At 135, biggest one-day rise in Omicron cases

At 135, biggest one-day rise in Omicron cases

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

28.12.2021

India’s Omicron tally went well past the 600-mark after registering the highest single-day count of 135 cases on Monday even as the highly infectious variant of coronavirus spread to two new states, Goa and Manipur, thereby affecting a total of 20 states and Union territories.

In Goa, an eight-year-old boy who arrived in the coastal state along with his father from the UK about 11 days ago was found to be infected with Omicron. In Manipur, a 48-year-old man who returned to Imphal West district from Tanzania recently tested positive for the virus.

Delhi recorded 63 fresh cases, the highest to be recorded in a day by any state in the country so far, taking its total tally to 142, second only to Maharashtra which has 167 cases, including 26 detected on Monday. Delhi and Maharashtra alone account for 46% of the total 671 infections. Gujarat is the third worst-affected state with 73 cases followed by Kerala, which has 57 cases.

Dr Suresh Kumar, medical director of Delhi’s LNJP hospital, which is the capital’s largest facility for treatment for Covid-19 patients, said that 85-90% of the patients are asymptomatic while others have very mild symptoms. In Maharashtra, 11 of the 26 fresh cases are from Mumbai. Other states which confirmed new Omicron cases on Monday were Gujarat (24 infections), Telangana (12), Uttarakhand (3), Rajasthan (3) and Haryana (2).

HC: Govt school teachers have no right to seek re-employment

HC: Govt school teachers have no right to seek re-employment

Chennai:28.12.2021

Government school teachers retiring in the middle of an academic year do not enjoy any right to be re-employed for the rest of the year concerned, Madras high court has ruled.

Re-employment is not a matter of right and once the teacher attains the age of superannuation, the relationship between master and servant ceases, said a division bench of Justice S Vaidyanathan and Justice R Vijayakumar.

“A coordinate bench of this court on March 16 has categorically held that the state has passed another GO dated December 20, 2018 to the effect that teachers who attained superannuation during the middle of the academic year, will not be entitled to reemployment, when there are surplus teachers,” said the judges, allowing a state government appeal against a single judge order in favour of two teachers.

The government school teachers attained superannuation during the middle of academic year 2019-20. Citing a GO dated October 27, 1988, they claimed re-employment for the rest of the academic year. As the request was rejected, they moved the high court.

Opposing the plea, the government contended that there are surplus teachers on the same subject.

Refusing to concur, a single judge of the court relied on the 1988 GO and held that the teachers can be re-employed in the same school for the welfare of the students. tnn

TN sets aside land to build own Siddha University

TN sets aside land to build own Siddha University

Chennai:28.12.2021

Tamil Nadu government has identified a place to construct a Siddha University and has set aside 19.6 acres belonging to Madhavaram Dairy in TN co-operative milk producers' Federation limited, health minister Ma Subramanian said on Monday. The university building will be constructed in 12-18 months, he added.

During the 2021 budget, the state had announced that it would construct a “model” university for Siddha that can set standards for academics and research. “An administrative building for the university will be opened for now in a fortnight,” he said. Earlier, the health minister inaugurated a data cell at the directorate of Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy. The state has set aside more than 1,500 covid care centres where patients are administered Indian medicine as part of infection treatment protocol. “The data cells will collect statistics that can be used as evidence for research and for publication in international journals,” he said. TNN

Booster dose only after 9-12 months of second shot? Centre to release guidelines by Monday

Booster dose only after 9-12 months of second shot? Centre to release guidelines by Monday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Saturday announced a 'precaution vaccine dose' for healthcare and frontline workers and those above 60 with co-morbidities.

Published: 27th December 2021 02:25 AM 

A police officer, left, watches as a family gets their their photograph taken in front of a barricade near the gate of Sacred Heart Cathedral which is closed to general public in Delhi. (Photo | AP)

By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Though the process to administer a booster dose to healthcare and frontline workers will begin on January 10, beneficiaries may be eligible for it only 9-12 months after the second dose.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Saturday announced a “precaution vaccine dose” for healthcare and frontline workers and those above 60 with co-morbidities.

Officials in the Union health ministry on Sunday said the blueprint of the precautionary shot in the vaccination policy is being worked out and could be announced by Monday.

“From the scientific evidence point of view, it makes sense not to offer the third dose to everyone but to those who are 9-12 months away from their last vaccine dose,” said a senior official in the health ministry.

“All this will be clear once we come out with details of the additional vaccination strategy,” the officer added.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh reported their first Omicron cases on Sunday and Maharashtra recorded 31 more cases, pushing the state’s tally to 141, the highest in the country.

Himachal Pradesh’s first Omicron case is a fully vaccinated 45-year-old woman who returned from Canada. In Madhya Pradesh, as many as nine cases have been confirmed among the 26 foreign returnees who recently tested positive for the coronavirus in Indore.

Haryana and Chandigarh, too, reported more Omicron cases on Sunday. Omicron has pushed several states to reimpose Covid-19 restrictions.

On Sunday, the Delhi government decided to bring back the 11 pm to 5 am night curfew. Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Karnataka have also reimposed night curfews.

