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

India vs the World – The race to stop COVID-19

COVID-19 Total Cases Recovered Casualties  
India411,727228,18113,277
World8,914,7874,738,542466,718

The above graph represents the number of cases and tests done per million people.

  1. Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Telangana – given their caseload – need a lot more testing.
  2. To control the pandemic – India needs to control the hotspots – which are still contributing 2/3rd of the new cases and should test more. | Prof.Shamika Ravi

The above graph shows the confirmed cases across the country.

  1. As the total number of cases are rising, the growth rate of active cases = 2.5% – hence cases are doubling every 28 days.
  2. After a considerable decline to 1.3% (54 days), this has been rising again in the last 4 days.


India’s COVID-19 recovery rate shows improvement

Despite an unprecedented rise in coronavirus cases, the recovery rate in India has improved to 53.79%. India now has more than two lakh people successfully cured of the coronavirus infection. According to the Health Ministry, the positive trend in the daily numbers shows an increasing rate of recovery and an increasing gap between active and recovered cases. The states with most casualties after Maharashtra are Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.


SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Researchers at IIT develop a low-cost rapid test kit

Researchers at IIT Hyderabad have developed a handy COVID-19 testing kit that uses a method alternate to the conventional PCR technique. It can deliver the results in 20 minutes in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. The test kit has been developed at a cost of Rs 550 and is expected to reduce during mass production. While a patent has been filed for the test kit, the team has sought approval from ICMR and is conducting clinical trials.| Times of India


IISC develops an online self-assessment tool for workplaces

With the lockdown restrictions reducing, and the organisations commencing their functions, the IISc in collaboration with the Karnataka  State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has devised an online self-assessment tool that helps organisations put in place with pandemic specific policies. It would help organisations compare with others and take proactive steps towards mitigating the pandemic.| The Hindu


CSIR-NCL develops swab for COVID-19 testing

Nasopharyngeal swabs were among the medical equipment that India imported from European countries. The CSIR – National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) has developed the prototype of a swab after the government flagged the need for an increased number of swabs. It consists of a cylindrical plastic stick with a brush-like tip of synthetic bristles. Since it is manufactured in India, it would cost 25 percent lower than the imported ones.| Indian Express


MEDICINE

Emergency drug Remdesivir gets government approval

India’s drug regulator has cleared antiviral remdesivir for emergency use in COVID-19 patients. Remdesivir, an adenosine analogue manufactured by America’s Gilead Sciences will be administered as part of a five-dose regimen,  the Drugs Controller General of India said. Remdesivir was granted emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration last month. But the drug showed only small benefits in a large trial of moderately ill patients.| Reuters


Roadmap of vaccine development

USA – Moderna, A Massachusetts based pharma company has developed a vaccine” mRNA-1273” which has shown promising results in clinical trials and is looking to start the final phase of trials as early as July.
UK – British based Biopharma giant, AstraZeneca has started to mass-produce AZD1222 vaccine (known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) up to 2 billion doses by September. For this purpose, it has made agreements with Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi and The Serum Institute of India.

University of Queensland – Partnered with CSL to produce up to 100 million doses of vaccine which uses “Molecular clamp technology”

Japan – The health minister of Japan recently stated the country aims to have COVID 19 vaccines in use by June 2021, before hosting the Olympics(in Tokyo) which was originally planned for this summer.

Singapore – Researchers are developing therapeutic monoclonal antibodies as well as a Vaccine which have started clinical trials. Apart from this, the researchers have developed serological and nucleic acid-based diagnostic tests which are used in over 20 countries.| Indian Express


Dexamethasone – An effective drug against COVID-19

Dexamethasone, a cheap and widely available corticosteroid, used to reduce inflammation has shown to reduce deaths among people with severe respiratory complications of COVID-19 in RECOVERY(Randomized Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy) trials. For people on ventilators, It reduced deaths by one third(1/3rd). For patients who require oxygen, it slashed the risk of death by one fifth(1/5th). This drug seems to reduce damage from cytokine storms.| University of Oxford


EDUCATION

Preparing for civil service exams amidst the pandemic

By constantly working towards shifting modes of education from offline to online from the last few years, Ms. Shubhra Ranjan, director of Shubhra Ranjan IAS Academy says that their online platform has taken 5 years to what it is today. The online classes for civil services follow a structured pattern, mock tests happen online with scheduled doubt clearing sessions with faculties. Then there are faculty dashboards, guidance blogs, performance analysis matrix and many other such tools. This helps students have a streamlined approach to their exam preparation | The Hindu


