Hosp debarred for charging ₹10L from patient who died during treatment

Hosp debarred for charging ₹10L from patient who died during treatment

Agra:12.05.2021 

Arun Kansal, a 62-year-old resident of Agra, died while being treated for Covid at Ravi hospital and his family was charged a bill of Rs 9.6 lakh. This was found to be in violation of the rates fixed by the state government for the treatment of Covid patients, and the hospital has been debarred from further admissions.

Following a complaint made by the patient’s family, and an initial investigation, district magistrate Prabhu N Singh has debarred the hospital from admitting Covid-19 patients. A showcause notice has also been issued to the hospital, which is owned by the former district president of Indian Medical Association, Dr Ravi Mohan Pachori. Action will be taken against the hospital if it fails to reply, said officials. TNN

Kumbh returnee, 67, infects 33 in B’luru

Kumbh returnee, 67, infects 33 in B’luru

Sunitha.Rao@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:12.05.2021 

A 67-year-old woman who returned from Kumbh Mela tested positive for Covid in the first week of April and ended up infecting 33 persons, including 13 psychiatric patients at Spandana Healthcare and Rehabilitation Centre, near Nandini Layout, in west Bengaluru.

The Mahalakshmi Layout resident’s 40-year-old daughter-in-law, a psychiatrist with Spandana, had no symptoms and was treating 13 patients. A couple of days after her mother-in-law tested positive, the doctor got herself tested only to find she, too, was Covid positive.

The hospital tested all her contacts, and 13 patients and two staffers were found positive. BBMP officers from Nandini Layout came rushing to the hospital for inspection as it was a cluster case. In all, 18 family members of the Kumbh returnee were found to be infected.

Patients didn’t have severe symptoms, recovered now

The woman was admitted to a private hospital. She has since recovered as she had moderate infection.

A BBMP medical officer from Nandini Layout primary health centre said the index case was the psychiatrist. “None of the infected had severe symptoms and they were treated in their facility itself. As we traced further, we found the source was a Kumbh returnee from the psychiatrist’s family,” the doctor told TOI.

Dr Mahesh R Gowda, who heads Spandana, said with three employees and 13 patients testing positive, they had to close a floor and become more of a Covid hospital. The hospital now has 31 patients from outside.

All the patients of Spandana have recovered and they did not end up spreading the virus as they were isolated well in time. “However, we don’t know if the 18 family members further spread the virus to others,” said Dr Gowda.

The psychiatrist was asymptomatic and developed symptoms of Covid later, requiring hospitalisation. “Our colleague stopped coming to the hospital after her mother-in-law tested positive,” Dr Gowda said.

There are no details on how many from the state attended Kumbh and if they took a test on their return. Experts had advised the government to track the Kumbh returnees .

A third or fourth wave is natural for new viruses, says professor R M Pitchappan, a pioneer in human immunogenetics, but preparation for them is key. In an interview with Padmini Sivarajah, the visiting professor at Madurai Kamaraj University dispels fears about the vaccine and mutations.

A third or fourth wave is natural for new viruses, says professor R M Pitchappan, a pioneer in human immunogenetics, but preparation for them is key. In an interview with Padmini Sivarajah, the visiting professor at Madurai Kamaraj University dispels fears about the vaccine and mutations.

12.05.2021 

The principal scientific adviser to the Government of India has warned of a third wave. What is your opinion?

Yes, it is possible that there may be a third wave. In any new viral or vectorborne disease it is always seasonal and episodic, it takes a few cycles for the infection to die out. We cannot wait for herd immunity and all precautions have to be taken. We must also keep in mind that the pandemic will die down like the spread of hepatitis 20 years ago.

It is feared that the third wave will affect children. Can it be overcome?

There is no evidence yet that the third wave will affect children alone. Children, except newborns till a few months, have a robust immune response capable of responding to most infections. There is no need to panic it can be overcome with care and vaccination. Children might require a low volume of vaccine due to their size and immune system. Pharma industries should think of systematically procuring and marketing it, but it is a laborious process. Passive therapy from convalescent plasma is another option.

Can the present Indian vaccines be administered to children?

Theoretically the same vaccine should work in children, maybe with some dosage adjustments, but adverse reaction trials have to be done before implementing it. The government agencies should give the nod for trials and make the vaccine available for children. In a country where polio has been eradicated, it is possible to tackle Covid. Proper planning to vaccinate children and opening schools need to be made. The immune system of children may be less experienced, but it is not less competent than that of an adult.

There is a shortage of antiviral drugs. There are also conflicting reports on the usefulness of these drugs.

A recent literature shows none of the drugs used as on date including these antivirals provide 100% efficacy in saving a life. The Indian vaccine manufacturers have scaled up their production. Yesterday, DCGI approved anti-Covid drug, 2-deoxy-D-glucose developed by DRDO for emergency use in moderate to severe Covid patients as an adjunct therapy. The new drug reduces oxygen dependence and faster recovery.

What about alternate medicines?