5,125 MBBS, 200 BDS seats tentatively available for 2021 Admissions in Tamil Nadu, View detailed seat matrix here

5,125 MBBS, 200 BDS seats tentatively available for 2021 Admissions in Tamil Nadu, View detailed seat matrix here: Chennai: Tamil Nadu Government has recently released the tentative seat matrix in the government medical and dental colleges along with the ESIC Medical College and PGIMSR affiliated to Dr....

Omicron hits MP, HP, tally tops 500-mark

Omicron hits MP, HP, tally tops 500-mark

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

27.12.2021

India’s Omicron count crossed the 500-mark and stood at 504 on Sunday even as the highly infectious variant of coronavirus spread to two more states — Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh — taking the number of affected states and UTs to 17.

Madhya Pradesh reported nine cases, all of them foreign travelers. MP home minister Narottam Mishra confirmed on Sunday that Omicron cases were detected in the state, hours after TOI had published a report in its edition in the morning that a private lab at Indore had confirmed eight cases. Later in the day, a 23-year-old man who had returned from Dubai on December 17 also tested positive for Omicron.

“All nine Omicron cases are fully vaccinated, including one from the US who has taken a booster dose. Six have been discharged and the other three are either hospitalised or in home isolation,” Indore chief medical health officer Dr BS Saitya said. Himachal reported its first case — a 45-year-old woman who had arrived from Canada on December 3 – just a day before PM Modi’s scheduled public meeting in Mandi.

Kerala reported maximum daily cases on Sunday with 19 patients testing positive for the variant, taking the state’s total tally to 57, the third highest in the country after Maharashtra (110 cases) and Delhi (79 cases). Rajasthan and Gujarat have 49 cases each. As many as 16 of the fresh cases detected in Kerala on Sunday returned from abroad recently while three of them are patients’ contacts. Haryana reported seven new cases raising the state’s tally to 13.

TOI Survey Finds 86% Of Cos Will Stick To Hybrid Model

Missing office? Wait to swipe in just got longer

TOI Survey Finds 86% Of Cos Will Stick To Hybrid Model

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

27.12.2021

If you were looking forward to going to office regularly in the coming year, you may be disappointed. Most organisations (86%) will continue to follow a hybrid work model in 2022, according to a poll by TOI, which surveyed companies across sectors.

Some companies, who are in minority, have expressed hope of returning to the pre-pandemic normalcy. This, however, would depend on the Covid situation easing. All FMCG & IT companies in the poll have adopted the hybrid way of working. Among automobile manufacturers, four out of the six surveyed said they have adopted the hybrid way, reflecting the current realities.

Once PepsiCo India decides to resume office, it will follow a hybrid work model for its office-based staff. “A large majority of our employees find resonance in this model of work and, with employee centricity and flexibility at the core of the business, we shall adhere to work that works for our employees,” said PepsiCo India CHRO Pavitra Singh.

Maruti Suzuki India executive board’s member Rajesh Uppal said, “This hybrid model is way more productive and effective and we’ve learnt this structure through the pandemic which we will sustain.”

Hyundai Motor India’s current model is a mix of workfrom-home and a staggered work (with differentiated work time). The company said it aims to keep work-from-office at an optimum 50:50. It has been working on a futuristic model, which is being done in a cocreated way, with workgroups (such as its ‘millennial board’) involving employees and managers reimagining ‘work, workplace & people at work’.

To ease employees into the change, L’Oreal India has initiated an internal campaign called ‘Reconnection’, so teams learn, and contribute to the new ways of working. Marico has adopted the hybrid work model under ‘ways of work’ design for the long term, with currently 20-25% of its corporate office employees coming in on an alternate week roster model, which the company expects to continue.

“At GSK, we believe that availing flexibility does not trade off business delivery, rather it acts as a catalyst for enhanced business performance,” GSK Pharma EVP (HR) Chinmay Sharma said.

TVS Motor uses flexible attendance rosters where some functions are categorised under alternate week patterns, while others have alternate days. The company said its investments in building robust digital infrastructure have helped find a suitable long-term operating model for a more balanced hybrid approach for the future.

A Hero MotoCorp spokesperson, however, said the company, which regularly monitors the dynamic situation, will take a call on future work models towards the end of January 2022.

Mahindra & Mahindra said it will evaluate the situation and return to office fully only when it is safe to do so. On whether the company hopes to return to the pre-pandemic work style of 100% attendance in office, a spokesperson said, “We hope that will be the case.”

TCS said it is committed to the 25x25 model — no more than 25% of the employees will need to work from the office at any given point, and an employee will not need to spend more than 25% of their time in office — by 2025. At present, less than 10% of its associates are working from offices.

Science Vs Coronavirus, Again

NEW YEAR MUSINGS PANDEMIC

Science Vs Coronavirus, Again

New vaccine technologies will be developed, and India will be key player in battle against variants

K Srinath Reddy

27.12.2021

Even in the new year, will there be fear? Or will the pandemic descend the slope, as we fervently hope? Will vaccines win the game, even if variants don’t stay the same? Or will we still need to seek safety behind a mask, as taming the wily virus is no easy task?

I have been posed these questions, which are on everyone’s mind. I will start with the disclaimer that uncertain elements of virus behaviour and inconsistent elements of human response dim the images on my crystal ball. However, science provides a light to navigate through the thickets of available facts and posit a plausible path that the pandemic may take during 2022.

