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

COVID-19
 		Active Cases
 		Recovered
 		Casualties 
 
India418,38430,810,634424,362
World14,926,490179,138,4214,229,647

VACCINE

India says it will meet end-July domestic vaccine supply target

India will meet its target of supplying more than half a billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to states by the end of this month, said the Health Ministry. The government told the country’s highest court last month that 516 million doses would be made available by end-July, an important milestone for its goal of inoculating all of India’s estimated adult population of 944 million this year. India has administered nearly 438 million doses since mid-January, the most in the world after China but less than many countries relative to population. It has given the necessary two doses to 94 million people – 10% of the adult population. |Reuters

Proposal in the Parliament – Vaccination Drive for children 

“India will start vaccinating children against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from August,” said Union minister for health and family welfare, Mansukh Mandaviya. All Indians aged 18 years and above are being vaccinated currently since the vaccination programme started in January this year. The European Union and the United States have already authorised COVID-19 vaccines manufactured by Moderna, Inc and Pfizer-BioNTech for children aged 12-17 years and 12-15 years. | Down to Earth

CMC Vellore to conduct a mixed vaccine trial

The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved a clinical trial, to be conducted by the Christian Medical College, Vellore, to evaluate if a mixed vaccine combination can work as opposed to the current policy of both doses being the same vaccine. India has administered 45.6 crore vaccine doses so far of which nearly 88% are Covishield. With limited supplies of Covaxin, a mixed dose regime may help cover a supply shortfall. |The Hindu 

RESEARCH

New COVID-19 variants take shape in bodies of patients, finds study

The researchers analyzed samples of COVID-19 patients from two different time periods of the pandemic. Single nucleotide variation (SNV) is a substitution of a nucleotide building block. The team observed 18,146 iSNV sites spanning the viral genome, including residues of the virus that were prominent. The team also found iSNVs in around 87% of the sites in the spike protein that have been recently reported to confer antibody resistance. These mutations can have major implications in vaccine response as they could alter the immunogenicity. |Times of India 

COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing firms being encouraged to conduct paediatrics study

Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin is doing research. Zydus Cadila has submitted its data. Biological E and Novavax are also encouraged for pediatric study after giving safety and efficient data for adults. “Vaccines for children should come out now as trials in India are already underway for vaccines that are available in India and Bharat Biotech’s trial is in the final phase”, says Dr Guleria. The first trial was started in the age group between 12 to 18. Trials in the age group between 2 to 12 are currently underway. |ANI 

ECONOMY

IMF skims over non-viral risks to global economy

If a new wave of infection hits poorer economies in the second half of this year, or if a super-contagious variant surfaces at the same time as the pace of inoculations slows in developed countries, both would be bad for the global economy. “The emergence of highly infectious virus variants could derail the recovery and wipe out $4.5 trillion cumulatively from global GDP by 2025,” IMF Chief Economist Gita Gopinath said. The problem for the International Monetary Fund(IMF), whose latest economic update focuses on huge risks that COVID-19 still poses to the global economy and consequently pays less attention to some of the other potential pitfalls that may also lie ahead. |Reuters

IMF cuts India’s GDP

The International Monetary Fund cut India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth to 9.5 percent for fiscal year 2021-22, from the previous forecast of 12.5 percent, citing the hit on economic activity and demand due to the second wave of the COVID-19 and the Growth prospects in India have been downgraded due to the same. For fiscal year 2022-23, the IMF expects economic growth of 8.5 per cent. Economists say that “The global economic recovery continues, but with a widening gap among advanced economies and many emerging markets and developing economies.” |Money Control

EDUCATION

Educational Sectors adopt Mixed- mode examinations 

‘The State of Online Examinations 2021 Report 2021’ was released by Mercer | Mettl, a global leader in online talent Assessments and remotely proctored examinations of respondents, voting it as their priority. The report underlines how online examination platforms enable universities and colleges to offer exams for various subjects, posing diverse question types, including subjective, graph-type, and multiple-choice questions. The pricing of online examination platforms is also not a concern for most respondents. With a mix of remote online exams and traditional centre-based tests, the hybrid model of exams is the way forward in 2021 and beyond, according to 63% of educational institutions participating in the survey. |India Today

Embracing the Digital Revolution

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed India to the brink of a crisis, with unemployment rates touching a record high of 27.1% last year. On the other hand, the pandemic has ushered in a long-awaited era in India’s economy – the digital revolution. With media-houses looking for young journalists who can use their smartphone to report from their homes and coding being spread across remote areas – one thing is clear, future jobs require skills for the future. So, learning digital skills , starting business by utilizing the power of online platforms and freelancing may be helpful for those seeking employment. |India Today

ENVIRONMENT

In one year, India generated 56,000 tonnes of bio-medical waste 

India generated 56,898 tonnes of COVID-19 bio-medical waste between June 2020 and June 2021. Maharashtra generated the maximum at 8,317 tonnes, followed by Kerala, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. To track COVID-19 bio-medical waste (BMW) and ensure safe disposal, the Ministry developed COVID BMW, an app. Data with the central pollution control board shows peak generation of about 250 tonnes per day (TPD) was reported when the second wave was at its peak. Experts point out that there is no clarity on the end point of bio-medical generated by people in home isolation. |Times of India

Where can we get authentic information about Coronavirus?

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KARE COVID-19 Response So Far

43038 Cooked meals
2279 Volunteering hours clocked.
10 Tons of Vegetables transacted so far.
28+ Number of Farmers impacted so far.
640 Helpline Calls.
500 Grocery Kits & 500 kg Rice
50+ hours of student mentoring & 8 Gadgets
1400 Liquid sanitizer packs
5500 Masks
₹ 4,95,141 Funds Raised.
₹ 6,50,000 Funds Spent.
63000+ Lives Impacted

Impact areas: 

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

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