K’taka may have 1 lakh +ve cases by Aug 15

K’taka may have 1 lakh +ve cases by Aug 15

ALARMING SCENARIO Number Of Cases In State Doubling Every 15 Days; Can Be Curbed If Everyone Follows SOPs Diligently

Health Department Uses Doubling Rate Number And Current Pace Of Spread

Sandeep.Moudgal@timesgroup.com  20.06.2020

Bengaluru: A state health department’s projection based on current pace of spread indicates that the number of Covid-19 cases in the state will hit the 1-lakh mark by August 15.

This projection is based on the doubling rate which took into account the current rate of positive cases, transmission potential and average number of secondary infections produced by a typical Covid-positive case in a population where everyone is susceptible.

“In Karnataka, we’re seeing a doubling rate every 15 days. Based on this, our prediction suggests that the state may touch up to 1 lakh cases by August 15,” said Munish Moudgil who is in charge of the Covid-19 War Room.

He said the estimation is based on the current trend while cases are rising across the state. If there is any improvement from the present situation, the least they expect is between 50,000 and 60,000 cases.

For Karnataka to prove the prediction wrong, every individual must practise hygiene norms of wearing a mask, repeatedly washing hands and maintaining social distancing norms. “This will reduce the progression of the virus by 60% to 70%,” he said.

Debunking prediction models, additional chief secretary (health) Jawaid Akthar said the only reliable mechanism of reflecting the ground reality is taking an average of the daily numbers. “While we have conducted two or three studies, including one by our expert committee, these do not give us a fair idea of virus progression rate simply because there are too many variables. In hindsight, we’ve seen that these models are nowhere close to reality,” said Akthar.

The health department, he said, used the average rate of positive cases on a week-by-week basis as the premise for predictions and, therefore, preparations. “With that in mind, we do consider prediction models by various groups and experts to map out our strategies,” he said.

However, many government officials and experts believe projection rates and prediction models will create only panic among citizens and the government does not want to come up with possible numbers.

DOUBLY SAFE: BBMP workers sanitise Vidhana Soudha premises. (Right) A Congress worker thermal-checks people while distributing masks on Friday

PERMANENT STAFF ONLY

AI offers 3 working-day week at 60% of salary

Saurabh.Sinha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:  20.06.2020

Air India will now give its permanent employees, except pilots and cabin crew, the option of a “shorter working week” where they will work three days a week at 60% pay. The scheme, applicable with immediate effect from Friday, is voluntary and can be opted for a year to begin with and extendable to two years, subject to the airline’s approval.AI has 13,000 permanent employees with a monthly wage bill of Rs 230 crore. The airline did not say what savings it expects from the move as the same will be known depending on how many employees opt for it. 

In another decision on Friday, the airline introduced a “special quarantine leave on exposure to Covid-19” where an employee, who has come in contact with an infected person — like crew of a flight on which a passenger tested positive — or has tested positive, will be immediately sent on home quarantine for 14 days as per airline/government advice. “Duration of home quarantine shall be 14 days from the date of contact with a confirmed case. He/ she shall be granted quarantine leave with pay for 14 days, which shall not be debited from his/ her leave account,” an office order said. Employees opting for shorter working week have been asked not to take up any other employment during the period they avail of this option.

“Since the employee opting for this scheme will be on the payrolls of the company, it is mandatory that (he/she) shall not take up any employment during the period, in addition to his/her job in the company. lf this condition is violated, disciplinary action (will be taken as per rules)

…..” Employees opting for this scheme will be required to work on any three days during the week.

Covid-hit Delhi health minister’s condition worsens, moved to private hospital ICU

New Delhi:  20.06.2020

Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain, battling the coronavirus infection, was moved to the ICU of the private Max Hospital from a city government-run facility after his condition deteriorated on Friday, sources said.

The sources indicated that the 55-year-old minister is likely to undergo plasma therapy though there was no official confirmation. Doctors at the government hospital said he has been diagnosed with pneumonia and his oxygen saturation level has also dipped, prompting the hospital authorities to shift him to an intensive care unit.