Omicron arrived on the world stage in November, replacing the prospect of joyful jingle bells in December with blaring alarm bells. Early studies show that it is milder in virulence but far more infectious than its dreadful cousin Delta which devastated India in the first half of 2021 and is still on a world tour in the western hemisphere.

While individuals may be at a lower risk of severe disease with Omicron, the total number of severely ill persons will still be high if very large numbers get infected by the new variant which is reported to have high capability for escape from prior immunity. Even a small fraction of a large mass of infected persons will yield numbers that will stress our health and social systems.

Recent news from South Africa, that their outbreak of Omicron has been short-lived with case counts coming down, is reassuring. While this decline needs to be sustained, for us to be certain that Omicron is a breezy batsman that does not last long at the crease, the prospects for 2022 do not appear as gloomy as they appeared in mid-December.

As India is just beginning to experience the Omicron effect, we will get to know to what extent the ‘hybrid immunity’ conferred by the Delta wave and the still-advancing vaccination programme offer protection against Omicron-induced illness if not infection.

For India, the first quarter of 2022 will be challenging, with elections and festivities that will draw crowds despite virus warnings. Will people at least wear masks, for protection as they abandon physical distancing? If the initial case counts do not rise steeply, Covid-appropriate behaviour may not find enthusiastic adherents, resulting in a sharp rise in cases later. We will get the reality check by February.

New vaccines will enter our supply chain after completing trials and securing regulatory approvals, as viral variants stimulate innovation. The task of completing double dose vaccination for all eligible adults will be a priority.

January 2022 will see a third dose protection commencing for sections of the population who are at high risk of exposure (frontline health workers) or high risk of severe illness (elderly individuals with co-morbidities). Vaccination will also commence for children in the 15-18 year age group from January 3. India will scale up vaccine development and manufacture for domestic and global use.

Globally, search for new vaccines will continue. Despite being high performers in clinical trials, the mRNA and virus vector vaccines are now demanding additional ‘booster’ doses to provide protection against variants which emerged after the trials. Their current versions are being tweaked to counter recent variants, but will they hold ground against other variants that may emerge later?

Adverse effects of these vaccines, infrequent though they may be, are a matter of concern as boosters are advocated. Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis) and blood clotting disorders (thrombotic thrombocytopenia) are complications of concern. Sub-unit protein vaccines and inactivated virus vaccines may become the preferred options for boosters next year.

Concern that spike protein specific vaccines are becoming less effective against variants with spike mutations will lead to development of multi-antigen vaccines. Besides the inactivated whole virus vaccines, laboratory developed vaccines with an ensemble of several viral antigens are in the trial pathway, with the nucleocapsid protein being a prominent target. India’s growing scientific prowess will play a larger role in vaccine development.

Recently, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in the US successfully completed the Phase 1 clinical trial of a pan-corona vaccine which targets all Covid and SARS variants, including Omicron and SARS-1. This soccer ball shaped Spike Ferritin Nanoparticle Covid-19 vaccine has 24 faces, which allows spikes of multiple coronavirus variants to be attached. If it completes the multi-phase clinical trial journey successfully, it may become one of the preferred vaccines.

New antiviral drugs will also be developed and trialled, besides those that have received WHO approval in 2021. Therapeutic approaches to effectively treat symptomatic Covid will improve, for home and hospital care. Telemedicine will see amplified potential and extended use. Investment in health system strengthening will see increased infrastructure and improved surveillance systems, with the challenge of limited health workforce beginning to get addressed. With uncertainty about new variants persisting, mask mandates will continue for several months, even as other restrictions ease.

The virus will continue to mutate. If we widely adopt Covid-appropriate behaviours and vaccinate equitably across the world, we can exert evolutionary pressure on the virus to mutate to an even milder form. The virus will follow the logical path of evolutionary biology if we travel on the road of rational public health policy. We may then not need a Covid-related prediction for 2023.

The writer, a cardiologist and epidemiologist, is President, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI). Views are personal

This is the first in a multipart series of commentaries on how 2022 may shape up for India and Indians

It’s about time to reopen schools

It’s about time to reopen schools

Children must return to schools to gain a sense of normalcy, to bridge the content-specific learning gap

Sonal.Srivastava@timesgroup.com

27.12.2021

After being shut for almost two years, schools are now gradually reopening across the country. There has been a massive learning loss, hence students must return to the physical classes to let teachers remedy it. They also need to return to schools for their mental and physical well-being, extracurricular and co-curricular learning, which often take a backseat during online classes.

Children have also developed a lackadaisical attitude towards classes and exams. “We are noticing that many children have become obese; parents also have to go back to their workplaces as the offices are reopening. We have to learn to live with the pandemic, closing the schools cannot be the solution to overcome pandemic-related problems. Peer interaction is also important for children’s all-round development,” says Jyothi Menon, head of school, Ekya School, ITPL Bengaluru.

Though virtual learning has ensured that the learning of students doesn't stop, but it cannot create a strong bond between students as a traditional classroom does. “Physical school also provides numerous opportunities for students to hone their skills in the co-scholastic arena, collaborate with their peers and build a sense of connectedness,” says Bonny Bhansali, principal, The Green Acres Academy, Chembur, Mumbai, elaborating that students are missing out the chance to connect informally with their classmates and teachers be it during the break or the sports period. Teachers have also had a difficult time juggling personal and professional responsibilities, but largely they have benefitted from adopting digital technology. Bhansali says that this is a great time for all schools to adopt 'agile' approaches. “An agile or improvement science approach allows us to continuously improve through cycles of planning - implementing - reflecting. This is especially important in uncertain, complex, and fast-changing situations, which we are in now,” she says, adding that schools can plan for a short term and reopen in a staggered manner.

