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Wednesday, 15 April 2020
They Are Coming!
कोविद की गहराई जल्द ही दिखाई देजाएगी।
कार्य करें अब अभी।
கோவிட் கோரம் தெரிய வரும் நேரம். செயலில் காட்டு தீவிரம்.
Wednesday, 8 April 2020
In Preparation to Its Arrival
WHO Advisory 30 January 2020
The Director-General declared that the outbreak of 2019-nCoV and issued an advice to all countries, thus: All countries should be prepared for containment, including active surveillance, early detection, isolation and case management, contact tracing and prevention of onward spread of 2019-nCoV infection, and to share full data with WHO.
Link
First Report in India 30 Jan 2020
On January 30, India reported its first case of COVID-19 in Kerala, a students who had returned from Wuhan, China.
Link
City Spells Caution: 06 Feb 2020
Link
An Estimate 16 Feb 2020
Gabriel Leung, Hong Kong University, told The Guardian on February 12 that the virus could infect 60% of the global population. Epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch, too.
Link
Today on Tomorrow: 13 Feb 2020
Some economists in India believe that this is not the time to gloat over China's problems or look at opportunities but to offer help and assistance in real terms since the impact will be felt in India very soon.
Link
Being Diplomatically So. 18 Feb 2020
Nevertheless, India’s chief economic advisor, Krishnamurthy Subramanian, and other analysts have pointed to the opportunity for India to expand its exports as a result of the crisis.
Link
A Sorry Sight: 19 Feb 2020
India is expected to be a preferred market for sourcing of apparel products for buyers from the US, UK Europe and Canada as trade with China had been affected due to the novel coronavirus epidemic, Apparel Export Promotion Council Chairman A.Shakivel said on Wednesday.
Link
Concerned Confederate 20 Feb 2020
Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has written to Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal urging him to convene a meeting of trade and industry immediately to discuss the current situation of Coronavirus impacting the trade and commerce of India.
Link
Express Expressing It. 22 Feb 2020
Coronavirus a boon for these domestic industries; can also expand export as China supplies dry up.
Link
Insufficiently True. 27 Feb 2020
With the province of Hubei and eastern parts of China taking a big hit, key industries in India that depend on imports, are coming to a grinding halt. The story is not so bad for India's exports to China, but imports to several industries are feeling the strain.
Link
An Imprint 28 Feb 2020
There could be a short-term disruption as well as long term-benefit due to the coronavirus outbreak. The short-term disruption is linked to the global supply chain from China.
Link
First of The Tourist - 04 Mar 2020
On 4 March, 22 new cases came to light, including those of an Italian tourist group with 14 infected members.
Link
First Act - Epidemic Diseases Act Invoked - 11 March
Cabinet Secretary announced all states and UTs to invoke provisions of Section 2 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.
Link
The First Super Spread 10-12 March
A Sikh preacher returning from travel to Italy and Germany, turned into "super spreader" by attending a Sikh festival in Anandpur Sahib during 10–12 March.
Link
First Victim 12 March
On 12 March, a 76-year-old man who had returned from Saudi Arabia became the first victim of the virus in the country.
Link
The Next Act - Notified Disaster - 14 March
The union government declared the pandemic as a "notified disaster" under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
Link
A Century - 15 March
Confirmed cases crossed 100 on 15 March.
Link
Call For Janata Curfew - 19 March
On 19 March, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked all citizens to observe 'Janata Curfew' (people's curfew) on 7 am to 9 pm on 22 March.
Link
The Super Spread - 31 March
A Tablighi Jamaat religious congregation event that took place in Delhi in early March emerged as a new virus hotspot.
Link
The Director-General declared that the outbreak of 2019-nCoV and issued an advice to all countries, thus: All countries should be prepared for containment, including active surveillance, early detection, isolation and case management, contact tracing and prevention of onward spread of 2019-nCoV infection, and to share full data with WHO.
Link
First Report in India 30 Jan 2020
On January 30, India reported its first case of COVID-19 in Kerala, a students who had returned from Wuhan, China.
Link
City Spells Caution: 06 Feb 2020
Link
An Estimate 16 Feb 2020
Gabriel Leung, Hong Kong University, told The Guardian on February 12 that the virus could infect 60% of the global population. Epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch, too.
Link
Today on Tomorrow: 13 Feb 2020
Some economists in India believe that this is not the time to gloat over China's problems or look at opportunities but to offer help and assistance in real terms since the impact will be felt in India very soon.
Link
Being Diplomatically So. 18 Feb 2020
Nevertheless, India’s chief economic advisor, Krishnamurthy Subramanian, and other analysts have pointed to the opportunity for India to expand its exports as a result of the crisis.
Link
A Sorry Sight: 19 Feb 2020
India is expected to be a preferred market for sourcing of apparel products for buyers from the US, UK Europe and Canada as trade with China had been affected due to the novel coronavirus epidemic, Apparel Export Promotion Council Chairman A.Shakivel said on Wednesday.
