What's new

Coronavirus in India

kaayal said:
Here is the most detailed post about testing. Courtesy: My Professor.

Diagnostic Testing Strategies for COVID-19
----------------------------------------------------------

There are 3 main type of diagnostic tests for COVID-19
1. Tests to detect the virus
2. Tests to detect antibodies to the virus
3. Imaging modalities

Tests for Viral detection
-------------------------------
The most fool-proof method is sequencing of the viral genome. This is how the virus was identified as a novel and unique entity by the Chinese in Wuhan. Once the sequence was made public, tests to amplify and detect the unique portions of the virus could be designed. These tests called Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) or more specifically Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) since it is an RNA virus that needs to be converted to DNA by the enzyme Reverse transcriptase.
Rapid amplification PCR based cartridge platforms, tried and tested extensively for tuberculosis is now available for various virus diseases including SARS-CoV2. This has the potential of being used as a point of care test.

Advantages of PCR tests:
---------------------------------
The main advantage of PCR is that it is highly specific (Test with 100% specificity means there will be no false positives). The other advantage is that the tests becomes positive in the early phase of the disease and is thus ideal for confirming those with the beginning of symptoms.

Disadvantages of PCR tests:
-------------------------------------
One disadvantage is that the sensitivity (Ability to pick up the truly infected) maybe as low as 50-70%. One reason is that the number of viral particles may not be very large in some infected people. This test needs sample of the patient’s secretions. The best results are obtained from the lungs by broncho-alveolar lavage. This is done in only a few because it is invasive. Nasopharyngeal swabs and sputum are other methods used.
Specimen collection is very important and any mistake in that will result in false negatives
PCR needs costly equipment and highly trained personnel which limits its use to the advanced laboratories. For highly contagious and deadly viruses this also needs very high safety levels (level 3 or 4). These can be to some extent mitigated by the point of care cartridge tests which are easier to do and which needs only inactivated specimen.
PCR also has the disadvantage that it can become negative in the later phases of disease as the body’s immunity builds up.
The test takes about 4 hours to perform and this the throughput of a laboratory with a single Real time PCR machine may be about 100-120 tests per day. The cartridge based test can be done in 1-2 hours but the throughput is much smaller as many samples cannot be done simultaneously.
[SEE TABLE ]

Tests to detect antibodies to the virus
-------------------------------------------------
Antibody based detection tests for SARS- CoV2 have been developed. These are mainly of two types. The standard test is ELISA (Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) needs a good laboratory and trained personnel. Rapid card tests which have been developed can be done at the point of care without highly trained personnel.
Two types of antibodies are tested. IgM antibody rises first and is indicative of an active or recent infection. IgG type of antibody rises later and is indicative of a past infection.
[SEE FIGURE]

Advantages of Antibody based tests:
-------------------------------------------------
These tests are done on the blood. For rapid card tests, a finger ***** is all that is needed. Antibody based tests are cheaper and results are faster; in case of card tests the result takes only a few minutes.
The antibody tests are very sensitive provided it is done at the proper time as recommended. The specificity is also good for a screening test.
Disadvantages of Antibody based tests:
-----------------------------------------------------
The main disadvantage limiting its use as the primary diagnostic modality is that it remains negative in the early phase of the disease. IgM titres start rising only 3-7 days after the onset of symptoms which is about 8-19 days after exposure to the organism. The specificity can also be a problem when it is used primarily as a standalone diagnostic test.

Imaging tests
------------------
CT scan is very useful in cases of COVID-19 with lung involvement. The findings are fairly specific enough to make a diagnosis in the proper clinical setting even in PCR negative cases.

Which test should we use?
-----------------------------------
A comparison of sensitivities of PCR and antibody based tests according to the day of illness is provided in the table below.

[SEE TABLE 2]

As can be seen from the table, the two tests complement each other and the sensitivity is boosted when used in conjunction. Antibody tests would be eminently suitable for studying incidence and prevalence in the community since even the convalescents and their contacts can be studied for this purpose.

What strategy to use?
----------------------------
Diagnostic testing for SARS-CoV-2 is extremely important for its control. It is those countries that have tested the most people that have been able to contain the spread and mortality. When considering which test to use, we have to take into account the accuracy, cost, infrastructure and human resource available. The following approach may be considered.
1. Use PCR as the primary diagnostic modality
a. Set up testing facilities using Real Time PCR in as many centres as possible. The tests maybe done in clinical and research laboratories that routinely offer PCR based tests. Machines from universities etc may be borrowed on a temporary basis to boost throughput.
b. Point of care cartridge PCR may be used in centres where it is available. This would be more useful in the peripheral centres like the TB control units
c. Private laboratories may be asked to contribute to the effort by helping to test the pool of patients identified by the public health authorities. They should be supplied reagents free for this purpose.
d. Free market testing may be discouraged as it will mainly be used by hypochondriacs with money to spare and waste resources.
2. Antibody tests need not be used as a primary diagnostic test.
a. It can however be used sparingly as an adjunct in doubtful cases negative for PCR and to test contacts for epidemiological purposes as needed.
b. The main use of the antibody test would be to study the incidence and prevalence of disease and local outbreaks by well designed studies setting up surveillance centres.
c. They can be used in a limited manner to screen new arrivals from within or outside the country and those who test poitive may be quarantined.