Talking about the studies conducted over the past year to assess the learning loss, Ted Mockrish, head of school, Canadian International School, Bengaluru, says that it is important for students to return to their cohort of classmates, as they provide support to closing content-specific gaps.

Demand-supply gap key to vacant faculty posts in IITs

Demand-supply gap key to vacant faculty posts in IITs

Reverse brain drain has affected the number of quality faculty

Rajlakshmi.Ghosh@timesgroup.com

27.12.2021

The Education ministry has recently pointed out that over 10,000 faculty posts are lying vacant in central universities, IITs and IIMs. While much has been written about the challenges facing central universities, the IITs and IIMs may also be facing a similar predicament. Statistics claim 3,876 full-time faculty posts are lying vacant in the 23 IITs, with around 32 ST, 183 SCs and 462 OBC faculty posts lying vacant. At the IIMs, 403 posts across 20 IIMs are lying vacant, while collectively, the IIMs have 5 SC, 27 ST and 45 OBC faculty posts lying vacant.

Sarit K Das, institute professor, IIT Madras, and former director IIT Ropar attributes it to the demand-supply gap that was there even two decades back. “Just as the number of IITs have gone up—from 5 to 23—so have the number of students and the demand for quality faculty. Even though several faculty have been recruited in the last five years, the gap in faculty posts continues.”

Merit counts

The vacant posts are also due to the IITs’ stringent selection criteria and meritocracy culture, he says. “If the IITs do not get the right candidate with proper academic and research credentials, they would rather keep the post vacant than fill it up with a candidate who falls short of expectations.”

Lacunae exists

“Even as the demand for quality faculty is going up, the availability of quality faculty is not increasing at the same rate despite reverse brain drain and the impetus given to research. Following the recommendations of the Anil Kakodkar Committee report on the future of the IITs 5-6 years ago, the intake of PhD scholars had almost doubled in the IITs. But these scholars would need another 3-5 years to complete their post doc which is a key requisite for IIT posts, hence the lacunae will continue to exist,” Das adds.

Location factor

The faculty vacancies may also be location-driven, he says. “The IITs or IIMs in the bigger cities find it easier to attract the right candidates as compared to similar institutes in Tier II and Tier III cities since spouse’s employability, children’s education and medical facilities matter in the final decision-making process. Even though visiting faculty may help fill the gaps albeit temporarily, less faculty translates into more teaching and administrative responsibilities for the existing faculty which results in less time for quality research.”

Fulfilling norms

“Filling up of faulty posts is a continuous process”, says BS Sahay, director, IIM Jammu, stressing that the IIMs too are selective in recruiting the right candidate. The prospective faculty needs to have a PhD from a top-ranking institute, along with impressive publications.

Civic body wants colleges to enforce social distancing

Civic body wants colleges to enforce social distancing

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:27.12.2021

To counter the threat from the Omicron variant, the Greater Chennai Corporation has asked colleges and universities in the city to ensure physical distancing in classrooms, labs, libraries and hostels. “Since schools and colleges have resumed classes, it has been observed that in many institutions, there is poor compliance with wearing masks among the students and teaching staff in classrooms and many instances of nonmaintenance of social distancing,” corporation commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi said in his letter to deans, registrars and heads of institutions on Friday.

“With Omicron variant spreading rapidly, any Covid inappropriate behaviour will increase the risk of spread of infection,” the letter said.

It also asked colleges to avoid cultural events and functions involving crowding of students and to encourage the use of disposable plates in hostels and canteens.

However, city colleges said it will be difficult to follow social distancing while conducting physical classes.

“It is difficult to maintain social distancing in normal mode with students attending physical classes six days a week. If colleges are allowed to conduct classes in dual mode, we will be able to maintain social distancing,” said Madras Christian College principal Paul Wilson. He said colleges will space out the offline exams if cases increase. DG Vaishnav College principal S Santhosh Baboo said most of the students above 18 years were vaccinated. “If vaccination is allowed for those below 18 years after January 3, we will ask all our first year students to take the jab. Then our campus will be fully vaccinated,” he said.

18 suspected Omicron patients discharged

18 suspected Omicron patients discharged

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:27.12.2021

As many as 18 out of the 34 Covid-19 patients, who were infected by the new Omicron variant, have been discharged from hospitals. All the remaining active cases, who had a S-gene drop and suspected to be infected with Omicron, are undergoing treatment. This included actor Vadivelu and some members of his film crew, who returned from the UK recently. Chief minister M K Stalin on Sunday inspected infrastructure, amenities and availability of medical oxygen here to tackle the Omicron strain. Around 1.15 lakh beds are ready, and steps are being taken to create another 50,000 beds if warranted, said an official release.

In Tamil Nadu, 610 tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday -- this was marginally higher than the numbers reported in the last two days. Chennai topped the chart with 171 new cases. With ten more people dying, TN's death toll increased to 36,735. But the state has received applications from 42,600 people for the CM's ex-gratia of Rs50,000 for every covid victim. The government claims that 20,900 have received this amount till date. It has spent Rs104 crore towards this.