“He was brought to Max Hospital, Saket in the evening and admitted in ICU,” a source said. Jain was earlier admitted at the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH), a dedicated COVID-19 facility under the city government in east Delhi. AGENCIES

UP man marries statue to make father happy

Kapil.Dixit@timesgroup.com

Prayagraj  20.06.2020

: Fulfilling one’s parents’ wishes is desirable, but a 32-year-old man took it to another level when he married a statue to make his father happy. According to reports, Panch Raj of Bhaidpur area of Ghurpur village, about 35km from Prayagraj district, tied the knot with a statue of a bride on Tuesday evening.

His father, a retired Indian Railways employee Shiv Mohan Pal, 90, said, “I have nine sons and three daughters and 11 of them are married. My eighth son Panch Raj is uneducated, mentally challenged and is jobless. He has to rely on other family members for the simplest of tasks. I didn’t want to spoil any girl’s future by getting him married.”

“However, I also didn’t want him to be unmarried as my ancestors believed that if a person dies unmarried, his family members can’t perform his ‘terharvi sanskar’ (last rituals in Hindu religion). I was worried that Panch Raj’s soul won’t rest in peace if he dies unmarried,” he added.

Given the circumstances, the elderly man consulted relatives and decided to get Panch Raj married to a statue.

Full report on www.toi.in

Distribution of expired meds: Probe ordered

Karal.Marx@timesgroup.com

Vellore:  20.06.2020

A probe has been initiated by the Ranipet administration to find out if ‘expired’ multi-vitamins were distributed to residents in a Covid-19 containment zone in Sholinghur town panchayat in the district.

A district health officer said on the condition of anonymity that a female nurse working at Gururajapettai primary health centre and a resident of Sholinghur tested positive for Covid on Tuesday. To contain the spread, health and revenue officials sealed the fourth ward where the nurse was residing and declared it a containment zone.

Five neighbours were quarantined in their houses and provided immunity rich tablets, including Zinc and Vitamin C. Health workers attached to Sholinghur PHC distributed the multi-vitamins to occupants of the five houses, said a district health officer, not willing to be quoted.

A local resident, who witnessed the distribution of the multi-vitamins, said, “The incident took place on Thursday after the Zinc tablets distributed by the health workers were found to have expired. We found that the tablets were manufactured in February 2018 and it had expired in January 2020.”

When residents questioned the health workers, they said the expired tablet strips had somehow got into the package along with other medicines which had expiry date as April 2021.

“Though the health workers apologised profusely for the mistake and took back the expired tablets from us, we are worried that this may be happening in other containment zones too. The district administration should probe the issue,” said the resident, seeking anonymity.

When contacted by TOI, Ranipet district collector S Divyadarshini said, “We have demanded an explanation from the health staff who were involved in the distribution.

A team headed by Ranipet joint director health I Yasmin and district health officer Velmurugan have been directed to probe the matter. Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against the person if the allegations are found true,” said the collector.

Ranipet district health officer Velmurugan said, “Following complaints from residents of Sholinghur 4th ward, we are conducting a door-to-door check in the containment zones. So far, we have not found any multivitamins that were distributed to be expired. An inquiry is on with the health workers and drug in-charge of Sholinghur PHC,” he said.

Why shut meat shops, ask traders, consumers

Why shut meat shops, ask traders, consumers

‘Essential For Us, Regulate Like Veggie Outlets’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:20.06.2020

The sudden announcement of closing all meat shops and slaughterhouses in city limits has taken vendors and consumers by shock. The move has become a point of heated discussion with people asking — ‘why such an illogical decision was taken?’ “We heard about the move only last night. When we tried asking authorities the reason behind this, they had no answers,” said R Kareem, general secretary of the South Chennai Mutton Traders Association. He pointed out that during the previous lockdown, the local authorities had regulated timings but allowed them to open meat stalls for business. “They should have at least informed us a few days in advance... Our livelihoods will be severely affected.”

