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, cyclones, 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

FROM KCT’S INNOVATION HUB

KCT iQube innovates a Touch-Free Sanitiser Dispenser

A group of students from iQube (A KCT Student’s initiative) have developed a low cost, touch-free sensor-driven sanitizer dispenser. Two models have been created. The first is a press model sanitizer in which the sanitizer(Capacity: 800ml – 1500ml) can be mounted to the developed device. It is battery operated with an output capacity of around 1ml per push. The second model is a pump model with a capacity of 3L- 15L which can be attached in larger community areas. This automated and touch-free viable alternative helps in avoiding the transfer of virus and other bacteria.| iQube 

STATISTICS

India vs the World – A war against the Virus

COVID-19
 		Active Cases
 		Recovered
 		Casualties 
 
India 467,163886,23532,096
World         5,610,9639,827,142645,296

The above graph depicts the average growth rate of active cases in India. There was a resurgence but now it has started reducing and the growth rate of active cases are at 3%. | Prof.Shamika Ravi

The above graph depicts the death rate per million people in various states due to COVID-19. The all-India death rate is found to be 21.8 per million cases. | Prof.Shamika Ravi

FROM THE PM’S DESK

Skill, reskill and reskill

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Digital Skills Conclave on World Youth Skills Day and exhorted the youth to skill, reskill and upskill in order to remain relevant in the rapidly changing business environment and market conditions. Congratulating the youth on World Youth Skills Day and the fifth anniversary of ‘Skill India’ mission, he stated that the world belongs to them due to their ability to acquire new skills all the time.| Times of India


SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

National Unity and Global Solidarity

On July 10, 2020, the very first digital health worker – Florence was introduced to the world which helps dispel myths around COVID-19 and helps people quit tobacco through a personalized plan. The Access Initiative for Quitting Tobacco will help people freely access the resources they need to quit tobacco. WHO is in the final stages of adding more partners and encourages pharmaceutical and tech companies to join this initiative.| WHO

Shudh – A quick disinfection helper

Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K), has developed an Ultraviolet (UV) sanitising product named ‘Shudh’ that can disinfect a room in 15 minutes. The smartphone operated Handy Ultraviolet Disinfection Helper or Shudh has six UV lights of 15 watts each that can be individually monitored from a distance. It can be run with Bluetooth technology. Also, one can control the speed and location with a smart phone by installing an android application.| Business Insider

Telecommunication to keep the contagion at bay

The on-going pandemic has resulted in humans seeking help from technological advances like UVD Robots to QR codes to not only get back to our normal lives but also our economy, back to stability.Thermal imaging cameras and HealthWeather maps help in detection of abnormal temperatures and thus alert users to maintain distance. Triax Technologies developed connected wearable devices to provide distancing alerts.Swisscom is using anonymised cellular location data to manage crowds.| Geospatial World

VACCINE AND TESTING

Nasal COVID-19 Vaccine

While most of the 160 COVID-19 vaccine candidates under various stages of development are conventional intramuscular injection, several research groups and firms, including in the United States, Canada and India, are working on nasal Coronavirus vaccines. Instead of a jab into the upper arm, these types of vaccines will be delivered to the respiratory tract, either via a nasal spray or aerosol delivery.| The Indian Express

Russian University Claims Successful Trials Of 1st COVID-19 Vaccine

The Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University began clinical trials of the vaccine produced by Russia’s Gamalei Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology on June 18 and has successfully completed tests on volunteers of the world’s first vaccine against Coronavirus.The safety of the vaccine has been confirmed and the further vaccine development plan is already being determined by the developer”s strategy added a director at the university.| NDTV

‘World’s most affordable’ COVID-19 test kit

Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Minister of State (HRD) Sanjay Dhotre launched a low-cost COVID-19 test developed by Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT) Delhi on Wednesday. The test, Corosure, has been billed as the world’s most affordable probe free RT-PCR based COVID-19 diagnostic kit.| Hindustan Times