The first AI-based bot to proctor practice tests

“Har Ghar Pathshala” is a program launched by Himachal Pradesh to educate government school students through online channels. Using WhatsApp, they connected 95% of nearly 15,000 schools with the department of education and planned for broadcasting the learning materials through television and radio. Despite having several challenges, the website received over 3.3 crore page views and more than 28,000 courses have been completed which shows the faster adoption of technology by the government.| News 18


PUBLIC HEALTH

The successful “Bengaluru model”

Bengaluru city has had just below 450 cases of COVID-19 infections, way less than what cities like Chennai and Mumbai report in a single day. This video clearly explains whether it was sheer luck, or is there a successful ‘Bengaluru model’ that worked. They were only unique in their method of implementation. The driving force was the health department who never turned down any suggestions and had immense trust in the experts.| The Quint


COVID-19 bomb defused in Mumbai’s Dharavi

Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum has handled the pandemic wisely. A great effort by Mumbai’s civic body along with the local medical association was helpful in isolating and quarantining possible cases from early on. In the absence of testing kits, the doctors’ team used oximeters to check the oxygen level among the ones being tested. Those with low oxygen levels(<98%) were investigated and quarantined as they were the possible asymptomatic carriers.| Livemint


Best practices for home-quarantined COVID-19 patients

With the lack of admitting capacity for corona patients in the hospitals, the need for home quarantine tips & strategies is increasing. Some good practices followed during home quarantine can expedite the recovery process, while protecting other people in the family. Even simple things like the right diet, eight hours of sleep, adequate hydration, and maintaining a positive attitude can help in the recovery process. | The Indian Express


ECONOMY

India to see recession due to worsening consumption

With a 40 basis point rate being cut, aggressive measures are being taken to tackle this major damage done which will take years to recover from. Both the sides of the market forces being collapsed, along with several other indications like negative real growth and unemployment, a recession is very obvious. Investments reduced might be a threat to potential growth.| The Print


Carmakers rev up of launches to get out of the rut

With the prediction of a 20% decline in the automobile sales this year, new models are lined up to be launched in the next 6 to 9 months, carmakers hope to attract buyers for the products with which aggressive price tags come with easy financing options. Product upgradation along with new products like sports cars, luxury cars and SUVs are to be launched.| Economic Times


EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING

Children face mental health difficulties amidst lockdown

Co-SPACE conducted a survey for the Parents of Kids aged 4 – 10 years which reported that children’s behavior had got worse over time, with an increase in behaviors such as temper tantrums, arguments, and children not doing what they are asked. Survey results are helping researchers identify what protects children from deteriorating mental health, over time, and at particular stress points, and how this may vary according to child and family characteristics. | Oxford University


Startups ensure mental illness isn’t a lonely battle

Mental health care facilities for many are inaccessible due to factors such as affordability, lack of awareness and so on. In order to make mental healthcare available to all and help people take care of their well-being, many startups and social initiatives have taken up the cause. Few such active Women-led startups like Heart It Out, Your Dost, Thriive Art & Soul, The Happiness Project, NowandMe, Poddar Foundation address people facing depressions, stress & anxiety with certified psychologists and therapists. | Your Story, Mental Health


Global mental health in the time of COVID-19

The GlobalMentalHealth@Harvard initiative is prioritizing actions to transform and build resilient mental health care systems globally using certain strategies. As the experts predict, Investing in mental health enables each individual to regain hope for the future. It will also contribute to making societies healthier, economically productive, and socially cohesive. There cannot be a more important investment in the face of the most serious crisis to test the global population in a century. | Harvard Medical School


CLARIFICATION

There was an article in the previous bulletin that mentioned the suspension of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) trials by WHO based on Lancet study. We clarify that the mentioned Lancet study has been retracted recently as the primary data could not be furnished by the scientists. This has also brought speculations on how a prestigious peer-reviewed journal “The Lancet” having an impact factor as high as 59.102 could encounter such issues. It also points out the race among medical journals to publish new research content that leads to gaps in data validation. These have been explained in detail by The Print in the attached video.
Click to watch the video: How the 200-year reputation of a medical journal has been ruined!

Where can we get authentic information about coronavirus?

Was Bulletin 9 Informative? Let us know your suggestions


KARE COVID19 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 – 21.06.2020

  • 40038 Cooked meals
  • 2259 Volunteering hours clocked
  • 10 Tons of Vegetables transacted so far
  • 28+ Number of Farmers impacted so far
  • 500kg Rice
  • 1200 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.

Volunteer yourself

TO MAKE A DONATIONKARE 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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