References
---------------
1. Wang W et al. Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Different Types of Clinical Specimens. JAMA. 2020 Mar 11. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.3786.
2. Drain PK, Garrett NJ. The arrival of a true point-of-care molecular assay-ready for global implementation? Lancet Glob Health. 2015 Nov;3(11):e663-4.
3. Juanjuan Zhao et al. Antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in patients of novel coronavirus disease 2019. www.medrxiv.org. March 03, 2020 doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.02.20030189
4. Fatima Amanat et al. A serological assay to detect SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion in humans. www.medrxiv.org. March16, 2020. doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.17.20037713.
Click to expand...

WOW...this is incredible.

Thanks a million for it.

Going through it now.
 
Bengal man's family says he died of police beating, police say he had heart ailment

A32-year-old man in West Bengal's Howrah went out to buy milk during the lockdown on Wednesday when he was beaten up by the police. He later passed away after the thrashing. His family has alleged he died of the injuries.

The police have denied the charge. According to officials, Howrah resident Lal Swami died after suffering a cardiac arrest and that he was already suffering from heart ailments.

Swamy's family members told ABP Ananda that he had stepped out of his residence to buy milk. While speaking to the Bengali channel, his wife alleged that he faced police lathicharge when the personnel were clearing a gathering on the streets.

The victim was rushed to a local hospital, he was declared brought dead.

West Bengal has so far recorded 10 coronavirus cases and 1 death.

A 66-year-man has tested positive for the coronavirus in West Bengal, which is the 10th case in the state. The man from Nayabad in Kolkata had no history of travelling abroad or outside the state.

He had recently attended a wedding in Midnapore and might have come in contact with a person infected with the novel coronavirus.

He is undergoing treatment in the isolation ward of a private hospital and his family kept in home isolation under police protection, sources said.

CM Mamata Banerjee had announced a complete lockdown of the state from Monday till March 31.
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/sto...-being-beaten-up-by-police-1659842-2020-03-26
 
Abdullah719 said:
It's a pandemic, there will be mostly negative news.

We are adding updates regardless of whether they are positive or negative. Just a few posts above, I added a detailed article for the relief measures.

No conspiracy here, you know.
Click to expand...


This is the same guy who has nothing positive to say about Pakistan or Islam since he has joined PP yet we should post only positives about India. Wah ji wah. Ignore him.
 
Saurav said:
661 active cases.Deaths 13
Click to expand...

Syed1 said:
This link says 719 cases with 16 deaths, with 4 new fatalities today

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
Click to expand...

There are 2 sources.

ICMR Official Source -

http://covidindiaupdates.in/

(this gets updated slowly but is the main source)

Crowdsourced Data -

https://www.covid19india.org/

(updates regularly - you can see cases rising every hour or two)

------

According to 2nd source, active cases is 661 and total cases which is 719. They haven't updated deaths tho.

ICMR website has 633 active cases and 694 total cases. 16 deaths.

It will update later tonight or tomorrow.
 
Last edited:
India's defence research organisation DRDO announces plan to manufacture ventilators, masks and sanitisers on a war footing.
 
What’s wrong with Muslims in India , I know there are idiots in every community ? I saw not one but 10 videos of crowded gatherings , it’s almost like they are immune to this virus ? They will not just killed but take rest of us along with them . Offcourse our shameless “liberal” Indians on PP won’t mention this , cos their idea of being liberal is just self loathing .
 
jusarrived said:
What’s wrong with Muslims in India , I know there are idiots in every community ? I saw not one but 10 videos of crowded gatherings , it’s almost like they are immune to this virus ? They will not just killed but take rest of us along with them . Offcourse our shameless “liberal” Indians on PP won’t mention this , cos their idea of being liberal is just self loathing .
Click to expand...

Yes I saw a video of Muslim community ,they gather in a mosque( around 30-40 people's) for prayer .
 
jusarrived said:
What’s wrong with Muslims in India , I know there are idiots in every community ? I saw not one but 10 videos of crowded gatherings , it’s almost like they are immune to this virus ? They will not just killed but take rest of us along with them . Offcourse our shameless “liberal” Indians on PP won’t mention this , cos their idea of being liberal is just self loathing .
Click to expand...

Other people are also violating the lockdown. There was even a hindu festival and gathering. Sth about ugadi.

But obv you will only see one community
 
COVID-19 Cases In Telangana Jumps To 13 As 7 Islamic ‘Preachers’ From Indonesia Touring The State Test Positive.


The group stayed in two masjids at Mukarampura and Housing Board Colony areas. In the course of their religious campaign, they also went about meeting people in some localities in the town.



These idiots used paracetamol tablets just an hour before the landing to avoid getting 'caught' in thermal screening done at the airport
:69:
 
Slog said:
Other people are also violating the lockdown. There was even a hindu festival and gathering. Sth about ugadi.

But obv you will only see one community
Click to expand...

There is a large section which still dosen't get how serious this is , its one thing violating lock down but here we have educated Muslims openly asking people to spread the virus , there are dozens of videos of Muslims youngsters showing how Muslims should not fear the virus , not practice social distancing etc etc

Multiple cases of them beating up cops . A MLA attacked a doctor today and the doctors in Mumbai have gone on strike . Every church and Temple is closed , but large majority of Mosques are still open here .
( I saw at least 5-6 videos today cops chasing them out which eventually they will claim cops targeted them for no reason) . I would relatively say Christians are far better in this regard as there is section among Hindus who deserve a proper beating as well , Muslims though take it to another level . No rules apply to them , they have to do everything told not to .
 