As far as vaccination is concerned, more than 17.3 lakh people got inoculated through the state's 16th mega vaccination camp on Sunday. Among them, nearly 70% got their second doses. TN still has more than 90 lakh people who are still due for their second dose. The release said that 58% of the state's vaccine-eligible population have got their first dose and 86% were fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, the government is gearing to begin administration of booster doses for frontline workers and vaccination for children (aged 15 to 18). Health minister Ma Subramanain said TN has over 1.4 crore frontline workers and they will start getting booster shots from January

10. For children (15-18 age), health officials will vaccinate them at their respective schools and special camps.

Nine new Covid-19 cases in Puducherry

Puducherry:

Puducherry logged nine fresh Covid-19 cases on Sunday, taking the tally to 1,29,415, while the toll remained at 1,880 with no fresh fatalities being reported from any of the four enclaves of the Union territory. Puducherry accounted for the maximum number of cases

(8), while Mahe reported one. Karaikal and Yanam reported nil infections, Director of the Department of Health G Sriramulu said in a release. Active cases stood at 127, of whom 34 patients were in hospitals and the remaining 93 in home isolation, he said.

PTI

Third dose will be of same vaccine as two earlier shots

Third dose will be of same vaccine as two earlier shots

9-Month Gap After Second Jab Required

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:27.12.2021

Nearly three crore health and frontline workers are estimated to be eligible in January for the ‘precaution dose’ of Covid vaccine that will be administered with a gap of nine months from the second dose, official sources said.

As of now, the third jab that will also be given to around three crore people aged above 60 with co-morbidities will be of the same vaccine that one had received in the first and second instances.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, on Saturday, announced that Covid vaccination of children aged between 15 and 18 will begin on January 3, whereas administration of “precaution doses” of Covid vaccines to health and frontline workers as well as for those above 60 with co-morbidities will begin from January 10.

However, few of the elderly people may be eligible for the third dose in January after completing the ninemonth gap.

Around six to seven crore children in the age bracket of 15-18 years will be eligible to receive Covaxin from January 3.

Self-discipline key to fighting Covid: PM

In his Mann Ki Baat on Sunday, PM Narendra Modi said self-awareness and self-discipline as well as collective strength of citizens are important in the battle against the virus. Crossing the140-million vaccine mark is an achievement of each and every Indian, he said. P 10

CM Stalin reviews preparedness

Chief minister M K Stalin on Sunday inspected infrastructure, amenities and availability of medical oxygen in Chennai to tackle the Omicron variant. Around 1.15 lakh beds are ready, and steps are being taken to set up 50,000 additional beds if required, said a release. P 6

‘Call on mixing of doses will be based on clinical trial results’

ZyCoV-D Vax Is Still Not Part Of Govt’s Programme

An official said, “Any decision on mixing of doses will be taken based on clinical trial results. CMC Vellore is conducting trials to assess the efficacy level if vaccines developed on different platforms are mixed for the booster dose. If they come up with any interim findings, that will be considered but as of now the same vaccine will be administered as the third dose.” Besides, around six to seven crore children in the age bracket of 15-18 years will be eligible to receive Covaxin from January 3.

The nationwide Covid immunisation programme was first rolled out on January 16 this year with preference to health and frontline workers in the first phase. Vaccination of those above 60 started from March 1. While initially the gap between two doses of both Covishield and Covaxin was 28 days, it was later increased to 6-8 weeks in March and 12-16 weeks in May for Covishield.

Since Covishield accounts for majority of the nearly 89% of the total over 141 crore doses administered in the country so far, it is estimated that a maximum of one crore people above 60 with co-morbidities would complete the nine-month gap in January. “Our estimates suggest almost all of the health and frontline workers would be eligible for the third dose. However, it may still take a few more weeks from January 10 for those above 60 with co-morbidities to become eligible after completing the nine-month gap between the second and third doses,” the official said.

While Zydus Cadila’s DNAbased vaccine ZyCoV-D has also been approved for use in children above 12 years, the vaccine is still not part of the government’s programme.

Full report on www.toi.in

TAKING NO CHANCES: A healthcare worker collects a nasal swab sample for Covid-19 testing in Prayagraj on Sunday

Jabbing of 15-18-year-olds based on scientific assessment: NTAGI chief

-Sushmi Dey

New Delhi:

The government’s decision to start Covid immunisation of children in 15-18 age bracket is based on scientific assessment of local as well as global data that shows 75% of Covid deaths in children during the last two years have been in this age group, National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) chairman N K Arora said.

“Assessment of data from last two years shows 75% of deaths in all children — less than 18 years — due to Covid-19 are among 15-18 years. This is also the age when children also interact more with other adults. So, youngsters behave more like adults and worldwide, the vaccination is given step wise in this manner. We have also done vaccination on the same scientific principles. Our own data shows that complications among children below 18 years are concentrated in the age bracket of 15-18 years. This is the reason for prioritising this age bracket for vaccination in children,” Arora said.

