Weekly cases at 2-mth high, Kerala accounts for 66%

Weekly cases at 2-mth high, Kerala accounts for 66%

Amit.Bhattacharya@timesgroup.com

30.08.2021

The sharp surge in Covid-19 infections in Kerala post Onam sent India’s cases in the week ending Sunday zooming to an eight-week high, with the southern state alone accounting for 66% of all cases in the country in this period.

India recorded more than 2.9 lakh fresh Covid cases in the week (August 23-29), a 32% jump from the tally in the preceding seven days. This was the highest number of weekly infections since the June 28-July 4 week when 3.05 lakh cases were recorded.

Kerala alone reported over 1.9 lakh cases, a massive 55% rise from the previous week’s tally of 1.25 lakh. This was the highest number of infections in the state in 14 weeks since May 16-23 and the highest in any Indian state in 13 weeks.

Not since the early days of the pandemic has any single state accounted for two-thirds of all Covid cases in the country in a week. That Kerala currently appears to be in a league of its own can be gauged from the fact that none of the state’s neighbours — Karnataka and Tamil Nadu — have reported any significant rise in numbers this week.

The only other large state where weekly Covid numbers seem to have risen is Maharashtra, which recorded a marginal increase of less than 1%.

Kerala, meanwhile, also became the second state in the country after Maharashtra to record more than 40 lakh Covid cases so far. Kerala crossed the grim milestone on Sunday, when the state recorded 29,836 new cases. Maharashtra's total caseload is over 64.5 lakh.

India recorded a 10.5% rise in deaths during the week. There were 3,439 fatalities in the period as opposed to 3,111 in the previous week.

Meanwhile, India logged more than 40,000 daily cases for the fifth straight day, with Sunday’s tally at 43,399 (with Jharkhand figures yet to arrive). The day saw 373 deaths while the number of active cases rose by around 7,000 to nearly 3.8 lakh. Of these, more than 2.1 lakh were in Kerala.

IS COVID GONE? A crowded market in Bengaluru on Sunday

4 held for thrashing scribes who exposed ‘illegal’ vaccination

Four persons were arrested on Sunday for allegedly thrashing journalists who had gone to cover ‘illegal’ vaccination of residents of Manpur village under Jaitpur police station area of UP’s Barabanki during the night time on Saturday. SP Barabanki Yamuna Prasad said an FIR had been registered in connection with the case.

First batch of Covaxin rolls out of Guj plant of Bharat Biotech

First batch of Covaxin rolls out of Guj plant of Bharat Biotech

Hyderabad:30.08.2021

In a move that will augment the supply of indigenously developed Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin, Bharat Biotech (BB) on Sunday announced the rollout of the first commercial batch of the vaccine from its Chiron Behring Vaccines facility at Ankleshwar in Gujarat, reports Swati Bharadwaj. Supplies from the Ankleshwar facility will start from September 2021.

The commercial Covaxin batches were launched by health minister Mansukh Mandaviya at the facility.

“A new filling facility, which was constructed during 2020 at Ankleshwar, is now being utilised for the production of Covaxin. Covaxin production had begun in early June, before which the team had executed engineering batches to study the equipment functionality at the facility,” BB said in a statement.

3rd wave could be less severe than 2nd one: ICMR’s Panda

3rd wave could be less severe than 2nd one: ICMR’s Panda

Nisha.Nambiar@timesgroup.com

Pune:30.08.2021

With recent projections that the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic could hit anytime between September and October, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) projects that it could be less severe than the recent second wave.

Dr Samiran Panda, head of ICMR’s Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases (ECD) division, said that nobody can predict the third wave for the whole country. “It will now make sense only if district or state-specific data are used for specific projections. The wave may rear its head only if states remove restrictions prematurely and there is a new transmission-efficient variant that could in turn cause a huge increase in caseload, or there is clear violation of Covid protocols at the population level,” Dr Panda said.

