Docs protesting VIP culture write to Modi

Docs protesting VIP culture write to Modi

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

13.04.2021

The doctors’ association Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) has written to the Prime minister complaining against “the VIP culture in government hospitals” whereby government doctors were called to the homes of politicians to provide testing and treatment.

The letter pointed out that there were no facilities for doctors working on the frontline when they tested positive, while “priority is being given to all the so-called politicians and their party workers who have actually held rallies and increased the spread of the virus”.

“Central government hospitals have VIP counters for testing, allowing all party workers of politicians and ministries to get themselves tested but doctors have no separate counters for testing,” stated the letter. It added that even when the VIP counter was available for testing, a majority of politicians called doctors to their residence though there was no legal order from the medical superintendent to do so. This “informal” arrangement of using doctors working in government institutions in this manner was reducing and wasting the limited manpower available, said the FAIMS letter.

It concluded stating that as doctors they strongly opposed “this VIP culture being awarded (sic) to politicians, bureaucrats, party workers etc.” and sought the PM’s intervention in the matter.

Airlines can’t serve meals if flight time is less than 2 hrs

Airlines can’t serve meals if flight time is less than 2 hrs

Saurabh.Sinha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:13.04.2021

The gover nment has directed airlines to serve or sell inflight meals only on those domestic flights that have a duration of over two hours, in wake of the sharp surge in Covid cases in India. The new guildelines will come to effect on April 15.

There are so far no restrictions on inflight meals on international flights. There have been fears that passengers taking off masks to eat can lead to Covid spread. While this can’t be avoided on medium or long hauls, the restriction has been imposed on domestic flights of up to two-hour duration.

A senior aviation ministry official said: “We had (last year) issued guidelines for inflight meals and they have worked well. However, as an abundant precaution, additional provisions are being made. For domestic flights, an order is issued to consider inflight meal when flight duration is two hours or more.” The inflight meal SOP also calls for staggering them “among adjacent seats, as far as possible”.

The number of domestic passengers has been falling during the current spike in cases. The restriction on inflight meals will be yet another hit for low-cost carriers. “In the past few days with numbers rising, people on short flights preferred to stay firmly masked up. Fear is again in the air with aircraft occupancy falling to an average of less than 100 passengers,” said a worried airline official.

Negative report delayed, techie misses flight

Negative report delayed, techie misses flight

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:13.04.2021

A 27-year-old data scientist claimed he could not fly to Lisbon, Portugal, because a government facility in Marathahalli did not issue a Covid negative certificate in time. As a result, airline staff refused to allow him to board the flight.

Abhishek Gupta said he has now obtained a test report from a private laboratory and is scheduled to fly out on Tuesday.

Gupta said he was stopped from boarding an Air France flight to Paris from KIA on Sunday because he did not possess a negative certificate. The airline was only complying with guidelines issued by the state health and family welfare department.

Gupta, from West Bengal, had come to Bengaluru from Lisbon last October after his parents were admitted to Manipal Hospitals for treatment. When his parents were discharged and returned home healthy, Gupta decided to fly to Portugal via Paris early on Sunday.

“I took an RT-PCR test on Thursday at a government facility in Marathahalli and was promised the result online by Saturday morning,” Gupta said. “I trusted them and reached the place by Saturday noon, but nothing was ready and the response from staff was far from welcoming. I was forced to go to a hospital in Bellandur to get my results but there I was directed to the Marathahalli clinic.”

Gupta claimed that he contacted Air France’s customer care number only to be told that he doesn’t require a Covid negative certificate for the Bengaluruto-Paris leg of the journey. “But when I reached KIA on Saturday night, airline representatives refused to let me board even though I said my test results will come anytime on my email. The Air France website said I would be fined in Portugal if I did not have the certificate and I was ready to pay.”

He had to leave the airport and return home as the Covid report didn’t arrive even 48 hours after the test was taken. “Thorough inefficiency of government health staff cost me my trip,” Gupta said. “I received the test result, which was negative, on my mail on Sunday afternoon, but it was too late then.”

