Fear of the unknown, rumour mills making health workers think twice

Fear of the unknown, rumour mills making health workers think twice

Kamini.Mathai@timesgroup.com

Chennai: 19.01.2021

He was among the first doctors in Tamil Nadu to receive the Covid-19 vaccine when the drive began two days ago, and since then, Dr E Theranirajan, dean of Madras Medical College, has been doing the rounds at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. Not so much to check in on his patients, but on his medical staff to assure them they are not guinea pigs for the vaccine.

“A number of healthcare and frontline workers are hesitant because of incorrect information spread on WhatsApp about vaccine side effects. Though they are in the medical field, they are susceptible to believing fake news,” he says.

A survey conducted among around 1,500 TN healthcare professionals in December found 55% were not willing to take the vaccine immediately and preferred to wait it out for six months. Dr Abdul Ghafur says he submitted his findings to the government to address fears among health workers immediately and scientifically. “The hesitancy is natural. All the other vaccines have been around for decades and they are mostly paediatric, so the apprehension was less. This is an adult vaccine, so fear is expected.”

On January 16, the first day of the vaccine roll out, Tamil Nadu hit less than 20% of its target with several healthcare workers not showing up at centres to be vaccinated.

The reason for vaccine hesitancy, says consultant psychiatrist Dr Mohan Raj, stems from a fear of the unknown fuelled by fake news on social media. “One just has to wait it out to overcome the skepticism,” he says.

Over the past few days, virologist Dr T Jacob John has been receiving calls from the medical fraternity questioning the efficacy of the vaccine. “The hesitancy is because of a lack of information, trust and transparency. Some doctors want to know why there is no choice on which vaccine is administered,” he says.

But health secretary J Radhakrishnan is not overly worried. “In TN, acceptance of a new vaccine has always been slow. We faced the same challenge with the HPV vaccine. Our aim is to ensure there are no adverse events in this rollout,” says Radhakrishnan. “We are like the tortoise in the fable. Slow and steady to the finish.”

Still, the government has begun aggressively debunking false claims on social media. From online live sessions, chats, and face to face group discussions, to positive social media testimonials from those who have taken the vaccine and WhatsApp messages calling healthcare workers the “chosen ones” and “lucky firsts”, the government is on a drive to dispel rumours, says Radhakrishnan.

Radhakrishnan says after the government’s drive, numbers across the state too have climbed by 125% to more than 10,000.

Covaxin co warns people with med conditions not to take jab

Covaxin co warns people with med conditions not to take jab

Not Advised For Pregnant Women Either

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

NewDelhi:19.01.2021

People who are immuno-compromised or are on medicines that affect the immune system are advised not to take the anti-Covid vaccine Covaxin, a detailed factsheet released by its manufacturer Bharat Biotech said.

Earlier, the government had said patients on immunosuppressants or suffering from immune deficiency could take the vaccine though the response was expected to be less effective in such individuals. Usually, cancer patients on chemotherapy, HIV-positive people and those on steroids are immune-suppressed. While the risk of infection is higher in such patients, doctors also say efficiency of vaccines is often very low in such groups.

Bharat Biotech has advised people with bleeding disorders or who are on blood thinners to avoid the shot. Also, those who are acutely ill, have fever or have any history of allergy, besides pregnant or lactating mothers were also advised against taking the jab. The factsheet suggested that if any recipient developed symptoms of Covid-19, it should be recorded as an adverse event with outcomes of RT-PCR test as proof.

Doctors said the factsheet from Bharat Biotech could be in the light of adverse events — most of them mild — reported from across the country.

Over 10,000 health staff in TN get shots in a day

As many as 10,256 healthcare workers were inoculated against Covid-19 in TN on Monday. It was more than half of the targeted 17,700 beneficiaries for the day. While 10,051 healthcare providers received Covishield vaccine in 160 centres, 205 others opted for Covaxin from six state-run medical college hospitals. As many as 460 healthcare workers were given the shots in The Nilgiris, while in Coimbatore 481were vaccinated. Achieving only 6.7% of the day’s target, Nagapattinam was one of the low performing districts, followed by Tuticorin at 10%. At least 56 healthcare workers opted for Covaxin in Chennai, while 37 opted for it in Tirunelveli. P 4

2nd beneficiary dies; 1st death ‘not related to vax’

A day after Moradabad district hospital ward boy Mahipal Singh, 46, one of those vaccinated against Covid-19, died, another hospital worker — a 43-year-old attender in Karnataka’s Ballari district — passed away on Monday. Both had received the shots on Saturday.

