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-19Active Cases Recovered Casualties  
India102,60142,307,686513,843
World63,327,745367,162,4215,970,656

VACCINE AND TESTING

Factors that will define future after the pandemic

COVID-19 might end this year, however, people won’t get rid of the virus, but will learn to live with it, like other respiratory viruses. WHO Director-General said that the COVID-19 pandemic will end in 2022 only if we end inequity. The longer inequity continues, the higher will be the risk of viruses evolving in ways that can’t be prevented or predicted. He also added that by the end of the year, people will get over the health impacts of coronavirus. |Live Mint

New data shows Omicron is spreading and infecting those with a booster dose as well

Omicron is spreading in populations where individuals who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 and are now being vaccinated with booster doses. Studies are underway to fully determine vaccine effectiveness. Specific mutations in the omicron variant affect the receptor-binding domain and N-terminal domain of the spike protein, which might, paradoxically, increase binding to ACE-2 while evading antibody recognition. |Live Mint

RESEARCH

COVID-19 vaccine efficacy limited against Omicron, says study

Researchers from the Medical University of Vienna examined an Austrian subpopulation of vaccinated and recovered individuals for their antibody status and protection against previous strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Findings reveal that both the groups have no antibody protection against the Omicron variant. Researchers noted that the best protection would be to develop a broadly effective combination vaccine that protects against both the previous variants and Omicron but until then only repeated vaccination will provide some protection. |India Today

Omicron BA.2 is bad news: Expert explains 3 reasons why subvariant can be as lethal as Delta

A recent study shows that Omicron subvariant BA.2 has features that make it capable of causing severe illness. The BA.2 subvariant shows immune escape properties just like BA.1 and is resistant to treatments like sotrovimab, the monoclonal antibody. The World Health Organisation warns that the BA.2 coronavirus is surging faster than the previously identified strains and it is more transmissible than BA.1 but there is no difference in severity between the two. |Live Mint

EDUCATION

Coping up with the transition from online to offline exams

Without being in classrooms for the last two years, students have been anxious about their upcoming board exams. The transition from online to offline examinations is daunting, and to cope with the fear and lack of concentration, students are advised to take up mock tests. Special attention and counselling has to be given to students who were affected by COVID-19 in various aspects. Emotional and learning support during examinations, especially in these challenging times is a must. | News 18

Role of Pre- primary education in preventing COVID-19 learning losses 

A new study has shown that pre-primary education is essential in preventing ‘alarming’ learning losses due to COVID-19. From a study, researchers found that among pupils who entered primary education immediately after schools reopened, learning losses were far less severe if they had been in pre-primary education prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. The report urged governments to widen access to quality pre-primary education and to make it central to education recovery planning.  |The Print

ECONOMY

Tamil Nadu economy bounces back from COVID 2.0 

Tamil Nadu economy has staged a strong comeback from the impact of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.  According to provisional data from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), Tamil Nadu’s total revenue receipts as of Q3FY22, stood at ₹1,33,873 crore or 66 per cent of the budget estimates for FY22. The Centre’s monthly GST collections stayed upwards of ₹1.25-lakh crore from October 2021. It touched a high of ₹1.38-lakh crore in January 2022. The recovery in the stamp and  registration fees suggests an improvement in the real estate market. |The Hindu

LIFESTYLE

Eight changes that the world needs to make to live with COVID-19

Improve ventilation to prevent future variants. Vaccinate the world with long-lasting and more variant-proof vaccines. Invest in global surveillance of new COVID-19 variants. Add permanent surveillance of infection rates. Invest in understanding, preventing and treating COVID-19 impacts. Investment in health systems is urgently needed, particularly in winter seasons. Countries need to invest more in reducing inequalities: in health, housing, workplaces and education. Excellent national surveillance systems will help rapidly identify an outbreak and understand how much ill health is being caused and immunity evaded. |The Conversation

MENTAL HEALTH

As schools reopen, attention towards the mental health of children is important

Experts agree that returning to school can also cause social anxiety in children.  Children may also face trouble matching up to their peers academically. Hence, parents must stay vigilant about reluctance in children in going to school or avoidance of academic curriculum. It is important to understand that visiting mental health professionals or hospitals may be more likely only when mental illnesses manifest in unmanageable emotions and behaviour that parents and caregivers may not be able to address at home. |Indian Express

Where can we get authentic information about Coronavirus?

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Bulletin 63 Team

  1. Architha R
  2. Delma M D
  3. Hind Chetwani Z
  4. Lakshana B
  5. Mahisharthi V
  6. Shabnam S
  7. Shivani S
  8. 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