Kumaraguru Action for Relief and Empowerment (KARE), was founded in Nov, 2015 during the Chennai floods. KARE supports the victims of natural disasters such as floods, cyclone and other calamities and has supported during Kerala floods & Gaja Cyclone. This is a volunteer movement of Kumaraguru Institutions where many join hands when the need arises.

KARE COVID 19 Response Bulletin is an effort by a group of Kumaraguru alumni, students & informed citizens alike to clear the clutter around COVID 19 by providing informative, insightful news, articles & data around the world under various tags such as Research, Technology, Education, Economy & Insights with a short summary for each.

 COVID19 Basic Info & Previous Bulletin Link: tinyurl.com/blog-KARE

STATISTICS

India & the World – Race to defuse the COVID-19 bomb

COVID-19
 		Active Cases
 		Recovered
 		Casualties 
 
India271,347476,55021,144
World4,518,5656,991,379549,053

The above graph represents the case fatality ratio (CFR) in various states across the country. Although the cumulative CFR of India is 2.8%, states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, and Delhi have higher CFR.| Prof.Shamika Ravi

The above graph shows the daily recovered cases (7-day moving average). It is seen to have been rising consistently. Approximately 15K people are recovering each day.| Prof.Shamika Ravi

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

The top science stories of the week

As confirmed cases of COVID-19 near 1 million worldwide, here’s a round-up of some of the latest scientific developments: 
1. Coronavirus survivors’ plasma could save lives
2. Loss of taste and smell is an important symptom for COVID19
3. Coronavirus can infect cats but pet owners need not worry
4. The jury is out on whether coronavirus is airborne or not.| World Economic Forum

Right time to improve your digital skillset

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve been more reliant on the digital world for business, culture and socialisation than ever. Much of the tech we rely on was already in existence prior to the outbreak. But with social distancing making real-life interactions difficult, the digital trends we’ve seen over the past few years have gone into overdrive. An academic director says, “In a sense, we are lucky to have these trends because these are the things we have needed to survive the pandemic.”| The Guardian

MEDICINE

WHO halts HCQ – HIV drug combo from Solidarity Trial

WHO and partners launched The Solidarity Trial. This trial will compare treatment options against the standard of care, to assess their relative effectiveness against COVID-19. Interim trial results show hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir produce little or no reduction in the mortality of hospitalized COVID-19 patients when compared to standard of care. WHO said that it had accepted the Solidarity Trial’s International Steering Committee recommendation to discontinue the trial’s hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir arms.| WHO

ICMR joins hands with Bharath Biotech to speed up trials

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Saturday announced a tie-up with Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) to develop a fully indigenous vaccine. This COVID-19 vaccine will be developed using the virus strain isolated at the National Institute of Virology in Pune. But the questions over safety emerge as COVID-19 vaccines get fast-tracked across the world. The attached video elaborates on ICMR’s vaccine-by-15 August plan & 4 candidates go for human trials in India.| The Indian Express

ZyCoV-D:Second Indian vaccine candidate to initiate human trials

ZyCoV-D is a vaccine manufactured by Zydus cadila. Pre-clinical studies of ZyCoV-D have shown promising results against the coronavirus. This was able to neutralize the wild type virus in the virus neutralization assay. Pre-clinical toxicology studies conducted in 2 species for 28 days has shown the vaccine to be safe, well-tolerated and immunogenic. The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has approved ZyCoV-D to move to human trials. ‘We will take about three months to finish phase I and II clinical trials’: Zydus Cadila’s Pankaj R Patel.| The Indian Express

INITIATIVES & STARTUPS

The COVID-19 War Room

The Delhi government will set up a ‘COVID-19 War Room’, which will 24×7 monitor the city’s fight against the novel coronavirus, and suggest measures to effectively deal with the prevailing situation, officials said on Sunday. According to the plan, the new strategic facility will cover all aspects such as testing, bed strength, medical equipment, ambulance infrastructure and containment zones. It will represent a snapshot of how the city is handling the pandemic.| Economic Times

