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 
 
India393,78732,394,947442,669
World18,792,465201,449,7184,634,549

VACCINE & TESTING

Highest Ever Vaccination achieved in a single day 

Under the nationwide vaccination drive on 27th August 2021, India had administered more than one crore COVID-19 vaccination doses, which was the highest ever vaccination achieved in a single day since the start of vaccination drive, said the Health Ministry in a release. The Ministry had also written to Kerala and Maharashtra governments asking them to ensure that adequate preventive measures to check the prevention of COVID-19 are followed during the upcoming festival season. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had written to Chief Secretaries of Kerala and Maharashtra on adopting a 5-fold strategy for controlling COVID-19 cases in the two States. |The Hindu

Now, book CoWIN appointment via Google Search, maps

In order to increase the COVID-19 vaccination coverage, Google will now be providing detailed information on vaccination, slot-booking, availability etc.. Starting this week, Information about the vaccine availability and vaccination slot appointments for over 13,000 locations in the country would be provided through Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Assistant. In addition to English, users can also search in eight Indian languages including Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu,  Malayalam, Kannada, Gujarati, and Marathi. Google reported that it will continue to partner closely with the CoWIN team to extend its functionality across all vaccination centres in India. |Livemint

Biological E.’s COVID-19 vaccine approved for children and adolescents 

Biological E. Limited, a Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company has been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to conduct further trials of its vaccine Corbevax on children and adolescents. Corbevax is the third India-made vaccine that may be available for use in children. Corbevax is based on a vaccine technology of a protein antigen, in this case the spike protein, which binds to the Angiotensin Converting Enzyme-2 (ACE2) receptor on the host cell membrane. |The Hindu

RESEARCH

COVID-19 vaccines and blood clots: What researchers know so far

Blood clots are uncommon in young people, and it’s even rarer to see a combination of blood clots and alarmingly low levels of platelets that help to form clots. Vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) is a life-threatening and mysterious condition that affects a very small number of people who have received the Oxford–AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccines. Despite fervent work by researchers, the mechanism that links the vaccines and VITT is still uncertain. Establishing a mechanism could reveal ways to prevent and treat the condition, and improve the design of future vaccines. Various researches were conducted and the results suggested that the mechanism behind the vaccine-linked syndrome was similar to that of HIT, a syndrome that is characterized by low platelet counts and sometimes blood clots. However, here the trigger seemed to be the vaccine rather than heparin. |Nature 

ICMR to conduct research on linkage of COVID-19 and cancer

The Indian Cancer Research Consortium, a research collaboration established under Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is all set to conduct research on COVID-19 and cancer. The consortium works towards identifying the gaps in cancer research in India by bringing together all stakeholders. People suffering from cancer are highly vulnerable to COVID-19. The Technical Advisory Group of the Consortium has identified six thematic areas – prevention and epidemiology, diagnostics, therapeutics, palliative care, base biology and innovation. |Live Mint

Ivermectin doesn’t cut viral load in COVID-19 patients

According to a study published in the Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy, the antiparasitic medicine Ivermectin did not reduce the viral load or duration of symptoms in patients with COVID-19 even at higher doses. This was shown in a randomised control trial of 157 patients admitted with mild to moderate disease at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) during the first surge of infections between July and September last year. Since Ivermectin is known to prevent antiviral replication, the researchers wanted to see whether the viral load drops or whether the duration of symptoms reduced after giving the medicine. |Hindustan Times

EDUCATION

Vaccination camps for teachers begin in Government schools 

The Department of School Education organised vaccination camps for teachers and parents in government schools in association with the Health Department for which 12,000 Covishield doses and 2,550 Covaxin doses were allocated. In Corporation limits, 9,400 Covishield doses were allocated for the camps. Prior to the camps, the government schools organised Parent Teacher Association meetings to brief the parents on COVID-19 safety protocols. In 259 government and aided schools, around 75% of the teachers have taken at least one dose of the vaccine and efforts to ensure 100% vaccination coverage among teachers by August 31 will be taken, according to the officials. |The Hindu 

ECONOMY

Waning COVID-19 cases helped India’s economy steady in July

India’s economy held steady in July as waning COVID-19 cases paved the way for a gradual improvement in manufacturing and services activity. Exports rose 49.8% year-on-year in July. Two positive takeaways are the return of demand for petroleum products, with shipments jumping 231%, and gems and jewelry exports growing 131%. Retail auto sales, a bellwether of consumer demand, posted robust sales. Relaxation in restrictions and a lower-than-expected hit to the economy from the second wave of the pandemic is fueling hopes of a faster recovery in coming months. |Times of India

India’s economy bounced back more than it went down during COVID-19 : PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India’s economy has recovered strongly as compared to the impact it suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He pointed out that during the disruption of global supply chains, India introduced the PLI (Production linked incentive) scheme to turn new opportunities in favour to the country. This scheme is announced for 10 key sectors by the Centre, aiming to help the country’s economy recover faster after the pandemic. As per the data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), India’s economic growth surged to 20.1 percent in the April-June quarter of this fiscal. |Business Standard

MENTAL HEALTH

Healthcare staff face COVID burnout

The COVID-19 pandemic has left a long-lasting impact on the mental health of the healthcare workers (HCWs). Although the pandemic curve has flattened now, doctors claim that the healthcare workers might need urgent mental health support in view of the anticipated third wave. During the first and second wave, the HCWs had to isolate themselves from their families to avoid COVID-19 transmission. This severely interrupted their family life and relationships. In a survey conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), it was revealed that the respondents who had anxiety and depression were more likely to be HCWs. Hence, experts suggest that the mental health of caregivers should also be prioritized. |Hindustan Times

TECHNOLOGY

Detecting airborne COVID-19: The machine that sniffs the air 

In the aviation industry alongside other safety measures new technology is currently being trialled by Teesside International Airport using a machine which is able to detect airborne COVID-19 particles. The device provides data in real time by sucking in air which is then turned to liquid to genetically sequence. By sucking in air at 400 litre per minute and condensing the biological materials into a single droplet of water, Next Generation Sequencing allows the genome to be read and compared against a database of existing pathogens stored within the system. The Teesside International airport is currently one of the first airports, as well as buildings, to trial the new technology with hopes that the trial will provide helpful information for further airport inclusion. |Airport Technology

Where can we get authentic information about Coronavirus?

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Bulletin 51 Team

  1. Architha R
  2. Hind R Chetwani
  3. Shabnam S
  4. Shivani S
  5. Vaishnavi Bose S

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.

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