Researchers from Germany and India have identified Thymoquinone from Nigella Sativa (“Karunseeragam” in Tamil) having antiviral properties. It is also antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory. The drug can be synthesised in the laboratory. India with its vast scientific community and pharma should aim at such innovative, native medicines. This can become an affordable alternative, preventive and therapeutic like the siddha ‘kabasura kuidineer’ being attempted in various parts of the country.

People contracting Covid-19 after both doses is raising concern.

The severity is less in people who contract the disease after vaccination. But if they succumb to the disease then these cases should be studied for demographic profile, medical history, nutritional status and co-morbidities. Linking the cases and data to the Aadhaar number, proper follow-up and introspection will help in policy making.

With the virus mutating fast, will these vaccines help?

Antibodies generated due to vaccines may neutralise the virus to some extent if they have not mutated further in the host. The immune system also has other antibodies such as cytotoxic lympohocytes that tackle infection and help in long term immunity.

Re-exam will set wrong precedent, say academics

Re-exam will set wrong precedent, say academics

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:12.05.2021 

Conducting a re-exam for four lakh engineering students and changing the proctored online test to an unsupervised online test like in other universities will set a wrong precedent, say academicians.

The government directed the university to conduct a reexam following complaints that only 1.1 lakh of the 2.3 lakh students whose results were declared cleared it. Results of nearly two lakh students were withheld for suspected malpractices.

Higher education minister K Ponmudi on Monday said withholding so many results was itself an irregularity, but professors who were part of the inquiry committee said many students resorted to malpractices. “Around 80% took online test from mobile phones. Without knowing their screen was recorded, they frequently changed screen and shared answers. They formed WhatsApp groups, Telegram groups to share answers. Some even took help of friends and siblings. Some pasted a mobile phone to their laptops to cheat,” said one.

An Anna University professor said the previous government wanted to give allpass to students with arrears without exams. “The new government wants to give all pass to students by allowing them to write an unsupervised exam.”

Former vice-chancellor of Anna University E Balagurusamy said the online system cannot be termed wrong because many failed. “The proctored online test was an example for all state universities. Results of students suspected to have been involved in malpractices were withheld.”

The online test conducted by other universities is not at all an exam, he said. “Students receive question papers on WhatsApp, write exams from home and post the answer scripts. The examination is not monitored.”

G Shanmugam, former registrar of University of Madras, said conducting a nonproctored online exam led to mass copying and other malpractices. “Asking Anna University to conduct re-exam following methods of other universities is not good.”

Students and colleges, however, welcomed the move.

M Sangeetha, a third-year engineering student from Trichy with a CGPA of 8.2 in past three years, failed in 5 of 6 papers in the fifth semester. “I was comfortable with descriptive mode, but I could not suddenly adapt to the multiple choice online test,” she said.

(With inputs from Sambath Kumar )

298 deaths, 29,272 cases in TN; 7,466 in Chennai

298 deaths, 29,272 cases in TN; 7,466 in Chennai

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:12.05.2021 

Tamil Nadu reported 298 deaths and 29,272 cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, when 1.6 lakh people were under treatment for the viral infection. The cumulative toll touched 16,178 and the case tally reached 14.3 lakh on a day 19,182 people were discharged from the registry.

Hotspot Chennai

Nearly one in every four persons tested positive on Tuesday were from hotspot Chennai. The city added 7,466 new cases of Covid-19. Together, with Chengalpet (2419), Tiruvallur (1204) and Kancheepuram (664), Chennai region reported 11,753 new cases. After Chennai, the highest number of new cases were from Coimbatore (2650). In the South, Madurai and Kanyakumari reported 1024 and 995 cases respectively. While all districts in the state had more than 100 cases, five districts reported more than 1,000 cases, at least 15 reported less than 500 cases each. At the end of the day, Chennai had 37713 active cases, followed by Coimbatore (14324) and Chengalpet (12038).

Spike in deaths

The number of deaths have been increasing rapidly in the state. The state has added 1,000 deaths to the registry in the last four days. It took the state 115 days to add 1,000 deaths from around 12,000 deaths on December 22. Two weeks later, on April 30 the toll increased to 14,000 and a week later, on May 7 it crossed the 15,000 mark. "The doubling period for deaths too has been dropping drastically," said senior public health officials.

Lack of beds

Through the day many people made frantic calls to the state helpline 104, dialed emergency rooms of hospitals and called friends and family seeking admissions in various hospitals. While just 17% of the beds in the state were vacant, according to data from DPH, there were less than 10% oxygen beds and 6% ICU beds available. Almost all oxygen and ICU beds in Chengalpet, Dharmapuri and Ranipet were taken for most parts of the day. Getting an ICU bed was a struggle in districts such as Chennai, Coimbatore, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Vellore.

Needed, more shots

Even as cases continue to spike, health care providers and frontline workers in the state continue to remain vulnerable to the infection. Less than 60% of healthcare providers and 42% of frontline workers in Tamil Nadu who took their first dose are now fully vaccinated.

Overall 73% of healthcare providers and 88% of frontline workers have taken their first dose, but they could still be vulnerable as they have not completed the course. The number of people in the 60+ age group and those above 44(with comorbidity) who have taken the second doses is between 35-40%. On Tuesday, 79,929 people took the vaccine in Tamil Nadu.