[MENTION=45152]Saurav[/MENTION]

Coronavirus relief: Finance Ministry urges RBI to pause EMI, loan repayments
 
jusarrived said:
There is a large section which still dosen't get how serious this is , its one thing violating lock down but here we have educated Muslims openly asking people to spread the virus , there are dozens of videos of Muslims youngsters showing how Muslims should not fear the virus , not practice social distancing etc etc

Multiple cases of them beating up cops . A MLA attacked a doctor today and the doctors in Mumbai have gone on strike . Every church and Temple is closed , but large majority of Mosques are still open here .
( I saw at least 5-6 videos today cops chasing them out which eventually they will claim cops targeted them for no reason) . I would relatively say Christians are far better in this regard as there is section among Hindus who deserve a proper beating as well , Muslims though take it to another level . No rules apply to them , they have to do everything told not to .
Click to expand...

What is the police doing?? Isn’t their duty to enforce Sec144?

Arrest them, we all will support it.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
jusarrived said:
What’s wrong with Muslims in India , I know there are idiots in every community ? I saw not one but 10 videos of crowded gatherings , it’s almost like they are immune to this virus ? They will not just killed but take rest of us along with them . Offcourse our shameless “liberal” Indians on PP won’t mention this , cos their idea of being liberal is just self loathing .
Click to expand...

The wrong with them in this context is as much as with any other community in India cutting across socioeconomic strata. I assume you don't stay in India, as such probably have not seen it enough.
 
kaayal said:
What is the police doing?? Isn’t their duty to enforce Sec144?

Arrest them, we all will support it.
Click to expand...

jusarrived said:
What’s wrong with Muslims in India , I know there are idiots in every community ? I saw not one but 10 videos of crowded gatherings , it’s almost like they are immune to this virus ? They will not just killed but take rest of us along with them . Offcourse our shameless “liberal” Indians on PP won’t mention this , cos their idea of being liberal is just self loathing .
Click to expand...

lol.

I openly challenge you to find me ONE liberal in PP who is against taking action on them?

The same liberals have ACTUALLY asked for police to arrest all culprits in this very thread. Go back and see for proof.

Issue isn't the liberals here buddy.

Issue is the right wing WHINERS who cry and moan all day about perceived ill-treatment in the hands of liberals.

Weak willed hindus embarass khattar hindus like me.
 
kaayal said:
What is the police doing?? Isn’t their duty to enforce Sec144?

Arrest them, we all will support it.
Click to expand...

How may will you arrest ? It will turn into riots . This was yesterday in Bangalore, a cop got attacked for doing his duty , half a dozen guys joined and slapped him around , they where caught eventually and most likely will be dealt with . The point being does it have to go to that extent ?
 
jusarrived said:
How may will you arrest ? It will turn into riots . This was yesterday in Bangalore, a cop got attacked for doing his duty , half a dozen guys joined and slapped him around , they where caught eventually and most likely will be dealt with . The point being does it have to go to that extent ?
Click to expand...

If the cops can’t do their duty then why are they getting paid?? Some people are idiots irrespective of their religion. They can be taught how to follow the rules only through danda.
 
kaayal said:
If the cops can’t do their duty then why are they getting paid?? Some people are idiots irrespective of their religion. They can be taught how to follow the rules only through danda.
Click to expand...

No kayal. Cops are after all human. When the mobs number gets higher, they cant do anything.
 
Agree they are also humans with more power to enforce a law or order. If they think the mob number is higher they should be bringing more force and be more prepared just like they did in Jamia and Aligarh.They are mercilessly beating everyone here in my state.
 
Last edited:
Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh on Thursday took to Twitter to express his anger and displeasure about people continuing to flout rules and moving out of their houses despite a 21-day lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to combat the spread of the coronavirus.


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We have to change our ****ing attitude towards police.don’t forget they are putting their life to save ours.they also have families but they r doing their duty for the nation..why can’t we all just stay at home and be sensible for once for better tomorrow. Plz be sensible &#55357;&#56865;&#55357;&#56865;&#55357;&#56865; <a href="https://t.co/lEXD0LJSgM">pic.twitter.com/lEXD0LJSgM</a></p>— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) <a href="https://twitter.com/harbhajan_singh/status/1243047036569538560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Harbhajan shared a video of a group of people attacking policemen on his Twitter account with the message, “We have to change our f...... attitude towards police.don’t forget they are putting their life to save ours.they also have families but they r doing their duty for the nation..why can’t we all just stay at home and be sensible for once for better tomorrow. Plz be sensible”

Harbhajan has been quite vocal about his support for social distancing on Twitter. Apart from writing messages himself, the off spinner has been retweeting other influencers who have been sending messages to people to stay indoors.

He had recently appreciated the efforts of former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi for doing community service. Afridi had responded to Harbhajan’s message and thanked him for the kind words.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cric...d-stay-home/story-CuGDaoIpokw6fmMHQTy59J.html
 
India unveils $23bn package to help poor hit by COVID-19 lockdown

India has announced a $22.6bn economic stimulus plan that provides direct cash transfers and ensures food security measures, offering relief to millions of poor people hit by a nationwide lockdown to withstand the coronavirus pandemic.

The package was announced on Thursday, two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a 21-day lockdown to protect the country's 1.3 billion people from the new coronavirus. That has triggered supply constraints for essential items and panic buying, leaving the poor and daily labourers most vulnerable.

The government aims to distribute 5kg of wheat or rice for each person free of cost every month, with 1kg of pulses for every low-income family, helping to feed about 800 million poor people over the next three months.

It also intends to hand out free cooking gas cylinders to 83 million poor families, a one-time cash transfer of $13.31 to 30 million senior citizens and $6.65 a month to about 200 million poor women for next three months.

"We do not want anyone to remain hungry," Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told a news briefing.

The government outlined plans for medical insurance worth 5 million rupees ($66,000) for every front-line health worker, from doctors, nurses and paramedics to those involved in sanitary services.