Urban service delivery startups respond to the COVID-19 pandemic

For enterprises working in water, energy and waste management sectors, the lockdown has created a moment for introspection. Some enterprises are seeking ways to safely sustain or scale existing operations, while others are modifying their solutions or innovating new ones to find a new purpose during the lockdown.With essential services like waste management required through the lockdown, the primary concern for companies like RaddiConnect and Hasiru Dala Innovations is protecting the waste-pickers they work with.| Your Story

EDUCATION

E-Learning Platforms for Online Courses

This article gives a brief run-down of 10 eLearning platforms that can be used for pursuing online courses. Before choosing an online course to study, it is important to be aware of multiple MOOC platforms such as Udemy, Teachable, WizIQ, Ruzuku, Educadium, LearnWorlds, Thinkific, Academy Of Mine, CourseCraft, Skillshare and so on. Most of the courses are offered for free by highly skilled professors at top schools and industrial experts to bridge the gap between theory & practice.| E-Learning Industry 

RESEARCH

An attractive therapeutic to decrease cytokine storm in COVID-19

Itolizumab, an Anti-CD6 humanized Monoclonal Antibody used to treat psoriasis has shown to reduce IL-6 levels in serum of COVID-19 patients. Cytokine storm is one of the leading causes of deaths in COVID-19 patients and IL-6 seems to be a major mediator of it. This drug reduces the production of IL-6.  24 patients (mostly elderly with multiple comorbidities) were treated with one dose of Itolizumab, the circulating IL-6 decreased in critically and severely ill patients. This can be used to decrease the negative outcome of the cytokine storm.| Research Square

Blue Blooded Saviours

In 1956, it was discovered that this crab contains a component called amebocyte that can detect alien elements in the blood. Hence, horseshoe crabs and their eggs are of great medicinal value. Although overharvesting has caused a decline in the number of this animal, biologists say that these animals contain the essential component to the making of the COVID-19 vaccine. In addition to the overharvesting issue is the worry that the ecosystem might suffer. Therefore, it is in this blue blooded animal that the fate of curing this deadly virus lies.| National Geographic

239 experts with 1 big claim: The corona virus is airborne

WHO has long held that the corona virus is spread primarily by large respiratory droplets. But in an open letter to the WHO, 239 scientists have outlined the evidence showing that smaller particles can infect people and are calling for the agency to revise its recommendations. This has led to a debate, that whether COVID-19 can effectively sustain in air like other respiratory viruses or will fall within a 6-feet distance as mentioned in the WHO guidelines. If proven to be airborne there must be revision to the guidelines is what Scientific panel argues about. On the safer side people can stay safe by wearing masks and maintaining considerable distancing.| Times of India

EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING

Yoga and mental health

In the wake of people grappling with mental health issues amid lock down, a new study has found that movement-based yoga is likely to improve mental health during COVID-19 crisis.Published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the study was done by researchers from the various Universities abroad. Researchers defined movement-based yoga as any form of yoga where people are physically active at least 50 per cent of the time, including yoga asanas that emphasise on holding poses. Experts have recommended exercising daily during the lockdown as it helps release stress, while keeping one physically and mentally fit.| The Indian Express

India is staring at a Mental Health Crisis

In India, the social and economic fissures exposed by the pandemic will result in mass unemployment, starvation, increase in gender-based violence, alcoholism, millions slipping into poverty and so on. Given that the second wave is expected, most of these deaths can be prevented. Mental health and suicide should be treated as a public health crisis that needs immediate fixing. Mainstream media and social media giants can be roped in to create and spread awareness.There is a good chance that alcohol addiction will rise after COVID-19. Mental health and suicide prevention interventions can not only save lives, but also make immense economic sense.| Hindustan Times

ECONOMY

Indian exchanges see just 4 IPOs in Jun quarter-Report

India witnessed four initial public offerings worth USD 2.08 million in the three months ended June as the coronavirus pandemic impacted economic activities, according to an EY India report. Similar to global markets, there has been limited to no activity in the Indian IPO market. Investors and analysts are keeping a close watch on the latest updates provided by companies about their performance for valuation. Investment activities by Jio Platforms pushed Indian Private Equity/ Venture Capital investment in May/June to more than USD 10 billion but IPOs have still stayed at a serious low.| Livemint 