Nagaraj, a patient of diabetes and hypertension, died of a heart attack. “Prima facie, his death isn’t related to vaccination,” the Karnataka government said. Singh’s death was caused due to a cardio-pulmonary disease and wasn’t a result of the vaccination, the Centre said.P 8

More Co-WIN glitches reported

The glitch-prone Co-WIN app failed to inject integration efficiency into the massive pan-India vaccination exercise for the second consecutive day on Monday. While some states faced minor glitches, most struggled to get going in the face of data lag, erroneous communication or total system failure. As a result, the Haryana government allowed vaccinations without pre-registering of recipients. P 8

‘Flu-like symptoms resolve on their own’

All flu-like symptoms, including fever, headache, body ache, tiredness and chills, are adverse reactions of a vaccine if they appear within 48 hours and resolved on their own, vaccine experts said. Not all side-effects were adverse events and not all adverse events were related to the vaccine. The terms should be used very cautiously, said experts. P 8

Limited vax doses to be exported

The government on Monday decided to export limited doses of Covid-19 vaccines to friendly countries as a “goodwill gesture” to meet some of their immediate requirements, sources said. Covaxin will be sent to Mongolia, Oman, Myanmar, Philippines, Bahrain, Maldives and Mauritius, while Covishield will be sent to Bhutan, Seychelles, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. P 8

‘Vaccinated person can catch Covid, infection likely to be mild’

Experts have said that though a vaccinated person can catch Covid-19, the infection is likely to be  mild.

The company said the advice was intended to be precautionary. “There is a remote chance that the Bharat Biotech Covid-19 vaccine (Covaxin) could cause a severe allergic reaction… may very rarely occur,” the company said. It added that signs of severe allergic reaction could include difficulty in breathing, swelling of face and throat, fast heart beat, rashes all over the body, dizziness and weakness.

“Tell the vaccinator/officer about all your medical conditions, including: Are you on regular medication for any illness? If yes, for how long and for which condition,” the factsheet said.

A health ministry advisory to states before the rollout of the vaccination programme on January 16 had listed history of allergy, pregnancy and lactation as contraindications. As provisional measures, it had suggested delaying vaccination by 4-8 weeks after recovery among acutely unwell or hospitalised patients along with those infected with Covid-19 and patients who had been treated with convalescent plasma.

The clinical efficacy of Covaxin is yet to be established and it is still being studied in Phase 3 trials. “Hence, it was important to appreciate that receiving the vaccine does not mean that other precautions related to Covid-19 need not be followed,” the factsheet said.

The government has procured 55 lakh doses of Covaxin, which have been distributed among 12 states and UTs.

A medic administers Covid vaccine to a lady constable at a military hospital in Prayagraj on Monday

"It's A Private App, If You Don't Want To, Don't Use It": Delhi High Court Defers Issuing Notice on Plea Against WhatsApp's Updated Privacy Policy

"It's A Private App, If You Don't Want To, Don't Use It": Delhi High Court Defers Issuing Notice on Plea Against WhatsApp's Updated Privacy Policy: Observing that WhatsApp is a 'private app' an

விக்கிரவாண்டி சுங்கச்சாவடியில் கடும் போக்குவரத்து நெரிசல்

விக்கிரவாண்டி சுங்கச்சாவடியில் கடும் போக்குவரத்து நெரிசல்

Added : ஜன 18, 2021 00:31

விக்கிரவாண்டி: பொங்கல் பண்டிகையை கொண்டாட, சொந்த ஊர் சென்ற மக்கள், சென்னைக்கு திரும்பியதால், நெடுஞ்சாலையில் போக்குவரத்து நெரிசல் காணப்பட்டது.