INITIATIVES & STARTUPS

Karnataka start-ups launch six indigenous products

Six startups, incubated at the Bangalore Bio-innovation centre (BBC), have come up with products, all aimed at fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. India was importing some of these products, so far. All the 6 products have been approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for immediate use. Antimicrobial face-wash containing herbal antimicrobials herbal products to kill any virus, including COVID-19 on a person’s face was one among the products approved.| Your Story

RESEARCH

Research suggests Coronavirus might cause or worsen Diabetes

Researchers cite Various studies that link SARS and Autoimmune conditions like Type 1 Diabetes(T1D). Clues from an experimental study in miniature lab-grown pancreases published in Cell Stem Cell suggests that the virus might trigger diabetes by damaging the cells that control blood sugar. This paper also shows that the virus can infect the organoid’s α- and β-cells, some of which then die. Whereas β-cells produce insulin to decrease blood-sugar levels, α-cells produce the hormone glucagon, which increases blood sugar.| Nature

Drugs targeting the SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibits viral replication

A paper published in Cell research shows Certain drugs like Boceprevir, GC-376, and calpain inhibitors II, and XII were identified to have activity against the virus within human cells grown in the laboratory. These drugs target the main viral protease. Without this protease, the virus cannot replicate and infect new cells. This enzyme had already been validated as an antiviral drug target for the original SARS and MERS, both genetically similar to SARS-CoV-2. The compounds identified provide promising starting points for the further development of SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics.| Nature

PUBLIC HEALTH

Airborne transmission of COVID-19: WHO issues new guidelines

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday issued new guidelines on the transmission of the novel Coronavirus acknowledging some reports of airborne spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. The guidelines stated that understanding how, when and in what types of settings the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads between people is critical for developing effective public health and infection prevention measures to break chains of transmission.| NDTV

Food security and COVID-19

It is unsaid that the plight of the farmers is very pitiful mainly due to the low global demand for cash crops which is the main source of rural income. With no income in hand and basic needs not being met, the World Bank Groups is attempting to tone down the situation by collaborating with governments and international partners. This article also covers the hot spot areas of food insecurity, food policy responses, locusts and prevention.| The World Bank

BUSINESS

Reliance Partnering With Centre For Mega-Scale COVID-19 Testing

Reliance Foundation is partnering with the government and local bodies for conducting mega-scale COVID-19 testing across the country and will volunteer for nationwide distribution of its vaccine when it is found, its Founder and Chairperson Nita Ambani said on Wednesday. She added that Reliance and BMC have also established India’s first 100-bed exclusive COVID-19 Hospital in Mumbai within a record time of two weeks| NDTV

Bill Gates’ belief on the Indian Pharma Industry

Speaking in a documentary — COVID-19: India’s War Against The Virus, Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates said that India faces a huge challenge due to the health crisis because of its gigantic size. Commenting on the strength of India’s pharma industry, he said, “India has a lot of capacity there — with the drug and vaccine companies that are huge suppliers to the entire world. I am excited that the pharmaceutical industry there will be able to produce not just for India but also for the entire world.”| Economic Times

ECONOMY

Unprecedented trade measures and the Global supply chain

With the spread of virus spiking,the government has efficiently taken steps to keep a check on it’s spread which is taking a toll on international trade. While there has been a resultant limit to the transportation and logistics, the government has also introduced a trade policy to help maximize the availability of essentials on a national scale. These measures coincided with WHO’s measures however by mid-April, the curve of adopted measures began to ‘flatten’.It is crucial to continue monitoring the measures, as their dismantling appears to be more gradual than their enactment.| International Trade Center

Where can we get authentic information about Coronavirus?

Was Bulletin 12 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

  • 43038 Cooked meals
  • 2359 Volunteering hours clocked
  • 10 Tons of Vegetables transacted so far
  • 500 Grocery Kits
  • 28+ Number of Farmers impacted so far
  • 500 kg Rice
  • 1400 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