But some economists said the plan may not be enough to support the country, and the lockdown could cost India dearly in terms of economic growth.

"The fresh announcements related to cash transfers appear to be relatively modest at this stage," said Aditi Nayar, an economist at the credit rating agency ICRA.

India's economic growth fell to 4.7 percent in the last quarter of 2019 (October-December), its lowest in more than six years, and is likely to fall to 2.4 percent in January-March, Nayar said.

Sitharaman did not provide details on how the programme will be funded, in a country that always walks a line in terms of its fiscal deficit. The announcements will be effective from April 1, the beginning of India's new fiscal year 2020-21.

Sources told Reuters news agency the government is likely to increase its 2020-21 planned borrowing of 7.8 trillion rupees ($102bn) and it has asked its central bank to directly buy part of these bonds - a move not undertaken by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in decades.

The officials, who did not want to be named, also said the government and the RBI will also announce steps to ease stress for businesses in the coming weeks.

The government is likely to defer taxes for some industries like aviation, hospitality and small companies, which have been hurt the most by the lockdown, officials said.

The RBI is also likely to ease bad-loan classification norms and allow banks to raise their lending ceiling to help companies.

https://www.aljazeera.com/ajimpact/...or-hit-covid-19-lockdown-200326140110407.html
 
8 month old baby in kashmir tested positive


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JammuAndKashmir?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JammuAndKashmir</a> <br>Two more positive cases in Srinagar. Siblings (7 years old and 8 months old)- grandchildren of a confirmed case from Srinagar with travel history to Saudi Arabia who had tested positive on 24th. Total number of active positive cases now 11. <a href="https://twitter.com/diprjk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@diprjk</a></p>— Rohit Kansal (@kansalrohit69) <a href="https://twitter.com/kansalrohit69/status/1243146699159171072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



Very very sad news indeed. But look at comments of some guys under this tweet asking for 4G restoration ! ! ! Shocking !

Irony is that guy used 3G internet to post that tweet but asking for 4G internet instead of worrying about that 8 month baby ! So 4G internet is more important than that baby's life it seems to those few guys !
 
Last edited:
Crona is very rare in children less than 9 months old. It is very rare to be in 8 months old chold.
 
IndianHero said:
8 month old baby in kashmir tested positive


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JammuAndKashmir?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JammuAndKashmir</a> <br>Two more positive cases in Srinagar. Siblings (7 years old and 8 months old)- grandchildren of a confirmed case from Srinagar with travel history to Saudi Arabia who had tested positive on 24th. Total number of active positive cases now 11. <a href="https://twitter.com/diprjk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@diprjk</a></p>— Rohit Kansal (@kansalrohit69) <a href="https://twitter.com/kansalrohit69/status/1243146699159171072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



Very very sad news indeed. But look at comments of some guys under this tweet asking for 4G restoration ! ! ! Shocking !

Irony is that guy used 3G internet to post that tweet but asking for 4G internet instead of worrying about that 8 month baby ! So 4G internet is more important than that baby's life it seems to those few guys !
Click to expand...

The news about the baby is so disturbing. Hope he recovers well
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Could someone send KARNATAKA police to UP... <a href="https://t.co/xkWj87H3bc">pic.twitter.com/xkWj87H3bc</a></p>— kamalsyed (@kamaldxtr) <a href="https://twitter.com/kamaldxtr/status/1243210457537601537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
^^Show me one sanghi on PP who will call out these stupidities of orange head Bisht.
 
Last edited:
jusarrived said:
There is a large section which still dosen't get how serious this is , its one thing violating lock down but here we have educated Muslims openly asking people to spread the virus , there are dozens of videos of Muslims youngsters showing how Muslims should not fear the virus , not practice social distancing etc etc

Multiple cases of them beating up cops . A MLA attacked a doctor today and the doctors in Mumbai have gone on strike . Every church and Temple is closed , but large majority of Mosques are still open here .
( I saw at least 5-6 videos today cops chasing them out which eventually they will claim cops targeted them for no reason) . I would relatively say Christians are far better in this regard as there is section among Hindus who deserve a proper beating as well , Muslims though take it to another level . No rules apply to them , they have to do everything told not to .
Click to expand...

AIMIM party MLA goons attacked a doctor yesterday



But it is apt to say a politician attacked a doctor than saying few muslims attacked a doctor. Bcoz in India politicians (irrespective of religion) behave alike.
 
GDP, inflation and other metrics are not looking good for next few quarters and overall outlook is un certain.
 
Liquidity
Auctions of long term bonds for 3 yr tenures
Cash reserve ratio reduced to 3% for 1 year
Min CRR balance reduced to 80%
NSF increased to 3% till june 30 2020
These will infuse 3,74,000 crores to the system.
 
Bank credit flows
Moratorium of 3 months on all loans to all banks
Deferment of interest component by 3 months
 
No impact on CIBIL for delayed payments. However you need to pay the interest for 3 months all at one shot post this time frame.
 
AamchiMumbaikar said:
GDP, inflation and other metrics are not looking good for next few quarters and overall outlook is un certain.
Click to expand...

As Modi said, jaan hai toh jahan hain.

And all these numbers are seen relative , so as long as India is better placed than other countries, it would be relative confident.
 
The 3 month moratorium on payments of term loan installments (EMI) & interest on working capital give much-desired relief. Slashed interest rate needs quick transmission
--
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
 
All commercial banks including regional rural banks, cooperative banks,NBFCs (including housing finance companies)&lending institutions are being permitted to allow a moratorium of 3 months on payment of installments in respect of all term loans outstanding as on March 1
-

RBI Guv
 
Two Covid-19 patients, both around 70, have died in Bhilwara, a city in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan.