Tamil Nadu farmer’s daughter gets scholarship of Rs 3 crore

Tamil Nadu farmer’s daughter gets scholarship of Rs 3 crore

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

27.12.2021

Swega Saminathan, 17-year-old daughter of a farmer from Erode, Tamil Nadu has received a full scholarship worth Rs3 crore to pursue a bachelor’s degree at the University of Chicago (UChicago) in the US. Born and brought up in Kasipalayam village in Erode district, Swega will be the first from her family to go to college. At UChicago, Swega plans to study Biology to become a scientist. Swega was groomed by Dexterity Global, a national organisation powering the next generation of leaders through educational opportunities and training. The Rs 3-crore full scholarship will cover Swega’s entire cost of study for four years – tuition, room and board, books and supplies, health insurance, personal and travel expenses, etc. On receiving the scholarship, Swega said, “This is unbelievable! My father is a small farmer and mother is a housewife. I grew up in small villages of Tamil Nadu where girls are married by the time they are of my age. They don’t get to see what college looks like. And, I will have the privilege of studying at the world’s top most institution on a full scholarship worth Rs3,”says Swega.

Maternity leave for PhD students can help

Maternity leave for PhD students can help

This provision enables students experience psychological ease and develop zeal for academic excellence

Astha.Hemant@timesgroup.com

27.12.2021

The UGC directed the VCs of universities to frame appropriate rules and norms in relation to granting maternity leave and attendance-related relaxations to women students in UG and PG programmes. Most central universities have already put the provision, first introduced by UGC in 2016, into place and hail this as a necessary addition to the field of academia.

Guidelines were introduced

Uma Shankar Pandey, PhD supervisor, department of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Calcutta, says, “As per the 2016 UGC provision, women candidates may be given maternity or childcare leave once in the entire duration of their MPhil and PhD for up to 240 days.” The provision, which is available in other sector, is missing in academia, he adds.

On why UGC felt the need to remind universities of this provision recently, BJ Rao, VC, University of Hyderabad (UoH), says, “Numerous guidelines are issued on an annual basis. General reminders need to be communicated from time-to-time to ensure coherence and acceptance of the same by all stakeholders.”Rao adds that this guideline is more relevant to PhD than other PG courses. “In any regular course, if a female student was to take a maternity leave, she would just miss out on certain courses, which she can catch up on once she rejoins. However, a PhD student would miss out on time deadlines, which would affect her overall academic journey,” he tells.

Revealing numbers

As per the academic section at the UoH, out of a total number of 1,533 PhD students in the current academic year, 668 are women. Over the last three years, 16 female students have availed the provision of a maternity leave/medical leave.

At University of Delhi (DU), there are a total of 4011 PhD students, of which 2093 are females. Yogesh Singh, VC, DU, says, “Since the inception of the provision, only 10% female PhD/MPhil students have availed it.”

JN Baliya, head of department, Education Studies and Mass Communication & New Media, Central University of Jammu (CUJ), says, “This academic year, I am mentoring 21 PhD scholars, of which about 80% are women. Currently, two are on maternity leave while about three others have availed this option in the past couple of years.”

Various advantages

Baliya says that prior to this provision, female PhD students in the fields of both Science and Social Science suffered. “While Science students must spend numerous hours in a lab, Social Science students are required to conduct field research. In both cases, female students who were in the family way suffered healthwise. Thus, this provision has acted as a boost to their personal and academic lives,” he tells. Whether it is psychological ease or zeal for academic excellence, there has been a positive change due to this provision, says Rao. “It is a presumption that taking a break from PhD might affect women adversely. However, I have repeatedly observed that female students who come from their maternity break to resume their PhD make extraordinary efforts to prove their academic excellence. Thus, I believe that quality of research has been impacted positively,” he tells.

As per Singh, due to the emphasis on international rankings, the focus on PhD has increased manifold. “If the correct ecosystem is provided to PhD scholars, the dropout rate among them stands to decrease, which will automatically improve both our research quantity and quality. Earlier, the dropout rate amongst PhD students was about 20%,,” he says.

If the correct ecosystem is provided to PhD scholars, the dropout rate among them will decrease

Court junks plea by govt employee who tried to bribe HC

Court junks plea by govt employee who tried to bribe HC

Srikkanth.D@timesgroup.com

Chennai:27.12.2021

A special court for cases booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act has dismissed a petition from a sacked government servant to drop the charges against him, months after directing him to undergo medical check-up at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) after he claimed to be suffering from mental illness as a case was taken up against him for attempting to bribe judges of the Madras high court.

Accordingly, the government employee, V Balasubramanian, was subjected to a clinical examination and psychological assessment and the report from IMH held that Balasubramanian is able to understand the details of the charges against him and has adequate cognitive functions (thinking, memory and problem solving abilities).

Citing the report, the court held that the petitioner was fit to stand trial and the prosecution had a prima facie case to proceed against him and dismissed his petition to drop charges against him. The accused, after being terminated from service, had appealed twice before the high court and after both appeals were dismissed, he had sent a letter to the Chief Justice of the Madras high court to provide him a job along with ₹10,000 bribe to give him a favourable order. Based on a complaint from the registrar of the Madras high court, a FIR was registered by the Central Crime Branch and he was arrested. Police filed the report and the special court had taken cognizance of the report on November 11, 2020. When the case was taken up for trial, the accused appeared before the court and raised various grounds to discharge him from the case and one such ground was that he had been suffering from mental illness between 2012 and 2014 and he is continuing psychiatric treatment for the same till date.