பொங்கல் பண்டிகையை ஒட்டி, கடந்த, 14ம் தேதி முதல் அரசு விடுமுறை அறிவித்தது. பொங்கல் விழாவை கொண்டாட, சென்னையில் வசிக்கும் தென் மாவட்ட மக்கள், சொந்த ஊருக்கு கார் உள்ளிட்ட வாகனங்களில் புறப்பட்டு சென்றனர்.கடந்த, 13ம் தேதி முதல், விழுப்புரம் மாவட்டம், விக்கிரவாண்டி சுங்கச்சாவடி வழியாக, 80 ஆயிரம் வாகனங்கள் கடந்து சென்றன. பொங்கல் பண்டிகை முடிந்து, நேற்று முன்தினம் காணும் பொங்கல் தினத்தில் இருந்து, பலரும் சென்னை திரும்பத் துவங்கினர்.

இதையொட்டி, விக்கிரவாண்டி சுங்கச்சாவடி வழியாக சென்னைக்கு, நேற்று முன்தினம், 32 ஆயிரம் வாகனங்களும்; நேற்று, 41 ஆயிரம் வாகனங்களும் கடந்து சென்றன. வாகனங்கள் அதிகரித்ததால், சென்னை மார்க்கத்தில் கூடுதலாக மூன்று வழிகள் திறக்கப்பட்டு, மொத்தம் ஒன்பது வழிகளில், வாகனங்கள் செல்ல வசதி செய்யப்பட்டது. சுங்கச்சாவடி அதிகாரிகள் மற்றும் போலீசார், நெரிசலின்றி வாகனங்கள் கடப்பதற்கான பாதுகாப்பு பணிகளில் ஈடுபட்டனர்.

மொய் நோட்டு எதற்கு.. கூகுள் பே இருக்கு..! வைரலாகும் புதுமண தம்பதியரின் புது ஐடியா..!!

மொய் நோட்டு எதற்கு.. கூகுள் பே இருக்கு..! வைரலாகும் புதுமண தம்பதியரின் புது ஐடியா..!!

Updated : ஜன 17, 2021 20:15 | Added : ஜன 17, 2021 20:13 

மதுரையில் திருமண வீட்டில் மொய் பணத்தை வசூல் செய்ய கூகுள் பே, போன் பே போன்ற டிஜிட்டல் முறையில் ஏற்பாடு செய்யப் பட்டிருந்த புது ஐடியா சுவாரசியத்தை ஏற்படுத்தி உள்ளது.

திருமணங்கள் என்பது சொர்க்கத்தில் நிச்சயிக்கப்படுவது என்பார்கள். அதிலும் உறவினர்கள் சூழ, பெற்றவர்கள் முன்னிலையில் நடைபெறும் திருமணங்கள் உண்மையில் சொர்க்கத்தில் நிச்சயிக்கப்படுவது தான். மேலும் திருமணம் போன்ற சுப நிகழ்ச்சிகளில் மொய்பணம் வழங்குவது நமது கலாச்சாரத்தில் மறுக்க முடியாதது. இந்த நிலையில் மதுரையில் நடந்த ஒரு திருமண விழாவில் மொய்பணம் வழங்குவதில் சுவாரசியமான சம்பவம் நிகழ்ந்துள்ளது.

மதுரை தெப்பக்குளம் பகுதியை சேர்ந்த ஜெயந்தி - ஜெகதிஸ்வரன் ஆகியோரது மகள் சிவசங்கரிக்கும், மதுரை பாலரெங்கபுரம் பகுதியை சேர்ந்த ராதாகிருஷ்ணன் - சாந்தி ஆகியோரது மகன் சரவணன் என்பவருக்கும் திருமணம் நிச்சயிக்கப்பட்டிருந்தது.இந்த நிலையில் இவர்களின் திருமணம் மதுரை கான்பாளையம் பகுதியில் உள்ள திருமண மண்டபத்தில் ஞாயிறன்று நடைபெற்றது.

தற்போது கொரானா பரவல் உள்ள நிலையில் அரசும் பல்வேறு விதிமுறைகளையும், கட்டுபாடுகளையும் அறிவுறுத்தியுள்ளது. மக்கள் அதிகமானோர் கூட்டமாக கூடுவதை தவிர்க்க அரசு அறிவுறுத்தி வரும் இந்த நிலையில், திருமணத்திற்கு வரமுடியாத முதியவர்கள், உடல் நலம் குன்றியவர்கள், வெளியூரில் வசிப்பவர்கள் ஆகியோர் திருமண தம்பதிகளுக்கு மொய் செலுத்துவதற்கு சிரமப்பட்டு வந்தனர். இதற்கு வசதியாக புதிய ஐடியாவை மதுரையில் அறிமுகப்படுத்தியுள்ளனர்.