Kareem said the traders and sellers will have to incur huge losses as maintaining the livestock costs thousands of rupees a day. “Without income, how will we manage?”

“Sales that dipped during the previous lockdowns was picking up, but this move will further losses,” said S Salauddin, president, Chennai Mutton Merchant (retailers) Association.

Sellers also complained cold storage facility wasn’t available in the city, “With no place to store the meat nor means to sell it, tonnes will be going to waste,” said Abdul Mohammad, a mutton seller.

Even egg sale in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Chengalpet and Tiruvallur districts, where the 12-day lockdown has been imposed, will be affected, A Singaraj, president of Tamil Nadu Poultry Farmers Association. “But the exact market status will be known only after two days,” said. The districts consume 50 lakh eggs daily, Chennai the most, and added the cost of eggs may drop if stocks go up in farms.

This government’s decision to stop online sales of meat is also being widely debated on social media. A few have asked authorities to explain the logic behind implementing this move while regulating timings for other stores selling vegetables and groceries.

On March 23, the ministry of animal husbandry, dairy, and fisheries wrote to chief secretaries of all states asking them to include chicken, eggs, and meat in the list of essential commodities.

“Meat is an essential item for us. How can the state stop it? The authorities must regulate these stores like the rest,” said T Usha, a consumer.

INTO THE BIN: A trader dumps around 3 tonnes of fish and crabs into a garbage bin at Villivakkam market. Greater Chennai Corporation has ordered closure of all fish and meat shops in its limits during the 12-day lockdown that began on Friday

Chennai returnees not welcome in rest of TN

Chennai returnees not welcome in rest of TN

Yogesh.Kabirdoss@timesgroup.com

Chennai:  20.06.2020

City residents making an exodus to their hometowns across Tamil Nadu are greeted with suspicion of being ‘super-spreaders’ of Covid-19. The Chennai returnees are not just closely monitored by the district administrations but also by neighbours who are quick to report them. In some villages in southern parts of the state, new visitors are directed to undergo Covid-19 test.

Parts of southern TN such as Madurai, Tirunelveli and Tuticorin have been seeing more Covid-19 cases, primarily due to those returning from Chennai. A sizeable number of people from the city are making their way into rest of Tamil Nadu illegally without e-passes.

The district control room in Coimbatore is recording a rise in complaints about people from Chennai. In the past three days, it received 60 calls, largely pertaining to movement of people from Chennai and other places, who have entered Coimbatore. However, officials concerned were quick to add that they have not come across any instance of returnees being discriminated or harassed.

Extremely vigilant citizens in some districts in central TN alert officials almost immediately they come across a returnee. Kumar* (*name changed) had a taste of it within hours of reaching his hometown, Thanjavur, with his family on a valid e-pass early on Sunday. “Within three hours of us reaching there, health officials from Thanjavur Municipal Corporation knocked on our doors and asked us to undergo Covid-19 test. The official told us that neighbours had alerted the authorities about our visit,” he said.

District collectors T G Vinay (Madurai), Shilpa Prabhakar Satish (Tirunelveli), Sandeep Nanduri (Tuticorin) and Prashant M Wadnere (Kanyakumari) told TOI that vigilance by villagers at the grass root level was a key factor helping them identify those who sneaked past check posts without e-passes.

Thambi Bhagyakumar of Vilavancode, which is close to the inter-state border in Kanyakumari district, said they were doubly cautious. “Villagers also inform the local body member or health official if those who returned from Chennai, who are supposed to be under quarantine for 14 days, leave the house or entertain visitors,” he added.

(With inputs from M K Ananth from Madurai and A Subburaj from Coimbatore)

Within three hours of us reaching Thanjavur, health officials from the municipal corporation knocked on our doors and asked us to undergo the Covid-19 test. An official told us that some people had alerted the authorities about our visit