He further said the factors important for a wave are decline in natural or vaccine-induced immunity, emergence of a new, more virulent variant such as Delta, relaxations without Covid-appropriate behaviour or inadequate vaccine coverage. “Districts where the spread was low during the second wave might register an increase of cases this time, whereas districts that reported high infection rate may not witness high cases,” he said.

Non-technical courses in regional languages will benefit more students

Non-technical courses in regional languages will benefit more students

This change is required, as today about 10% of Indians can speak a reasonable level of English

c-Puniti.Pandey@timesgroup.com

30.08.2021

After announcing BTech courses in regional languages, the government has now decided to introduce several other non-technical courses in other Indian languages. The government will shortlist universities and institutes to offer Management, Philosophy and Hotel Management courses in regional languages.

Appreciating the move, Dheeraj Sharma, director, IIM Rohtak, says, “Teaching of Management courses in a regional language will allow better understanding of specific management concepts which may be contextually sensitive. Also, this will offer students superior understanding of curriculum, help them develop a positive attitude towards learning and enhance their self-esteem.

Explaining the need to introduce such regional programmes in Management and other courses, he adds, “Currently, only 10% of Indians can speak a reasonable level of English. Hence, we can see that there is a huge target audience who would wish to pursue Management education but the language barrier may be disadvantageous when they take an exam like CAT.”

He has already written a letter to the CAT coordinator last year and this year as well to offer a language option for CAT takers, says Sharma. Understanding the demand of Management education in small businesses and regional areas, IIM Rohtak introduced a Management Development Programme in Small Business Management that is to be imparted largely in Hindi language in 2021-22.

Learning in regional languages offers better learning outcomes, he adds. Non-possession of English language skills should not be a factor for the non-inclusion of talented and interested students from pursuing Management education.

Assenting to the decision, Vipin Aggarwal, principal, Sri Aurobindo College, University of Delhi, says, “Philosophy in regional languages will help students understand the subject better. The course structure usually includes Indian culture, values and behavioural patterns of the society. This curriculum will be understood better by students in their mother tongue or state language. Around 60% of students in the University are from remote states and are not proficient in English language. Philosophy in regional languages will help such students to perform better in their career.”

HEIs will be shortlisted to offer selected courses in state languages

Alternative career options if not MBBS, BDS

Alternative career options if not MBBS, BDS

Healthcare fields such as Homeopathy, Ayurveda, Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry can be considered

c-Puniti.Pandey@timesgroup.com

30.08.2021

Students largely opt for Biology in class XI with an aim to try their luck in MBBS. However, cracking the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for securing a seat in government medical colleges for MBBS is not a piece of cake. Also, the exorbitant fee structure of private medical colleges further restricts aspirants to look for other alternative careers in the field. The question then is what other options are available to such students?

“Besides MBBS and BDS, a student can look for alternative courses that include Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery, Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery, Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery, Bachelor of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, etc,” says Gaurav Tyagi, founder of Career Xpert.

With a boom in the health and nutrition sector, an aspirant can also consider a career as a Nutritionist, he explains further. Other than this, students can also opt for Bachelor of Occupational Therapy, BSc Microbiology, Medical Transcription Course, BSc Cardiology/ BSc Cardiac Technology, BSc in Paramedical Technology, BSc Audiology/Bachelor in Audiology or Speech Therapy, BSc in Medical Imaging Technology, BSc Agricultural Science, Bachelor of Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences.

There are enough options available for medical aspirants to try their hands on. Students with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology background can apply to Life Sciences programmes such as Biotechnology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Molecular Medicine, explains Dr Prem Nair, dean, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. Further options are available in the fields of Pharmacy programmes such as BPharm, PharmD or BSc Allied Health Sciences programmes such as BSc Anaesthesia Technology, BSc Cardiovascular Technology, BSc Cardiac Perfusion Technology, Bachelor of Science in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology or B.ASLP, BSc in Respiratory Therapy, BSc Dialysis Therapy, BSc in Diabetes Science, Emergency Medical Technology, Medical Laboratory Technology, BSc Operation Theatre Technology, Intensive Care Technology, BSc Echocardiology Technology, BSc Physician Assistant (PA), Neuro Electro Physiology, BSc Optometry, BSc in Medical Radiologic Technology etc,”

A PCMB student can look at inter-disciplinary fields in Biology such as Biotechnology, Biomedical Engineering, Genetic Engineering. The student can also opt for lesser known but rewarding careers in Pharmacy, Nursing, Clinical Psychology, Optometry, Radio Technology, Physiotherapy, Forensic Science, Medical Lab Technologist, etc, further explains Tyagi.

