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

STATISTICS

India vs the World – Fight against a deadly virus

COVID-19
 		Active Cases
 		Recovered
 		Casualties 
 
India585,9201,231,68239,002

World
6,072,717
11,690,670
697,435

The above graph depicts the new cases across the states with 8000+ cases. Maximum daily new cases continue to come from Maharashtra > Andhra Pradesh > Tamil Nadu > Karnataka > Uttar Pradesh. Overall containment needs successful containment in Maharashtra.| Prof.Shamika Ravi

The above graph shows the average growth rate in cases across India. Active cases are declining (finally)… The Growth rate is now at 1.7% and doubling in 41 days.| Prof.Shamika Ravi

India’s case-fatality rate ‘progressively falling’, among the lowest in world

India’s COVID-19 case fatality rate is “progressively falling” and is currently at 2.49 percent, which is one of the lowest in the world, credits to efficient clinical management of hospitalized cases. There are 29 states and union territories with a case fatality rate (CFR) lower than India’s average, with five of them having a CFR of zero and 14 having a fatality rate of less than 1 percent. The focused efforts of the Centre and state and UT governments on efficient clinical management of hospitalized cases have ensured that India’s case fatality rate has fallen below 2.5 percent, the Union Health Ministry said.| Tribune India

MEDICINE

Coldzyme deactivates 98.3% of COVID-19 virus: Study

A Swedish life science company Enzymatica has announced that the preliminary results of a study showing the ability of a mouth spray ColdZyme to deactivate the virus causing the COVID-19 pandemic. ColdZyme can offer a protective barrier against harmful viruses in the oral cavity, The medical device ColdZyme is a mouth spray that forms a barrier in the oral cavity against common cold viruses. The barrier solution of the device is mainly composed of glycerol and Atlantic cod trypsin. If this would be actuated into a plausible solution, then the cure to the pandemic will definitely be in our hands literally real soon.| CNBC

VACCINE AND TESTING

Phase I and II human trials of COVAXIN to begin in AIIMS

The DCGI has given permission to conduct Human trials of 2 indigenous vaccines – COVAXIN and ZyCov-D. Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has selected 12 sites for conducting Phase I and II human trials of Covaxin. AIIMS has approved for starting Human trials which are a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. The phase I study will consist of about 375 volunteers. These trails have started in AIIMS, Patna and other sites.| Financial Express

ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine induces immune response – Lancet

A Phase I/II trial was conducted for the AZD1222 vaccine with 1077 participants (543 – ChAdOx1; 534 – MenACWY ). Some of the key findings are
1) The vaccine produced both Antibodies and T-cell immune response which lasted for at least 56 days. This could be greater after a second dose of the vaccine, as found in a sub-group of 10 participants.
2) Neutralizing antibodies were detected after 28 days.
3) The vaccine caused minor side effects more often than in those who got a control vaccine(MenACWY ).|Lancet Study

List of Indian vaccines and their current standings

Here are 5 Indian vaccine candidates who have got approval from the WHO to undergo different stages of testing and clinical studies.
COVAXIN – Developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL), in collaboration with ICMR and NIV, Pune. Has started Phase I and II human trials.
ZyCoV-D – Developed by Ahmedabad-based pharma company, Zydus Cadila has got approval to start human trials.
Indian Immunologicals Limited(IIL) – ILL with Griffith University, Australia is developing a COVID-19 vaccine which is still in the preliminary stage.
Mynvax – Bengaluru-based pharma company has announced about developing a protein-based vaccine and applied for 15 crore grant from BIRAC 
Serum Institute of India(SII) – AstraZeneca tied up with SII for Mass production. The production has begun.| India

PUBLIC HEALTH

COVID-19 patients are turning to ‘smell therapy’

People who have lost their sense of smell during the coronavirus pandemic are now turning to “smell therapy”. Smell training uses four essential oils – rose, lemon, clove, and eucalyptus – to stimulate and amplify the nerves in your nose responsible for smell. For it to be effective, recovering patients are advised to sniff each bottle for up to 20 seconds, twice a day, for a minimum of four months.“You just need to get people to really focus and concentrate on what they’re smelling, for it to work,”said the founder of AbScent, a UK charity.| Business Insider

N95 masks with valves can be detrimental for preventing COVID-19

The health ministry today has warned against “inappropriate use of N95 masks, especially those that contain respiratory valves”. The use of valved respirator N95 masks is detrimental to the measures adopted for preventing the spread of Coronavirus as it does not prevent the virus from escaping out of the mask.”In view of the above, I request you to instruct all concerned to follow the use of face/mouth cover and prevent inappropriate use of N95 masks,” Rajiv Garg, the director-general of health services, ministry of health added.| Livemint