This included 26,264 senior citizens, 40,534 people above the age of 45, 4,326 healthcare providers and 8,805 frontline workers.

In TN, virus is killing young people with no comorbidities

In TN, virus is killing young people with no comorbidities

No Scientific Reason Yet About Why Young People Are Dying

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:  12.05.2021 

More young and healthy people —without comorbid conditions and below 40 years — are now dying of Covid-19 in Tamil Nadu, directorate of public health data shows.

On January 10, when TN’s Covid death toll reached 12,222, around 18% (2,084) were those without any comorbidities. By May 9, such people accounted for 6063 of the 15,648 deaths (39%). On Tuesday, 78 of the 298 people who died in the state had no comorbid conditions.

“In absolute numbers, deaths are still high among people above 50 years of age and among people with uncontrolled diabetes or hypertension. But during the last four to six weeks, we are seeing more young and healthy people in ICUs,” said Kilpauk Medical College Hospital dean Dr Vasanthamani P. “Some of them don’t make it.”

On Tuesday, five of the 298 who died were in their 20s and had no comorbid conditions. Of the people in their 30s, were a 30-year-old man and 37-year-old woman with diabetes, a 38-yearold man with hypertension and another man with chronic kidney disease. At least 21 of the 48 people in their 40s had no comorbid conditions.

Between January and May, the growth rate of deaths was highest (37%) among people in the 31-40 age group. On January 10, there were 456 deaths in this age group and 623 on May 9. In the same period, deaths in the 20-30 age group rose from 142 to 187, by 31%. Overall deaths jumped by 28% from 12,222 to 15,648. Since then, 8 people in their 20s and 35 people in their 30s have died.

Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital dean Dr Theranirajan said, “We have been able to reduce morbidity and mortality in people who reach hospitals early.”

Experts say that while more people below 40 years are juggling for space in ICUs with senior citizens, they don’t know why more young and healthy people are dying. “We don’t have any scientific reasons for this yet. We don’t know if the profile of young people we see now is from a better socio-economic background with higher risk of lifestyle disorders,” said senior infectious diseases expert Dr V Ramasubramanian.

Between January and May, the growth rate of deaths in Tamil Nadu as per official data was highest (37%) among people in the 31-40 age group

Don’t fret if 2nd dose delayed, say experts

Don’t fret if 2nd dose delayed, say experts

Neha Madaan & Sumitra DebRoy TNN

Pune/Mumbai:

First-dose recipients of Covaxin don't need to restart their vaccination schedule if the gap between doses goes beyond the recommended 4-6-week interval, a top public health official has said. Experts also stressed that delay in taking a second dose of Covishield or Covaxin does not render the first shot ineffective. An estimated 5 lakh people in Maharashtra are awaiting the second shot of Covaxin alone.

Dr N K Arora, member of the National Committee on Adverse Events Following Immunisation, said recipients should not worry if the second dose is delayed. “We know there are many single-dosers whose second shots have been delayed. They need not be worried. Even if gap between two doses increases to 8-10 weeks, in case of any of the two vaccines, beneficiaries can take the second shot and it will still be effective. There is no need to repeat the vaccine schedule due to a delayed second dose,” he said.

JAB EFFECT: Delay in getting second dose does not make the first ineffective, say experts

‘Advisable for senior citizens to avoid crowded vax centres’

Counselling recipients to not panic, immunologist Dr Vineeta Bal from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune said the first dose has already triggered an immune response which does not disappear because of the delay, only that it’s not optimum, and hence the second dose is needed.

“Abooster (second)doseessentially increases the quality and quantity of the first dose response,” she said, adding that it may be advisable for senior citizens to avoid crowded vaccination centres since there is a real possibility of catching the infection there. The first dose remains in the body but also has its own limited half-life.

All antibodies produced are proteins that get degraded within the body whether used or not used. “So, the immune response generated by the first dose may possibly start tapering off after 4-5 months,” Bal added.

The duration between two Covishield doses was increased from 4 weeks to 12 weeks primarily based on data from international trials where after a first dose the immune response was measured until the second dose was given. “In some cases, due to trial related issues, the second dose was given as late as 12 weeks and still the effect of the first dose was pretty much okay,” she added.

For Covaxin, such a variation in the duration between first and second dose was not tested in human beings though.

“The makers had uniformly tested at the end of four weeks. That’s why everybody is recommending booster for Covaxin at the end of 28 days. Theoretically, if there is enough response that lasted for four weeks, maybe it will last up to the fifth week too. But we don’t know that since there is no data,” Bal added.

Full report on www.toi.in

A deserted Har ki Pauri ghat on Vaishakh Amavasya on Tuesday

Those taking 2nd shots are priority: Govt

The Centre on Tuesday insisted that those eligible for the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine should be given priority and that vaccination wastage should be minimised. Expressing concern over the misinformation on the subject of vaccination, Cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba mentioned that all vaccines that are procured either by the central government or the state governments are actually meant for the public in the states and there is no consumption at the central-level. PTI