The deaths were confirmed by the chief of MG Hospital, Rajan Nanda.

"The source of the infection is still not clear. We haven’t found any foreign contact history," Dr Nanda told me.

Bhilwara, a textile manufacturing hub that is home to some 400,000 people, could well be India's first coronavirus "hotspot".

It has reported 17 positive cases as of this morning. And officials told me that more than 6,000 of the city's residents are home quarantined.

Dr Nanda said his hospital alone was testing some 950 samples, including those of the relatives of the patients who have died.

Both had underlying medical conditions such as hypertension and heart disease, he added.

India has 640 active coronavirus cases - and Rajasthan overall has reported 41 cases.
 
^ It's amazing that they were still being held despite all the news available for weeks now. But better late that never. Churches in Kerala had cancelled their weekly sunday mass almost a month ago to avoid any possible local transmission.
 
They have been hailed as India's coronavirus "heroes", but doctors, nurses, delivery drivers and other frontline workers have been attacked and in some cases evicted from their homes by panicked residents.

Some e-commerce giants have even halted deliveries partly due to the harassment of staff, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi said abuse of hospital workers had become a "huge issue".

Reports of attacks and abuse have come from across India, increasing with the imposition this week of a 21-day nationwide lockdown. In at least one case, police were accused of beating a delivery driver carrying medicines.

Sanjibani Panigrahi, a doctor in the western city of Surat, described how she was accosted as she returned home from a long day at a hospital that is treating Covid-19 patients.

She said neighbours blocked her at the entrance to her apartment building and threatened "consequences" if she continued to work.

"These are the same people who have happily interacted with me (in the past). Whenever they've faced a problem, I've helped them out," the 36-year-old told AFP.

"There is a sense of fear among people. I do understand. But it's like I suddenly became an untouchable."

This week, doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences appealed to the government for help after health workers were forced out of their homes by panicked landlords and housing societies.

"Many doctors are stranded on the roads with all their luggage, nowhere to go, across the country," the letter said.

Modi called on Indians to stop treating medical workers as pariahs, describing those fighting the virus were "god-like".

"Today they are the people who are saving us from dying, putting their lives in danger."

Fake news and paranoia

Health workers are not the only ones facing the brunt of the frightened population in an environment where misinformation and rumours are thriving.

Airline and airport staff, who are still being called on for evacuations of Indians stuck overseas and management of key cargo deliveries, have also been threatened.

Indigo and Air India have condemned threats made against their staff.

An Air India flight attendant told AFP her neighbours threatened to evict her from her apartment while she was heading to the United States, saying she would "infect everyone".

"I couldn't sleep that night," she said, afraid to reveal her name over fear of further stigmatisation.

"I was scared that even if I did go home, would someone break open the door or call people to kick me out?"

Her husband had to ask the police for help.

Others have not been as lucky, the flight attendant said, with one colleague — who declined to speak to AFP — forced out of her home and now living with her parents.

"With all the fake news and WhatsApp forwards, they don't know what is going on, so there's this paranoia that makes them behave like this," she said.

T. Praveen Keerthi, general secretary of the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (IPCA), told AFP they had received more than 50 complaints from airline crew.

"Airline staffers are being stopped from entering their own residential premises by security guards," he said.

"We also have families and children that we leave at home to help fellow citizens... The least we expect is for our colleagues to not be harassed and ostracised."

Airport workers involved in moving essential supplies have also faced attacks as have delivery workers transporting medicines and groceries.

E-commerce giant Flipkart temporarily suspended services this week.

The Walmart-owned group said it only resumed home deliveries after police guaranteed "the safe and smooth passage of our supply chain and delivery executives".

http://www.dawn.com/news/1544126/indias-coronavirus-heroes-come-under-attack?preview
 
King_Kohli said:
All commercial banks including regional rural banks, cooperative banks,NBFCs (including housing finance companies)&lending institutions are being permitted to allow a moratorium of 3 months on payment of installments in respect of all term loans outstanding as on March 1
-

RBI Guv
Click to expand...

Does that also include Credit Card EMI's? :inti
 
Just a day after India's finance minister announced a $23bn (£18.8bn) stimulus package, which critics said was not nearly enough to deal with the economic fallout of the coronavirus outbreak, the central bank has announced a raft of measures to stabilise the economy.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cut interest rates by 75 basis points to 4.4% and made it unattractive for banks to deposit funds with the central bank so that they lend it instead.

This will help banks reduce their lending rates further and keep credit flowing, economists say.

"But we also need to remember that currently demand for credit is too weak because of the economy-wide shutdown. Hence, RBI will be required to act aggressively later also when demand starts reviving," Rupa Rege Nitsure, Chief Economist at L&T Finance told the BBC.

The RBI also permitted banks to defer interest on working capital repayments and allowed a three-month moratorium on monthly payments for all outstanding fixed-term loans.

The relaxed repayment schedule also gives relief for companies facing cash-flow problems, as the deferment will not have an impact on their credit rating nor affect the risk classification of their loan.
 
Bhaag Viru Bhaag said:
Does that also include Credit Card EMI's? :inti
Click to expand...

If you are paying credit card payments via emi, you should not be using a credit card.
Anyway why should government provide relief for a luxury like credit card?
It’s been 3 days since lockdown and you are expecting so many freebies LoL
 
India to release prisoners from overcrowded jails


India is planning to release prisoners to prevent the spread of infection in its overcrowded prisons.