Monthly wage loss from first 2 lockdowns Rs 34,000 cr: Study

Takeaways from the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR) study were :
1) The first two lockdowns, i.e. from March 25 to May 3, would have resulted in 11.6 crore wage loss.
2) 40% of the workers at risk of job loss were from the top five COVID-19 affected.
3) 89% of the Jobs at risk belonged to the informal sector, mostly the urban informal sector
4) In addition, the Gross value addition in the economy is expected to go downhill in the range -4.6 to -8.8%.
The Study stated that as long as the pandemic persists so will the Economic Crisis, not a revolutionary revelation but an acknowledgement of various ex ante predictions.| Economic Times

Plight of the start ups

Although start-ups serve as a catalyst to economic growth and are the basis for radical innovation, in recent times, close to 12% of them have shut down according to the survey jointly conducted by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Indian Angel Network (IAN). With funds in the form of investments and cash reserves reduced drastically, the survey highlights the need for small loans, grants, tax refunds etc from the government.  Analysis says that start ups are expected to drop by 40% for the next 6 months, these entrepreneurs are more likely to cut off their operational and administrative costs.| Livemint

ENVIRONMENT

Rise of the use of Single use plastics

If the pandemic has taught humans anything, it is the overstimulated sense of hygiene, resulting in drastic usage of SUP products which now come in the form of gloves, sanitizer bottles and plastic lined masks. A report by McKinsey estimated that we generate 350 million tonnes of plastic waste a year. Today, the amount of plastic waste generated is much higher than estimated. So, we need to Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Remove, or dispose of plastic waste safely and effectively.| The Indian Express

THE NEW NORMAL LIFESTYLE

Taiwan offers fake flights for travel-starved tourists

Taiwan has emerged relatively unscathed from the pandemic, but has advised citizens not to travel overseas unless absolutely necessary.A Taiwanese airport has offered an amazing solution for all the starving tourists. It issues a fake itinerary where you check in, go through passport control and security and even board the aircraft but just never leave. Around 7,000 people applied to take part, the winners chosen by random. The airport is using the event to reveal the renovations completed while passengers have stayed away, and show what coronavirus-prevention steps they are taking.|Reuters

‘Augmented reality’ mirror allows touchless cosmetics shopping

An augmented reality (AR) mirror at the new Seoul flagship boutique of cosmetics powerhouse Amorepacific makes it easy to check which makeover suits you – even if you’re wearing a face mask. The mirror takes a photograph of the customer’s face and analyses it, recommending products based on skin texture. Customers can then see a computer-generated image of how they would look, wearing the desired makeover. To minimise human contact and virus spread, the shop has put QR codes next to products on display, so customers can check their description using their phones.| Reuters

Where can we get authentic information about Coronavirus?

Was Bulletin 11 Informative? Let us know your suggestions

KARE COVID-19 Response 

KARE is now supporting the front-line workers through local government by providing Food, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) & sanitizers made in-house at the Kumaraguru Institutions. KARE is also connecting the farmers with communities who would required vegetables in bulk.

KARE COVID-19 Response So Far 

  • 40038 Cooked meals
  • 2259 Volunteering hours clocked
  • 10 Tons of Vegetables transacted so far
  • 28+ Number of Farmers impacted so far
  • 500kg Rice
  • 1200 Liquid sanitizer packs
  • 2500 Masks
  • ₹ 4,95,141 Funds Raised
  • ₹ 6,50,000 Funds Spent
  • 57000+  Lives Impacted

Impact areas: 

Chinnavedampatti, Saravanampatty, Vellaikinar, Sathyamangalam, Sulthanpet, Paapampatti, Sulur, Thondamuthur, Narasipuram, Kangayam, Coimbatore & Pollachi.

TO MAKE A DONATION

KARE Bank Account Details

Account name: KCT KARE
Account number: 1245155000078376
Bank: Karur Vysya Bank
Branch: KCT Extension Counter
IFSC: KVBL0001245
Bank address: Kumaraguru College of Technology, Chinnavedampatti,Coimbatore – 641036

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