STARTUPS

Setting new benchmarks in online education

Harappa Education was formed early in 2018. It is a platform that provides learners with cognitive, social, and behavioral skills. The COVID-19 pandemic brought a new focus to online education but Shreyasi says Harappa is different from other players in the market. She explains, “Most of the MOOCs convert an offline course into online, and sell it at a lower price. On the other hand, we are offering a different curriculum, which does not even exist in the offline world.”| Your Story

RESEARCH

mRNA-1273 vaccine induces an immune response against SARS-CoV-2

Moderna mRNA-1273 is one of the leading candidates in COVID 19 vaccine trials. This messenger RNA based vaccine was found to be safe and provoked anti–SARS-CoV-2 immune responses in all 45 volunteers. “The hallmark of a vaccine is one that can actually mimic natural infection and induce the kind of response that you would get with natural infection. And it looks like, at least in this limited, small number of individuals, that is exactly what’s happening,” said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases.| NEJM 

Immune response as the primary cause of death

Autopsy based study conducted on 11 people who’ve died from COVID 19 shows that the areas affected by the virus do not correspond to sites of immune response and organ failure. 37 distinct anatomical sites were sampled to identify the viral genetic element(RNA) distribution and host immune responses. It was found that some tissues fostered the virus but were not inflamed, whereas others were damaged but did not contain high levels of the virus. The test concluded that death in COVID-19 is primarily a consequence of immune-mediated, rather than pathogen mediated, organ inflammation and injury.| medRxiv

India’s first case of Mother to fetus transmission of SARS-CoV-2

Pune’s B J Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital reported the country’s first case of vertical transmission when a 22-year-old pregnant woman gave birth. The infant was tested positive and started developing symptoms within 24 to 48 hours and had fever, lethargy, and signs of severe COVID-19 disease, along with abnormal blood tests suggesting severe inflammation. This is the first proven case of transplacental transmission and it is unclear whether and how SARS-COV-2 can be transmitted from the mother to the fetus.| Indian express

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

How digital gaming became a serious business

Live sports currently facing a worldwide stagnancy, all avid action, and sport seekers have turned to the side of the Online games and this has created a new rise in the Indian Gaming Scene as a prospective seeing a boom. Currently, the industry valued at less than $1 billion is seeing a 41% growth per year and would be valued at $3.75 Billion by 2024, and leaders in the field say, almost 2 million new jobs can be created within a matter of few years, much needed in a country with a rising youth population. Factors for such a trend of huge takeovers are seen due to the widespread availability of the Smartphone which is in the hands of almost every commoner.| Economic Times 

BUSINESS

COVID-19 disrupts govt’s sell-off plans

The Market disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the government to extend bid deadlines multiple times for its showpiece privatization programs of BPCL and Air India, while stake sale of other state-owned companies is also facing delays. This will affect the disinvestment targets for the current year, as big-ticket stake sales may take time to materialize. Divestment of the government’s 52.98 percent equity stake in BPCL forms a key part of its Rs 2.1-lakh crore disinvestment target for the current fiscal year.| The Indian Express

66% of construction firms in India focusing on digital transformation

Construction firms are facing challenges caused by the pandemic, including low productivity, affected margins, and lowered investment in R&D forcing them to adapt to technology faster. To respond to local demand, India construction companies are quickly learning best practices from their peers in more developed markets, which includes knowledge of technologies such as building information modeling (BIM) and its benefits, the survey said.| The Hindu

MENTAL HEALTH

Treat the mental health of kids online or offline?

Many people may have not explored the option of online therapy, also known as teletherapy before Covid-19. Until recently most of the online therapy sessions were catered more for adults and not children, although there were plenty of therapists who have been using online therapy to reach out to rural areas and people with acute illnesses. But online therapy is available for children and even more now with the Covid-19 pandemic hitting us.| India Today

ENVIRONMENT

Households to cut, store waste masks for 72 hours before disposing

In the latest guidelines on disposal of COVID-19 waste, pollution watchdog CPCB has directed that masks and gloves used by everyone, whether infected or not, should be cut and kept in paper bags for a minimum of 72 hours before disposing of them. Additionally, isolation wards, including temporary healthcare facilities, must keep separate color-coded bins to maintain segregation of waste and use a dedicated bin to collect and store COVID-19 waste PPEs such as goggles, face-shield, splash-proof apron, plastic coveralls, hazmat suits, gloves used in COVID-19 isolation wards must be collected into a red bag.| Indian express

Where can we get authentic information about Coronavirus?

Was Bulletin 13 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
  • 2259 Volunteering hours clocked
  • 10 Tons of Vegetables transacted so far
  • 28+ Number of Farmers impacted so far
  • 500 kg Rice
  • 1300 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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