Education officials acted against accused for harassment only after stir by students: Teachers

Education officials acted against accused for harassment only after stir by students: Teachers

The classmates collected the evidence of the teacher’s chat with the girls and handed it over, along with a complaint, to the headmistress seeking to transfer him to another school.

Published: 26th December 2021 05:35 AM |

By N Dhamotharan

Express News Service

COIMBATORE: The School Education officials failed to conduct inquiries with a computer teacher even one week after a complaint of sexual harassment and assault was filed against him with the headmistress of the government higher secondary school near Vellalore in Coimbatore, the teachers in the school alleged. While the teacher was suspended on Friday, the teachers said the officials took the action only after the school students staged protests. Meanwhile, the teacher was arrested on Saturday.

According to the teachers, "Ever since the online classes began, the computer teacher started sending inappropriate messages to girl students on their WhatsApp. Further, he threatened to either reduce their marks in exam or die by suicide if they revealed his messages to others. Fearing this, the students had hid his torture."

They said the accused teacher reportedly misbehaved with some students after regular classes began. Following awareness programmes held in the wake of a class 11 girl dying by suicide after a teacher allegedly sexually harassed her, the girls in the Vellalore school shared the messages of the computer teacher with their classmates. The classmates collected the evidence of the teacher's chat with the girls and handed it over, along with a complaint, to the headmistress seeking to transfer him to another school. However, the teacher had gone on leave ever since, the teachers said.

A second-level educational official told TNIE, "In a meeting that was held in Chennai after the class 11 student’s suicide, the educational officials were instructed not to inquire sexual harassment complaints in schools but forward it to the childline officer. Following that instruction, we did not conduct an inquiry into this complaint at Vellalore school.”

A teacher, seeking anonymity, said, "If educational officials had inquired immediately, they could have expedited legal action against the teacher. The failure to do so only indicates that they have failed in their duty."

Palli Kalvi Paathukappu Iyakkam’s Coimbatore district coordinator C Chandrasekar said, "This issue shows that an internal complaint committee is not functioning in the school. The headmistress and the officials are unaware of the committee. How will the students be safe if the officials do not follow the instructions?" He alleged many other schools too did not have internal complaint committees even after the School Education department instructed them to form the committees.

According to sources, though there are procedures laid out for the school administration to follow in such cases, those in the Vellalore school failed to act against the computer teacher for over a week. Only then the students took to protests following which the teacher was suspended.

When contacted, Chief Educational Officer N Geetha said, "The teacher has been arrested and we have taken steps to provide psychological counselling to the students. Necessary steps would be taken to avoid such incidents in the future.

Coimbatore: Ex-computer teacher held for sexual assault

Coimbatore: Ex-computer teacher held for sexual assault

The computer science teacher was arrested on Saturday morning and will be remanded to the prison in the evening, according to police.

Published: 26th December 2021 05:37 AM 

By Express News Service

COIMBATORE: City All-Woman police (AWPS East) on Saturday arrested a former computer teacher of Government Higher Secondary School near Vellalore, who was suspended on Friday on charges of sexually assaulting girl students. Based on a complaint from a 17-year-old student, the accused, C Vijay Anand (41), was booked under the POCSO Act on Saturday. The suspect allegedly sent obscene text messages and images via WhatsApp to the girl students of Classes 11 and 12 and touched them inappropriately in school premises. The computer science teacher was arrested on Saturday morning and will be remanded to the prison in the evening, according to police.

Medical staff among 39 found with S-gene drop

Medical staff among 39 found with S-gene drop

Health workers at RGGGH had contracted Covid-19 from a patient

Published: 26th December 2021 05:45 AM 

A woman being questioned by health workers at the Corona outpatient ward of the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai on Saturday | R Satish Babu

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Several doctors and medical staff have tested positive for Covid-19 after they contracted the infection from a patient who underwent a surgery at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) recently, Health Minister Ma Subramanian said on Saturday.

After the patient tested positive, 3,038 contacts were traced and screened. Of the 54 samples that tested positive for Covid, 39 specimens, including those of a few healthcare workers, showed S-gene drop, indicating possible Omicron infection. The samples have now been sent for genome sequencing to the National Institute of Virology (NIV). The health minister further said none of the patients have major symptoms.

Till date, 12 patients who were affected with Omicron have been discharged. Seven of them are from Chennai. The health minister said it is compulsory for all international passengers to be quarantined for seven days as the Omicron variant has a high transmission rate.

He further highlighted that the 16th mega vaccination camp will be held on Sunday. According to the Public Health Department, though TN’s vaccination coverage for the first dose is 84.8 per cent, and for the second dose is 55.8 per cent, the coverage among people above the age of 60 is 59 per cent for the first dose and 42 per cent for the second dose.

As per the evidence available, two doses of vaccination offer protection from death and severe illness even if there is an immune escape. As of now, TN has about 80.57 lakh vaccine doses, of which 50.68 lakh are Covishield and 29.88 lakh are Covaxin.

TN teacher develops app for nurturing success

TN teacher develops app for nurturing success

https://www.newindianexpress.com/good-news/2021/dec/26/tn-teacher-develops-app-for-nurturing-success-2399799.html

The benefits of the app are clearly visible when we assess the students’ performance at school, notes, primary school headmaster Venkatachalam.