The western state of Maharashtra has decided to release on parole 11,000 convicts who have been sentenced to less than seven years. And Delhi’s maximum security Tihar jail will also release about 3,000 prisoners.

They include convicts who will be released on parole, and under-trials on temporary bail.

Indian prisons are notoriously overcrowded, making them potential virus hotspots. According to one estimate, there are some 400,000 prisoners in more than 1,300 jails. The majority of them are awaiting investigation or trial.

Earlier in the week, the Supreme Court asked states to consider releasing all convicts who have been jailed up to seven years to decongest the prisons in a bid to help curb the virus.
 
With India in the grips of a national 21-day lockdown, only those performing essential services are being allowed to work.

But confusion over what counts as an essential service has led to nearly "five million truck drivers being stranded without food and access to sanitation across the country's highways", according to transport expert SP Singh.

Many have been forced to sleep in the back of their trucks as they haven't been able to get back home. Some are also stuck outside factories, unable to offload high-value cargo because of prohibitory orders from local authorities.

"This could quickly morph into a law and order problem with robberies if the government doesn’t intervene,” says Balmalkit Singh, a transport lobbyist. He urged the government to dispatch food and set up shelter camps for these people.

The situation has also disrupted deliveries of food and other perishables. But these interruptions are easing as states slowly allow more movement for essential goods.

However, the long-term costs of the lockdown are high. The pandemic is quickly morphing into a humanitarian crisis in India. Several thousand stranded migrant workers have been forced to walk hundreds of kilometres across state lines just to reach their homes.
 
globalcitizen said:
If you are paying credit card payments via emi, you should not be using a credit card.
Anyway why should government provide relief for a luxury like credit card?
It’s been 3 days since lockdown and you are expecting so many freebies LoL
Click to expand...

This doesn't make any sense.

Why EMI through credit card is bad habit?

Why you assumed credit card as a "luxury"?
 
globalcitizen said:
If you are paying credit card payments via emi, you should not be using a credit card.
Anyway why should government provide relief for a luxury like credit card?
It’s been 3 days since lockdown and you are expecting so many freebies LoL
Click to expand...

Another dumb post by you. We are not expecting government to give us freebies. May be you have not used credit card in your life but you can buy anything from credit card and convert it into EMI's through their App. They also charge interest and processing fees. Now if suddenly govt decides to put a lockdown on everything. How will self employed people going to pay their EMI's on time? Since our source of income is stopped suddenly asking them to extend the due dates is nothing. And do you even know anything about CIBIL? :inti
 
Itachi said:
This doesn't make any sense.

Why EMI through credit card is bad habit?

Why you assumed credit card as a "luxury"?
Click to expand...

He knows nothing about this. Not everyone can get a credit card these days. You have to have a good credit history which includes timely payments, number of loan accounts or credit cards and credit utilization. And then there are ECS which are deducted from your bank accounts automatically.

People are sitting at home doing nothing and this idiot thinks govt is giving freebies here lol. :inti
 
IndianHero said:
But look at comments of some guys under this tweet asking for 4G restoration ! ! ! Shocking !

Irony is that guy used 3G internet to post that tweet but asking for 4G internet instead of worrying about that 8 month baby ! So 4G internet is more important than that baby's life it seems to those few guys !
Click to expand...

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/sto...navirus-it-really-needs-it-1659883-2020-03-26

For Dr Saleem Iqbal, a professor of surgery at Government Medical College Srinagar, who worked tirelessly amid bombs and bullets at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital tending to critical patients during armed militancy in 90s, situation had not been as worrying as it is now. The low speed internet frustrated him so much so that he took to Twitter to vent. This after he failed to download a mere 24 MB file containing guidelines for intensive care management in hospitals amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
Click to expand...

A doctor based in United Kingdom where infections have soars with over 50 deaths concurs with Dr Saleem. Dr Sajad Ahangar, specialist registrar in ENT and head and neck surgery at a district hospital in UK, says delay in getting new protocol and management is deadly for both doctors as well as patients. "Doctors need a good Internet speed really badly because they are the ones who know where to get the right information for themselves and for the masses," he adds.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
J-K Police stamping violators of lockdown in RS Pura


Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], Mar 26 (ANI): Ranbir Singh Pura police is putting stamps reading 'corona lockdown violator' on the hands of people in the city
who are violating the lockdown imposed in the backdrop of coronavirus lockdown.Shabir Khan, SDPO, RS Pura said, "We are using a permanent ink that takes around
15 days to erase."13 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Jammu and Kashmir, according to the data released by the Ministry of Health on Thursday.
As many as 694 positive cases of COVID-19 have been reported from the country,
including 47 foreign nationals.There have been 16 instances of death due to novel coronavirus in India.

voilator - 2.JPGvoilator-1.JPG

Read more At:
https://www.aninews.in/news/nationa...olators-of-lockdown-in-rs-pura20200326233540/
 
Cases seem to be rising rapidly now.... however, if people strictly adhere to the lockdown the growth will stabilize and even out.
 
Coronavirus: India 'super spreader' quarantines 40,000 people

Indian authorities in the northern state of Punjab have quarantined around 40,000 residents from 20 villages following a Covid-19 outbreak linked to just one man.

The 70-year-old died of coronavirus - a fact found out only after his death.

The man, a preacher, had ignored advice to self quarantine after returning from a trip to Italy and Germany, officials told BBC Punjabi's Arvind Chhabra.

India has 640 confirmed cases of the virus, of which 30 are in Punjab.

However, experts worry that the real number of positive cases could be far higher. India has one of the lowest testing rates in the world, although efforts are under way to ramp up capacity.

