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 vs the World – A rebellion against COVID-19

COVID-19Active CasesRecoveredCasualties 
India230,183370,41418,089
World4,299,0196,089,156521,211

The above graph illustrates how the number of active cases are changing over time. The growth rate of active cases has reduced to 2.8% after the four phases of lockdown.| Prof.Shamika Ravi

The above graph depicts the states which contribute more to the existing number of cases. Among the states, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi have a steep rise in the number of cases day by day.| Prof.Shamika Ravi


FROM THE PM’S DESK

In his address to the nation on June 30th, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana till November end, helping over 80 crore people to avail 5 kg free food grains. He stated that this extension will cost over Rs 90,000 crore. PM Modi further added that despite the rise in COVID-19 cases, India is still in a very stable situation due to timely decisions taken by the government. However, he also said that ever since Unlock 1.0 started in the country, negligence in personal and social behavior has also been increasing. | Indian Express


SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

From dining pods to see-through masks: Growth of innovation

The pandemic has brought in many challenges and demarcations like social distancing rules and shortage of staff. These are leading to simple yet brilliant innovations in the field of robotics used for restaurant deliveries, cleaning, and so on. Some of the notable prototypes include masks with plastic windows over the mouth, making it possible to lip-read, glass housing to protect dining companions and “Ugo”, a robot that kills viruses using UV radiation.| World Economic Forum

Thinking ahead: Shipping containers as vaccination units

A vaccine for the COVID-19 pandemic has not yet been discovered, but the UK is already preparing mobile vaccination centers for the post-vaccine scenario. The units can go into the heart of remote communities, or be set up in clusters in towns and cities. The key objective is to avoid infection, so the architect suggests that it would be ideal to have small, secure spaces that can be easily disinfected and where people can receive their vaccination with minimal contact with others.| The Hindu

Self-cleaning mask that can kill the virus in it

      Click the image to play video

Israeli researchers say they have invented a reusable face mask that can kill viruses and can disinfect itself. They claim that this is done using a low-level heat transmitted from a standard phone charger. When the charger is connected to the USB port in the mask, it heats up the carbon fibers in the mask to 65 – 70 degrees which is more than enough to kill the viruses. It has also been found that the mask takes 30 minutes to eliminate the virus.



MEDICINE

Covaxin – India’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate

India’s top drug regulator, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, has allowed Bharat Biotech India (BBIL) to conduct human clinical trials for ‘Covaxin’, making it the first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine candidate to receive this approval, the firm said. These trials are scheduled to start across India in July. Covaxin is a vaccine candidate developed by BBIL against the novel Coronavirus(COVID-19) in collaboration with National Institute of Virology(NIV) under the Indian Council of Medical Research.| The Indian Express

Favipiravir – The New proposed COVID-19 Medicine

Favipiravir is an antiviral drug and it is approved in Japan for treating influenza. It is currently being tested in 18 clinical trials for COVID-19 and results from two studies have shown a positive outcome, while data from other trials are awaited. Based on Phase-3 data, a company has obtained approval for the manufacture and marketing of antiviral drug Favipiravir, which has been branded as FabiFlu, an oral medication. |News18

Explained: The drugs being used for treating COVID-19

While there is no specific proven treatment for the novel Coronavirus yet, patients are being administered different drugs that were approved for treating other diseases. With pharmaceutical companies launching generic versions of Remdesivir and Favipiravir for COVID-19 treatment, it has been found that they help reduce viral load but are not “game-changers”. | The Indian Express


INITIATIVES & STARTUPS

Indiarath, a borderless incubator

Indiarath, a borderless incubator, was launched on Thursday to help Indian entrepreneurs create, sustain and scale their ventures globally amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. Founded by Yatin Thakur, Arjita Sethi and Upasna Dash, the 24-week long incubator program, that starts from July, will have personalized sessions and coaching to enable startups to navigate any business challenge across verticals | Live Mint

Dhoondh – An initiative for Plasma Therapy

Dhoondh, started by two friends, Adwitiya Mal and Mukul Pahwa, is a website that matches plasma donors in New Delhi with COVID-19 patients in need. Plasma therapy uses antibodies from people who have recovered from COVID-19 to treat patients suffering from the virus. This process also helps to boost the patient’s immunity. However, in the case of Coronavirus, plasma therapy is still considered an experimental treatment and is only used to treat critical patients. | Dhoondh