Govt, CBSE do a rethink on boards dates

Govt, CBSE do a rethink on boards dates

Manash.Gohain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:13.04.2021

The fresh surge in the Covid pandemic has resulted in the possible rescheduling of Board exams being discussed, with the current plans for the Class X and XII exams to get under way from May 4.

The ministry of education and CBSE officials are considering whether the exams need to be deferred as students and schools are wondering over the feasibility of conducting the exams just 20 days away. Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad has postponed the Board exams, which was scheduled to start from April 24, due to panchayat elections and surge in Covid-19 cases.

“Cases are rising exponentially. Teachers are contracting corona, students and families are down with Covid-19. There is a sense of paranoia. Is CBSE holding the exams just for sake of a formality? It is advisable to review the dates as it is impossible to conduct the exams safely across the country for over 30 lakh students,” said the principal of a private school in Delhi.

Students and parents are also writing to MoE and CBSE as well as taking to the social media requesting for deferring or cancelling the exams. According to a senior MoE official, rescheduling the exams has come up though no decision has been taken so far. “This has been discussed with CBSE officials. The ministry is monitoring the situation,” said the official.

The official, however, said there are no plans to cancel the Boards altogether or make the exams online at present. “The only point of discussion are the dates. There are still around three weeks left and developments, including increase in the number of Covid infections and containment zones, are being discussed,” the official added.

Maha defers boards to May-end & June

The HSC (Std XII) and SSC (Std X) board examinations in Maharashtra have been postponed to May-end and June, respectively, due to rising Covid cases, the state’s school education minister Varsha Gaikwad said on Monday. Also, the state will write to other boards to reconsider their exam dates.The decision has not gone down well with students preparing for engineering and medical entrance exams. Gaikwad made the announcement after meeting CM Uddhav Thackeray. TNN

‘Covaxin, Covishield both work against UK strain’

‘Covaxin, Covishield both work against UK strain’

Officials: No Indian Variant Of Virus Yet

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:13.04.2021

Both Covaxin and Covishield — the two vaccines against Covid in use in India — are effective against the UK variant, which is one the two prevailing mutations found in the country, senior officials said. Officials said so far there has been no Indian variant as only a double mutation has been found in Maharashtra. It requires multiple mutations for a new variant to be recognised as such and to make a discernible impact.

So far, three “imported variants” — UK, South Africa and Brazilian — have been detected in India. During genome sequencing of samples, the total number of cases with these variants of the Covid-19 virus adds up to 948 till Monday evening.

The presence of UK and South African variants is more in samples sequences in India, whereas very few samples have tested positive for the Brazilian variant.

“Covaxin is effective against both UK and Brazilian variant, Covishield is effective against the UK variant but we are awaiting its efficacy data against Brazilian strain. The South African variant could not be cultured so far,” an official told TOI. Even as there have been concerns about double mutations being the cause of spread in Maharashtra and whether it can be an Indian strain, officials said data so far does not support such a conclusion.

ICMR researchers continue to study if the double mutations are causing faster transmission of the infection, an official said.

“The virus may continue to mutate and generate new variants. It is normal process but it takes multiple mutations to bring forth a new variant. While variants have a role in being more infectious, the remedy or measures to combat it remain same,” the official said.

When many go maskless, some are doubling down on staying safe

When many go maskless, some are doubling down on staying safe

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

13.04.2021

Did you look twice at the man with two masks on at the neighbourhood market? And later found a few more like him? As the second Covid-19 wave lashes the country, many are going for the double-mask approach to keep the virus away, with experts saying it’s “advisable” and an “established way to stop transmission”.

“One can wear a surgical mask and a cloth mask or two cloth masks. However, with N95 masks, doubling is not needed,” says Dr Rommel Tickoo, director, internal medicine department at Delhi’s Max Saket. “A double mask is advisable when a person is going to crowded places where social distancing is not possible,” he says.