There are fears that an outbreak in the country of 1.3 billion people could result in a catastrophe.

The man, identified as Baldev Singh, had visited a large gathering to celebrate the Sikh festival of Hola Mohalla shortly before he died.

The six-day festival attracts around 10,000 people every day.

A week after his death, 19 of his relatives have tested positive.

"So far, we have been able to trace 550 people who came into direct contact with him and the number is growing. We have sealed 15 villages around the area he stayed," a senior official told the BBC.

Another five villages in an adjoining district have also been sealed.

This is not the first time that exposure has resulted in mass quarantining in India.

In Bhilwara, a textile city in the northern state of Rajasthan, there are fears that a group of doctors who were infected by a patient could have spread the disease to hundreds of people.

Seven thousand people in villages neighbouring the city are under home quarantine.

India has also declared a 21-day lockdown, although people are free to go out to buy essential items like food and medicine.
Click to expand...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-52061915
 
AamchiMumbaikar said:
100+ cases so far today.
Click to expand...

+136 today... but these are people who were infected BEFORE the lockdown came into effect.... so new cases might start tapering off by this time next week IF people strictly follow lockdown.
 
Many more will come, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi,MP and UP are to some extent tickling time bombs, just hoping everything don't go out of hand.
One good news is that of all the person Kanika Kapoor met, 63 has tested negative.
Just hoping doctor situation in Delhi and Rajasthan also ends up OK.
 
Because of the shutdown thousands of daily avoidable deaths are not happening but if shutdown continues for few months there will be thousands of daily hunger deaths.
 
A doctor in Mumbai, who tested positive for COVID-19, died last night at city’s Hinduja Hospital. His grandson had returned from the United Kingdom on March 12 and was under self-quarantine, the family told civic officials. The 82-year-old doctor, however, developed cough four days ago. Upon testing, the result came positive and the doctor was admitted to Hinduja. The family of six has been tested positive for the virus.

As per the last update from the Health Ministry, the death toll in India stood at 17 while 66 patients have recovered. The total number of cases also rose to 724. Globally, the casualties have spiked to 24,057 and the number of cases crossed 5 lakhs.

Earlier in the day, Reserve Bank of India cut its repo rate by 75 basis points (bps) to 4.4 per cent to curtail the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent 21-day lockdown. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to call the steps ‘giant’ to save the economy. “Today RBI has taken giant steps to safeguard our economy from the impact of the Coronavirus. The announcements will improve liquidity, reduce cost of funds, help middle class and businesses,” the PM tweeted.

https://indianexpress.com/article/c...ockdown-global-deaths-us-italy-china-6333842/
 
Saurav said:
https://qz.com/india/1826384/indias-coronavirus-lockdown-has-triggered-mass-migration-on-foot/
Click to expand...

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Scenes at Delhi UP Border ... <a href="https://t.co/OOwxKbRnKk">pic.twitter.com/OOwxKbRnKk</a></p>— Naveen Kapoor ANI (@IamNaveenKapoor) <a href="https://twitter.com/IamNaveenKapoor/status/1243524193573978113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Abdullah719 said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Scenes at Delhi UP Border ... <a href="https://t.co/OOwxKbRnKk">pic.twitter.com/OOwxKbRnKk</a></p>— Naveen Kapoor ANI (@IamNaveenKapoor) <a href="https://twitter.com/IamNaveenKapoor/status/1243524193573978113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Click to expand...

it's a ticking time bomb (i pray that it's not).... and the scary thing is, it is could be just a part of chain reaction which will spread further.
 
New Delhi, India - As countries globally began enforcing strict lockdowns to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, India, the world's second most populous country, followed suit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a 21-day lockdown to contain the virus spread that has now killed 17 Indians and infected more than 700 others.

The South Asian nation reported its first coronavirus case on January 30 but in recent weeks the number of infections has climbed rapidly, worrying public health experts who say the government should have acted sooner.

India's main opposition Congress party has also criticised the government over a delayed response.

Government defends lockdown

But the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sundhanshu Mittal said India was one of few countries to have acted swiftly and decisively to contain the outbreak.

"You can't have knee-jerk reactions to such catastrophes without evaluating and anticipating the scale of the problem and looking at the international domain knowledge and consensus. A lot of administrative decisions were made," he said.

India's Health and Family Welfare Ministry claims the rate of increase in infections has stabilised. "While the numbers of COVID-19 cases are increasing, the rate at which they are increasing appears to be relatively stabilising. However, this is only the initial trend," a spokesperson said.

According to the latest report by the country's top medical research body, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 27,688 coronavirus tests had been carried out by 9am on Friday.

"A total of 691 individuals have been confirmed positive among suspected cases and contacts of known positive cases," read the ICMR update. On Thursday, India witnessed the highest daily increase in COVID-19 cases of 88 people.

While the numbers do not paint a grim picture compared to other countries that are finding it difficult to contain the virus, concern is growing among healthcare experts who believe that the number of infections could be far higher than what is being reported.

Academics from three American universities and the Delhi School of Economics in a report based on current trends and demographics have claimed that India could experience as many as 1.3 million coronavirus infections by mid-May.

Scaling up testing facilities

Experts also say India's capacity to test is poor and more robust testing would reveal the true extent of the pandemic.

"We have to test anyone who is showing any symptoms, we can't be restricted to hospitalised cases or those with travel history," said Dr T Sundaraman, the national convener of the People's Health Movement.

"We don't know much because the rate of testing is still modest and very limited. If the testing expands we may find the real numbers which we don't have," he told Al Jazeera.

