்டு நாட்களுக்கு பிறகு எங்களுக்கு காய்ச்சல் ஏற்பட்டது. இந்த நாட்கள் மிகவும் வித்தியாசமாக இருந்தது. எனக்கு வெகு குறைவான அறிகுறியே தென்பட்டது. முதல் நாள், 100*F வெப்பம் இருந்தது, அடுத்த நாள் 99*F…

When Anita, aged 60 and her husband, 65, tested positive for COVID-19, it didn't feel like news to them. "We were returning from New Zealand on March 15th and a fellow passenger in our flight was sick. We expected to get it," says Anita candidly. Anita narrates her experience in dealing with COVID and shares some advice for fellow citizens: The start of the illness "We were not tested for COVID-19 in the beginning probably since we had returned from New Zealand, where number of the cases was still low back then. But we self quarantined ourselves at our home…

Travel and quarantine rules have changed since the publishing of this article. Visit this page to find the updated rules. On Thursday, as the first Rajdhani from Delhi pulled into Majestic railway station, many travellers were taken by surprise when they were told that everyone on the train had to go through paid institutional quarantine in Bengaluru or go back to Delhi. Soon enough, 150-odd travellers sat on dharna and refused to go into quarantine, stating they hadn’t been informed about the rule beforehand. The Health and Family Welfare Services Department has released a series of orders, circulars and advisories…

They are a part of Shimla’s invisible corona warriors, the 260-odd sanitation workers who maintain the hill town’s 280-km sewerage network. “For the world, corona may be a novel virus, but we are exposed to infections and other health hazards every day,” says Attar Singh, a sewage worker, “though we do take due precautions to stay safe.” This, as they try and keep Shimla’s 2.3 lakh citizens safe from infections that lack of proper sewerage infrastructure and treatment can cause, including COVID (as recent news reports suggest). Thankfully, Shimla town has not had a single positive case so far. Attar…

The normally bustling, outpatient unit of the Adyar Cancer Institute, is deafeningly quiet. And so it has been over the last two months, confirms Chairperson of the Institute, Chennai, Dr V Shanta, as she shares her concerns in the background of the devastating COVID pandemic. “Over the years, we have evolved standardized protocols integrating all the advances in oncologic science and technology into our treatment. But this never-before situation has raised multiple concerns," said Dr Shanta, "With the lockdown adding to the panic, many patients were unable to reach the cancer centre. Outpatients numbered about 400 before lockdown times and bed…

Subrata Das, a 65-year old resident of Chittaranjan Park, suffered a cardiac arrest. The family called the police, all the emergency services they could think of, but no one turned up. Finally, they managed to get one private ambulance and went from hospital to hospital, but none would admit the motionless patient. “We weren’t sure if he was gone,” his daughter said in a post in which she described the way they were treated at one of the hospitals, “like animals.” It was a neighbourhood doctor who finally pronounced Das dead and issued a death certificate stating that he didn’t…