அதாவது திருமண பத்திரிக்கையிலேயே ஆன்லைன் பணப்பரிமாற்ற செயலிகளான கூகுள் பே மற்றும் போன் பே ஆகியவற்றின் பார்க்கோடு விவரங்களை அச்சிட்டிருந்தனர்.அதோடு திருமண மண்டபத்தில் மணமகள் பெயர் மற்றும் தொடர்பு எண் கொண்ட கூகுள் பே, போன் பே விவரங்களையும் பார் கோடுடன் வைத்திருந்தனர்.

இன்று ஆன்லைன் பரிமாற்றங்கள் சர்வசாதாரணமாக நடந்து வருகிறது இந்த நிலையில் திருமணத்தில் கலந்து கொள்ள முடியாவிட்டாலும் உறவினர்கள் தங்கள் மொய்பணத்தை செலுத்த வசதியாக கல்யாண வீட்டார் இந்த ஏற்பாடு மதுரை மக்களிடையே சுவாரசியத்தை ஏற்படுத்தி உள்ளது.

TN varsity winner at Luthra moot court

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:  18.01.2021

The team from Tamil Nadu National Law University, Tiruchirappalli, was declared winner of the 17th KK Luthra Memorial Moot Court held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The moot court organised by Delhi University’s Campus Law Centre, which began on January 12, saw participation from 68 law schools across the country and 19 international teams.

The team members of SASTRA, Thanjavur, were the runners up in the final round. While the best speaker award was given to Isabel Chan from National University of Singapore, Faculty of Law, the best memorial was awarded to Jamia Millia Islamia.

The different rounds of competition were held online on Zoom platform and were judged by eminent lawyers.

This year’s moot problem focused on writ petition, revolving around bail provisions.

Physically challenged man plays midwife on train

Physically challenged man plays midwife on train

Arvind.Chauhan@timesgroup.com

Lucknow:18.01.2021

It was a real-life redux of Amir ‘Rancho’ Khan’s midwifery feat in the climax of the movie ‘3 Idiots’, only that it happened on board a running train and the protagonist was a physically challenged lab technician working in Delhi.

On Saturday night, Sunil Prajapati helped a 30-year-old woman deliver a baby on Jabalpur-bound Madhya Pradesh Sampark Kranti Covid special express, using a thread string taken from a shawl, a blade from a shaving kit pouch and taking instructions over a video call with an eye surgeon.

It all happened in the B3 coach of the train while it was passing through UP’s Mathura district. The 33-year-old “super hero” told TOI, “The train had just crossed Faridabad when I heard a woman in the next coupe crying. She was travelling with her brother and a minor daughter to Damoh to her in-law’s place. The woman, identified herself as Kiran said she was due for delivery on January 20.”

I just helped her and a healthy infant was in my arms: Sunil

I offered to help her and asked if she needs medical assistant at any station, but she wasn’t sure if she was undergoing labour pain or abdomen twinge caused by jerks while travelling in bus to reach Hazrat Nizamuddin station. Since there was no woman passenger in the coach, I preferred not to take chance and informed my superior Dr Suparna Sen, who alerted Agra and Gwalior stations to put medical staff on standby. About half an hour later, Kiran again screamed in pain and this time her blanket was wet with her blood indicating that she was about to deliver. I immediately asked the TTE for a first-aid kit and took Dr Sen on video call. I followed her instructions. Fortunately, I managed to arrange fresh unused blade from a passenger, with which I cut the umbilical cord,” Sunil said.

After the delivery, RPF personnel took the woman and her newborn to Mathura district hospital. Sunil, who was hailed for his heroic act, is posted in the pathology department of the Northern Railway Delhi division hospital, Chandni Chowk. He was going home in Sagar, MP.

“I just helped a woman deliver and a healthy infant was in my arms. It was a mixed feeling of fear and excitement,” he said. “The railway staff went out of their way to help me,” Kiran told TOI.

Full report on www.toi.in