Many masks don’t fit perfectly on the face. Wearing double masks reduces the risk of droplets from an infected person escaping through the sides while breathing in and out, say experts. The double-masking recommendation is based on a study conducted by the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC conducted studies to assess two ways of improving the fit of medical procedure masks — fitting a cloth mask over a medical procedure mask, and knotting the ear loops of a medical procedure mask and then tucking in and flattening the extra material close to the face.

‘Double mask gives more fool-proof protection’

Each modification substantially improved source control and reduced wearer exposure, it found.

“Double masking and knotting are some of the established ways to stop transmission as it ensures a tight fit. While people may feel it impedes breathing, its regular use could ease the discomforts,” said Maharashtra Covid taskforce member Dr Shashank Joshi.

Joshi recommends using a medical three-ply mask covered by a cloth mask or viseversa for maximum protection. “Double masking can prove to be effective in crowded places, rooms where there is lack of proper ventilation or places where social distancing can be a challenge such as a local train compartment,” added Joshi added.

Wearing a double mask provides a more fool-proof protection, according to Rahul Jain, internal medicine consultant at Belle Vue Clinic in Kolkata. Often, the mask gets displaced or is not properly fitted around the nose and mouth. This may happen if the string gets loose. A second mask ensures that the cover remains firmly in place,” said Jain.

However, some experts feel double-masking cannot be standard strategy. “The theory of double mask has been discussed, propagated by some as a better filter to prevent the leaks. However, this cannot be recommended as a standard strategy. One good mask wellworn is good enough to offer protection,” Dr Ravindra Mehta, chief of pulmonary, critical care and interventional pulmonology, Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Bengaluru.

(With inputs from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Chennai)

Suggest Giving Priority, Leave, Med Aid To Those Who Took Vax

Offer perks for taking jab, experts tell govt

Suggest Giving Priority, Leave, Med Aid To Those Who Took Vax

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:13.04.2021

The new goal is administering at least 2 lakh doses of the vaccine daily, nearly doubling the number administered so far on the best days, health secretary J Radhakrishnan announced last week, but hesitancy about the vaccine remains a hurdle.

Aware that getting as many people as possible vaccinated will be critical to containing the pandemic and allowing a return to a more normal way of life, public health analysts, virologists and infectious diseases experts offer three ways to beat hesitancy.

Create awareness, improve accessibility

Right messages about vaccines should stare out of billboards and blare out through public address systems, says former director of public health Dr K Kolandaisamy. Since many people want to avoid hospitals and crowded places, vaccination camps should be held in schools, anganwadi centres, meeting halls or open grounds of residential complexes, parks and workplaces. The government should update its web pages on where the vaccine will be available every day. VHNs too will be able to effectively do door-to-door canvassing in parts of the state. If people avoid vaccines because they want to wait for one brand, they should be told that the efficacy levels of both the vaccines are good.

Offer privileges to those vaccinated

Those who have taken at least one dose of the vaccine, and others who have taken the second dose at the right interval, says infectious diseases expert Dr Subramanian Swaminathan, should get privileges in entry to places of worship, tourist spots, or while booking movie tickets. They should, however, follow pandemic protocols. It should be announced that vaccine certificates will be required for all international travel. Though people can be infected even after two doses of the vaccine, they will not have severe disease. While natural immunity comes with the infection, vaccines can trigger antibodies – which can fight the virus – without risk of morbidity or mortality.

No vaccine, no compensation for severe disease/death

While vaccination is voluntary, public health experts say the government must tell healthcare providers and frontline staff that there will be no paid medical leave, reimbursement for severe treatment at private hospitals in case of severe Covid symptoms if they skip taking the vaccine. They should also not be compensated with cash in case they die of the viral infection. There is adequate scientific evidence that the vaccines offer up to 80% protection against the infection and prevent severe disease. The most informed people cannot have hesitancy.