Published: 26th December 2021 05:48 AM 

By Subashini Vijayakumar

Express News Service

ERODE: When full-week school classes are inadequate to cushion the wrecking Covid-19 brought about to the academics, what do you do with alternate day classes? The government had no other go but to dictate strict regulations for schools as another wave of pandemic threatens to sweep the country.

The impact of this shift in schooling tradition may take years to reveal itself. Tamil teacher Boopathi Raja lacks that kind of patience and is intent on overcoming the hurdles now itself. “The coherence of lessons may get lost on students if they attend only classes online, or during alternate days,” says the teacher from panchayat union primary school at Guruvareddiyur in Anthiyur block.

Boopathi Raja decided to create an easy to access smartphone application containing complete syllabi for Classes 1 to 5. Most teachers sent their students study materials online and thought no more about it. The point, in fact, was that the students had a hard time deciphering the materials. Many new concepts were lost on them, and pedagogues never refrained from flaunting their vocabulary prowess. This is where Raja’s application had to step in. He wanted homespun explanations of concepts, and also a ready-to-access dictionary in his application.PUPS Guruvareddiyur has all lessons for

Classes 1-5, facility for online tests,

With not even a foggiest idea on where to start, Raja bounced the idea with some private players adept at programme coding. They ballparked the costs at around Rs 40,000, and this was a huge ask. For a teacher skilled in motivating young ones, necessity was inducement enough. Raja began to check out the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) appinventor tutorials. Several late nights and plenty of test runs, spread over nearly six months, later, PUPS Guruvareddiyur was ready for installation.

“Most of my students come from families that could only afford one smartphone, and that would be used by the parents. So, the kids largely missed live online classes as the parents would leave for work during daytime. With this application, they can check out any lesson anytime,” Raja adds.

PUPS Guruvareddiyur has all lessons for Classes 1 to 5, facility to take online tests, English to Tamil translator, and also a link to the Kalvi TV YouTube channel. “While admission to government schools has increased after the pandemic onset, we teachers going the extra mile will reinforce the parents’ trust,” he opines.

There are a total of 270 students and seven teachers at the school in Guruvareddiyur. Nearly 60 per cent of the students have already begun using the application. With favourable promotion, children from nearby schools have also downloaded the app. The online tests comprise one-mark questions and the students can get their results instantly. The benefits of the app are clearly visible when we assess the students’ performance at school, notes, primary school headmaster Venkatachalam.

This TN woman driver is creating her 'auto' nomy

This TN woman driver is creating her 'auto' nomy

Over the years, she has broken stereotypes and become a beacon of hope and trust to many women passengers.

Published: 26th December 2021 05:50 AM |

Chitra stations her autorickshaw at the Villupuram old bus stand | Express

By Krithika Srinivasan

Express News Service

VILLUPURAM: In Villupuram town, yellow-coloured autorickshaws whizz past you menacingly at all hours but one makes women commuters genuinely cheerful. At the wheel is a 43-year-old K Chitra, a rarity in the town.For Chitra, venturing into a hitherto male-dominated bastion was barely a resolve. It was sheer passion.

She began driving an autorickshaw at a young age of 21, in 1999, soon after the Union Territory of Puducherry started providing licences to women.It wasn’t easy for her. People around her raised eyebrows. But over the years, she has learnt to take it all in her stride.

Today, several government officers, lawyers, students, and many women are her trusted customers, who commute only by her autorickshaw. “When women drive, it is a bit of a joke for men, but definitely not for women passengers. They feel absolutely safe in the company of a woman driver,” says Chitra, who stations her autorickshaw at the Villupuram old bus stand.

Her day begins at 4:30 am. She has to prepare breakfast and lunch for the family before leaving for a round of school trips. Between dropping children at schools in the morning and picking them up again in the evening, she takes up other trips.“I earn close to `300-400 a day if rides are normal. During festivals, I earn more, sometimes even `2,000 per day,” she says.

The rides may go on till late night if any of her regular woman customers need transportation. “Some women certainly feel scared about late night auto rides. For my regular customers, I offer a ride in the early hours, too, if they inform me beforehand,” says Chitra, hailing from Puducherry.

Even after two decades, it is unusual for a woman to drive an autorickshaw in a town like Villupuram, Chitra says. “People are shocked to see a woman driving an auto. There have been instances where passengers would underestimate my skills just because of my gender. That includes the police. They always ask for my papers while male drivers would get a pass at check posts,” she adds.

Gender discrimination also has an effect on bargaining rates for a ride, says Chitra.“People demand much lower rates for a ride than what they would pay a man. This was very stressful in the beginning but now I have developed the habit of suggesting the fare first and making it clear that I would not take a rupee less. But the courage to do so comes with experience,” she says.

Chitra does not shy away from challenging gender norms when it comes to the more physically arduous parts of her job either. For instance, she refuses help from men in loading and unloading heavy goods from the autorickshaw. “It could be tonnes of rice or several sacks of goods, but I do it myself as I feel women are powerful enough to do what they want regardless of the job,” she asserts.

Over the years, she has broken stereotypes and become a beacon of hope and trust to many women passengers. No wonder, women, generally nervous to travel alone at night in Villupuram, trust Chitra.