Link
Concerned Confederate 20 Feb 2020
Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has written to Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal urging him to convene a meeting of trade and industry immediately to discuss the current situation of Coronavirus impacting the trade and commerce of India.
Link
Express Expressing It. 22 Feb 2020
Coronavirus a boon for these domestic industries; can also expand export as China supplies dry up.
Link
Insufficiently True. 27 Feb 2020
With the province of Hubei and eastern parts of China taking a big hit, key industries in India that depend on imports, are coming to a grinding halt. The story is not so bad for India's exports to China, but imports to several industries are feeling the strain.
Link
An Imprint 28 Feb 2020
There could be a short-term disruption as well as long term-benefit due to the coronavirus outbreak. The short-term disruption is linked to the global supply chain from China.
Link
First of The Tourist - 04 Mar 2020
On 4 March, 22 new cases came to light, including those of an Italian tourist group with 14 infected members.
Link
First Act - Epidemic Diseases Act Invoked - 11 March
Cabinet Secretary announced all states and UTs to invoke provisions of Section 2 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.
Link
The First Super Spread 10-12 March
A Sikh preacher returning from travel to Italy and Germany, turned into "super spreader" by attending a Sikh festival in Anandpur Sahib during 10–12 March.
Link
First Victim 12 March
On 12 March, a 76-year-old man who had returned from Saudi Arabia became the first victim of the virus in the country.
Link
The Next Act - Notified Disaster - 14 March
The union government declared the pandemic as a "notified disaster" under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
Link
A Century - 15 March
Confirmed cases crossed 100 on 15 March.
Link
Call For Janata Curfew - 19 March
On 19 March, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked all citizens to observe 'Janata Curfew' (people's curfew) on 7 am to 9 pm on 22 March.
Link
The Super Spread - 31 March
A Tablighi Jamaat religious congregation event that took place in Delhi in early March emerged as a new virus hotspot.
Link
Tuesday, 7 April 2020
Exservicemen ESM Doing Their Best To All During Covid
Ex-Servicemen volunteers in Karnataka are assisting in distribution of food and lock-down management.
Ex-Servicemen volunteers are assisting the State Police in Andhra Pradesh.
Ex-service men in UP are assisting with the monitoring of ration distribution, community surveillance and running of community kitchen for the needy.
6,592 ESM from Army Medical Corps in UP are put on standby for any contingency.
Punjab has employed 4,200 Ex-Servicemen as Guardians of Governance who are present in every village of Punjab for data collection and community surveillance.
Ex-Servicemen volunteers are assisting the State Police in Andhra Pradesh.
Ex-service men in UP are assisting with the monitoring of ration distribution, community surveillance and running of community kitchen for the needy.
6,592 ESM from Army Medical Corps in UP are put on standby for any contingency.
Punjab has employed 4,200 Ex-Servicemen as Guardians of Governance who are present in every village of Punjab for data collection and community surveillance.
What is PCR?
A government report clarifies on PCR thus:
COVID-19 infection is at present detected by a very sophisticated and precise technique called Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method. This PCR method involves extraction of the RNA of the virus from samples and amplification of the same using a PCR machine. A clear advantage of the PCR test is that it can detect the virus in a person at a very early stage, that is, even symptoms emerge.
COVID-19 infection is at present detected by a very sophisticated and precise technique called Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method. This PCR method involves extraction of the RNA of the virus from samples and amplification of the same using a PCR machine. A clear advantage of the PCR test is that it can detect the virus in a person at a very early stage, that is, even symptoms emerge.
Govt Report on Scaling Down of Covid-19 related Operations
A report from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India on Containment Plan for Large Outbreaks, with particular reference to, Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 details on the Scaling down of operations.
According the document, "The operations will be scaled down if no secondary laboratory confirmed COVID-19 case is reported from the geographic quarantine zone for at least four weeks after the last confirmed test has been isolated and all his contacts have been followed up for 28 days.
Further to this, the document adds that, "The containment operation shall be deemed to be over 28 days from the discharge of last confirmed case (following negative tests as per discharge policy) from the designated health facility i.e. when the follow up of hospital contacts will be complete.
The closing of the surveillance for the clusters could be independent of one another provided there is no geographic continuity between clusters, the document states.
According the document, "The operations will be scaled down if no secondary laboratory confirmed COVID-19 case is reported from the geographic quarantine zone for at least four weeks after the last confirmed test has been isolated and all his contacts have been followed up for 28 days.
Further to this, the document adds that, "The containment operation shall be deemed to be over 28 days from the discharge of last confirmed case (following negative tests as per discharge policy) from the designated health facility i.e. when the follow up of hospital contacts will be complete.
The closing of the surveillance for the clusters could be independent of one another provided there is no geographic continuity between clusters, the document states.