Explaining the various opportunities available for students who appear for NEET and get a fairly decent score, Dr Amit Gupta, professor, Department of Surgery, AIIMS Rishikesh, says, “Since last year NEET was conducted for shortlisting students only for MBBS and BDS. However, the government this year has introduced a change in the pattern. This year a uniform NEET will not only provide admission to MBBS and BDS but also other medical courses such as BSc in Nursing, Paramedical Sciences and Veterinary."

NEET UG 2021: All you need to know about new exam pattern

NEET DATE 12 SEPTEMBER

NEET UG 2021: All you need to know about new exam pattern

The medical entrance examination paper pattern has undergone a significant change for the first time since it was instituted, writes Amit Gupta

The National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (undergraduate), NEET UG, will be conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Sunday, September 12, 2021. It is a national-level exam meant for admission to MBBS, BDS, BSMS, BAMS, BHMS, BUMS and other undergraduate courses in medical and dental colleges across India. Students will need to take the test at the designated centers in person. The NEET UG question paper will comprise of Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs). A total of four marks will be awarded for each correct answer and one mark will be deducted for each incorrect response. The NEET UG examination paper pattern has undergone significant change, for the first time since it was instituted.

Listed below are the changes that students need to be aware of before appearing for the exam:

 Question paper format: The paper will consist of 200 questions of which the candidate needs to attempt 180. As per the pattern, the paper will consist of the respective subjects i.e., Physics, Chemistry, Botany, and Zoology. It will be in MCQ format and each question will have four optional answers. Every correct answer carries four marks and every incorrect answer carries a negative marking of one and the exam duration will be for three hours.

Section-wise division:

 Each of the four subjects consists of two sections, A and B respectively. Section A consists of 35 compulsory questions. For section B, candidates will have an option to attempt any 10 questions among the given 15. In the light of the decision to reduce the syllabus by various boards, the NTA has decided to give choice in section B for all four subjects. If a candidate attempts more than ten questions for section B, only the first ten attempted questions will be evaluated. It is essential to exercise caution while attempting questions in Section B.

Increased language options: 

The medium or choice of languages has been increased from 11 to 13 this year, enabling more candidates to take the test in their regional languages. This year, the languages that candidates can choose from include: English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. As the syllabus remains the same, the candidate should continue with the same study pattern he/she has been following and give equal importance to all the given topics of the respective subjects. Students must not change their study plan at this point as it is important to give equal importance to all the topics within the set syllabus. Keep in mind that NEET UG is a competitive examination with a limited number of available seats.

(The writer is a NEET UG educator at Unacademy)

Pay 8% less for new AC 3-tier economy tickets

Pay 8% less for new AC 3-tier economy tickets

New Delhi:29.08.2021

The railways has notified the tariff for its new airconditioned economy class, which will be at least 8% less than existing AC 3-tier tickets. These coaches will have 83 berths.

The newly-introduced 3AC Economy coach will be attached in all mail, express and superfast services, a railway ministry official said. So far, 50 such coaches have been handed over to different zonal railways.

In a statement, the ministry said the base fare of 3AC economy coach shall be 2.4 times of base fare of the existing Sleeper Class of mail and express trains. The base fares for the new class of coaches start from as less as Rs 440 per seat for a distance up to 300km. Based on distance of travel, these base fare go up to a maximum of Rs 3,065 for a 4,951-5,000-km journey. Other charges such as reservation fee, superfast surcharge, GST shall be levied separately. TNN