Nationwide Lockdown As The Coronavirus Continue To Spread

People walk in a crowded Mandi (market place) in New Delhi, as the nationwide lockdown continues [Yawar Nazir/Getty Images]
Facing its biggest health emergency since the country gained independence from Britain in 1947, the Indian government announced a series of steps starting with a 14-hour public curfew on Sunday.

The government has also scaled up testing facilities and engaged private contractors to help it conduct tests.

From 72 testing centres initially, India now has 104, with a capacity to test 8,000 samples daily. Another two rapid testing laboratories that can conduct more than 1,400 tests per day are also expected to be operating soon.

Leena Meghaney, a legal expert on public healthcare, claimed that a global shortage of chemicals used in the tests and the validation of testing kits being produced domestically were hindering India's testing capacity.

"This shortage was not specific to India but a global phenomenon. It happened in the USA and France, and India must have faced a similar shortage. The government had to scale it up and procure testing kits from companies which had to be first validated [which] also took some time," Meghaney told Al Jazeera.

Shortage of PPE and ventilators

Not only is India's testing capability low, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise, the country is also facing a shortage of equipment needed to support medical staff.

Some say shortages of N-95 masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) used by healthcare workers have been caused by a last-minute rush by the government, despite the World Health Organization (WHO) warning governments in February to scale up production.

India has 0.7 hospital beds for every 100,000 people, far fewer than countries like South Korea (six per 100,000) that have been able to successfully contain the virus.

Ventilators are also in short supply. India has nearly 100,000 ventilators but most are owned by private hospitals and are already being used by existing patients with critical illnesses.

Some reports suggest that India needs another 70,000 ventilators, which it usually imports, but on Friday, the government announced that it had ordered only 10,000.

"Ventilators are a costly and critical piece of equipment which are going to go under production by [the state-run] Defence Research and Development Organisation," said Dr Preeti Kumar of the Public Health Foundation of India, a public-private organisation.

"And then we have items like caps, masks, gowns and gloves. These are high-volume and low-cost consumables that will definitely be produced. It is not the state that is going to produce, it will only order. A lot will depend on how geared up our production companies are to come up to speed and start producing."

Migrants workers stranded

Meanwhile, Sundaraman from the People's Health Movement highlighted how the stress of lockdown appeared to be overtaking the stress of the disease. Sundaraman said his biggest concern was the thousands of migrants who found themselves stranded across India as Modi announced the lockdown with just four hours' notice.

"What is really worrying is the huge migration that has started across the country. You just can't stop public transport like that. The lockdown should have been done in a phased way. People shouldn't be stranded without income, without work. Even in an authoritarian state, they would know that this is something the state has to do," said Sundaraman.

Photographs of migrant workers walking hundreds of kilometres or crammed in trucks and empty railway crates show how the government ignored their plight.

Police have also resorted to heavy-handedness against migrants, street vendors and meat sellers. One person died in the state of West Bengal after being beaten up by police for venturing out to buy milk during the lockdown.

In a video shared on Twitter, police appeared to use batons on Muslim worshippers leaving a mosque during a ban on religious gatherings. Al Jazeera has not verified whether the video is authentic.

Meanwhile, in an apparent violation of the lockdown rules, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath of India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, was seen organising a religious function in Ayodhya town.

'Totally unplanned'

Reetika Khera, associate professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and a right to food activist, claimed that the prime minister's speeches created panic among migrants and then police mishandled the lockdown.

"Now the police are the biggest problem. They are violating government rules. Essential services are to remain open and the biggest violator is the police. I am not sure about the government's communication strategy, they are supposed to be sharp at that but clearly that is not the case if we can't communicate clearly to the police," she said.

The lockdown has also led to the shutdown of routine healthcare services, with Megahney claiming that people with other illnesses have now been stranded without healthcare.

"I know a number of people with HIV who have been stranded. Similarly, a lot of cancer patients are finding it hard to access basic healthcare services. This must be addressed urgently because one of the fallouts of COVID-19 could be that people with other diseases could end up paying the price," said Meghaney.

Mittal, the BJP leader said the lockdown was announced swiftly so the government could contain the spread of infection.

"If there are migrants who are stranded, government is making provisions to make them reach their houses."

Meanwhile, the Indian government on Thursday announced a $23bn fiscal stimulus package to help the poor address financial hardships during the three-week lockdown. India's finance minister claimed that no one would go hungry during this period.

"One unequivocally good announcement is the doubling of entitlement for existing Public Distribution System card holders," Khera told Al Jazeera.

India has an existing welfare programme for the poor and the government appears to be using that to provide direct cash transfers and food grains.

However, nearly 85 percent of India's population works in the informal sector and migrants, in particular, do not have access to these resources.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/chaos-hunger-india-coronavirus-lockdown-200327094522268.html
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Bhaijaan
Iran thanks Indian people for support in fight against US-Israel
2
Replies
83
Views
2K
rpant_gabba
rpant_gabba
R
India's Modi tells Trump there was no US mediation in ceasefire with Pakistan
2
Replies
128
Views
3K
Bhaag Viru Bhaag
Bhaag Viru Bhaag
Bhaag Viru Bhaag
Setback for Saif Ali Khan in ₹15000-crore Pataudi property dispute in Bhopal
Replies
10
Views
363
Bhaijaan
Bhaijaan
BouncerGuy
[VIDEO] Language racism in India?
Replies
42
Views
842
Bhaag Viru Bhaag
Bhaag Viru Bhaag
rickroll
Pakistani Biker in India
Replies
9
Views
593
rickroll
rickroll
Back
Top