Paramilitary forces on the frontline to donate plasma

The COVID-19 warriors from the Indian forces have taken an initiative to help in the recovery of other fellow people infected with the virus. There are over 2,000 paramilitary personnel who have recovered from the COVID-19 virus. Many of them who have recovered are now queuing up across the country to donate plasma for those patients still undergoing treatment. Around 100 ml plasma is taken from each individual and the process takes around 40 minutes.| NDTV

How Myntra rode the COVID-19 storm

Myntra realised that there is a need for loungewear and leisurewear as people are working from home and spending time in front of their computers. To keep its customers further engaged, the company also began pushing content online, on how to stay fit at home and DIYs (do-it-yourself) videos on a range of issues. This  has increased engagement and the traffic on Myntra’s website is back again to its pre-COVID-19 days. |Live Mint


PUBLIC HEALTH

Health tech startups use AI, ML to combat coronavirus

From automated health assessments to machine learning-powered diagnosis, healthcare tech startups like Innovaccer, Qure.ai and TruFactor are leveraging the power of the cloud to develop new technologies to combat COVID-19. Mumbai-based Qure.ai, Trufactor, a subsidiary of InMobi Group, Aiisma, a data marketplace, US-headquartered healthcare technology startup Innovaccer and many more have developed technologies which help in community-based service for COVID-19 | Live Mint

Masks can prevent the second wave of COVID-19

Demonstrating how masks can cut down the risk of transmission, a medical researcher conducted a simple experiment using agar cultures. As evident, it was seen that the plate with the agar culture attracted far more droplets (ergo, the bad bacteria and viruses being expelled out of your mouth) every time he coughed or sneezed. On the other hand, wearing a mask was able to contain almost all of the viruses.| Times of India


EDUCATION

Education and Efforts – UNESCO

Education transforms lives and is at the heart of UNESCO’s mission to build peace, eradicate poverty and drive sustainable development. Living up to its goal the UNESCO has been taking action on a large scale in response to the schools closure due to the pandemic. Some of them are selection of digital learning resources for governments, informative webinars for education ministers regarding inclusive education and surveys, partnerships and region based responses.| UNESCO

IIT degree now offered online

In a big leap towards online education delivery across the country in the times of COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian Institute of Technology(IIT), Madras has launched an online diploma and BSc programme in data science and programming. Unlike the eligibility criteria for a traditional course, the online degree has no age limit and the only qualification is a pass in class 12 or intermediate. | ET Government


RESEARCH

Old Drugs Could Reveal a New Way to Attack the Coronavirus

A team of researchers imaging cells infected with SARS-CoV-2 have noticed some strange filopodic behaviour. Seen through an electron microscope, the filopodia resembled the sprouting tubers of a long-abandoned potato. The tendrils were gnarled and extended, branching outwards at the tips. And all along them were buds of the virus. They seemed to be hitching a ride—part of their onward journey to nearby cells.| Wired


EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING

Times of Uncertainty – Care for Yourselves & Others

The mental health impact of this pandemic has been universal. Dr. Shekhar Saxena, Professor of Global Mental Health Practice at Harvard T.H. School of Public Health shared with the World Happiness Fest’s webinar that the threat of this pandemic to the happiness and well-being of people is broader than initial estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other agencies, whose samples were limited to individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 or were previously sick.| Harvard Global Health Institute

Coping with stress

Fear and anxiety about a new disease and what could happen can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children. Public health actions, such as social distancing, can make people feel isolated and lonely and can increase stress and anxiety. However, these actions are necessary to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Coping with stress in a healthy way will make you, the people you care about, and your community stronger. | CDC


ECONOMY

Implications of COVID-19 on Business

The following are some of the many points that the article touches upon with regards to disruption in the business sector. The insurance sector has survived this pandemic while the software industry hasn’t in terms of profitability. With expectations of the demand to revive , and regaining trust in big brands, companies prepare to adapt and emerge stronger in the next normal. Many small businesses might permanently shut down. With the article expanding to various other implications, these are the main pointers that one must look into.| McKinsey & Company

India’s economy is ailing from more than COVID-19

According to the International Monetary Fund, India will be one of the largest economies worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fund now says that Indian GDP in the ongoing financial year, which began in March 2020, will contract by 4.5%. Just a few weeks ago, it had been predicting 2% growth for the year. The IMF’s projection is by and large in line with estimates from investment banks and other international organizations. | Economic Times

Where can we get authentic information about Coronavirus?


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