Monday, 6 April 2020
COVID-19 Statewise Status Report Latest
State _ Total Confirmed _ Cured/Discharged/
Migrated _ Death
Andhra Pradesh _ 266 _ 1 _ 3
Andaman and Nicobar Islands _ 10 _ 0 _ 0
Arunachal Pradesh _ 1 _ 0 _ 0
Assam _ 26 _ 0 _ 0
Bihar _ 32 _ 0 _ 1
Chandigarh _ 18 _ 0 _ 0
Chhattisgarh _ 10 _ 8 _ 0
Delhi _ 523 _ 19 _ 7
Goa _ 7 _ 0 _ 0
Gujarat _ 144 _ 22 _ 12
Haryana _ 90 _ 25 _ 1
Himachal Pradesh _ 13 _ 2 _ 1
Jammu and Kashmir _ 109 _ 4 _ 2
Jharkhand _ 4 _ 0 _ 0
Karnataka _ 151 _ 12 _ 4
Kerala _ 327 _ 58 _ 2
Ladakh _ 14 _ 10 _ 0
Madhya Pradesh _ 165 _ 0 _ 9
Maharashtra _ 748 _ 56 _ 45
Manipur _ 2 _ 0 _ 0
Mizoram _ 1 _ 0 _ 0
Odisha _ 21 _ 2 _ 0
Puducherry _ 5 _ 1 _ 0
Punjab _ 76 _ 4 _ 6
Rajasthan _ 288 _ 21 _ 3
Tamil Nadu _ 621 _ 8 _ 5
Telengana _ 321 _ 34 _ 7
Tripura _ 10 _ 0
Uttarakhand _ 31 _ 5 _ 0
Uttar Pradesh _ 305 _ 21 _ 3
West Bengal _ 91 _ 13 _ 3
Total in India _ 4421* _ 326 _ 114
*Including 66 Foreigners
Migrated _ Death
Andhra Pradesh _ 266 _ 1 _ 3
Andaman and Nicobar Islands _ 10 _ 0 _ 0
Arunachal Pradesh _ 1 _ 0 _ 0
Assam _ 26 _ 0 _ 0
Bihar _ 32 _ 0 _ 1
Chandigarh _ 18 _ 0 _ 0
Chhattisgarh _ 10 _ 8 _ 0
Delhi _ 523 _ 19 _ 7
Goa _ 7 _ 0 _ 0
Gujarat _ 144 _ 22 _ 12
Haryana _ 90 _ 25 _ 1
Himachal Pradesh _ 13 _ 2 _ 1
Jammu and Kashmir _ 109 _ 4 _ 2
Jharkhand _ 4 _ 0 _ 0
Karnataka _ 151 _ 12 _ 4
Kerala _ 327 _ 58 _ 2
Ladakh _ 14 _ 10 _ 0
Madhya Pradesh _ 165 _ 0 _ 9
Maharashtra _ 748 _ 56 _ 45
Manipur _ 2 _ 0 _ 0
Mizoram _ 1 _ 0 _ 0
Odisha _ 21 _ 2 _ 0
Puducherry _ 5 _ 1 _ 0
Punjab _ 76 _ 4 _ 6
Rajasthan _ 288 _ 21 _ 3
Tamil Nadu _ 621 _ 8 _ 5
Telengana _ 321 _ 34 _ 7
Tripura _ 10 _ 0
Uttarakhand _ 31 _ 5 _ 0
Uttar Pradesh _ 305 _ 21 _ 3
West Bengal _ 91 _ 13 _ 3
Total in India _ 4421* _ 326 _ 114
*Including 66 Foreigners
Saturday, 4 April 2020
Privacy of Medical Information - The Gov, Professional & Public
On 1.04.2020 was a Media Bulletin, from State Control Room, Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine
, Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, with Subject, Daily report on Public Health measures taken for COVID-19.
The above report was incomplete as it contained case numbers from 125 to 234 only, though without mention of Name or other personal details of the affected person. Link
The above report was incomplete as it contained case numbers from 125 to 234 only, though without mention of Name or other personal details of the affected person. Link
Following the above was a WhatsApp forwarded message, with an image of certain document, signed by certain responsible government officials with Names, Address, Contact Numbers of certain Covid affected persons.
There was also a news article about certain twins, born on March 27 at B.R. Ambedkar Memorial Hospital in Raipur, whom the parents, "named after the pandemic", as Corona and Covid. Link
The messages above bring us to consider if Medical Privacy and Confidentiality of Medical Information is something important at all and also of the awareness on the impact of any breach to such.
It would also be worth considering if there were sufficient conditions to deter leak of official and confidential information to any.
There are, in certain countries a ban on baby names, that could possibly hurt a kid in future, for being a slang, or being a target for bullying, teasing or mockery or of derision.
Reproduced below, is an extract, ad verbatim, a section on Medical Privacy as stated in INDIAN MEDICAL COUNCIL (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, amended upto 08 October 2016.
7.14 The registered medical practitioner shall not disclose the secrets of a patient that have been learnt in the exercise of his / her profession except –
i) in a court of law under orders of the Presiding Judge;
ii) in circumstances where there is a serious and identified risk to a specific person and / or community; and
iii) notifiable diseases.
In case of communicable / notifiable diseases, concerned public health authorities should be informed immediately.
7.14 The registered medical practitioner shall not disclose the secrets of a patient that have been learnt in the exercise of his / her profession except –
i) in a court of law under orders of the Presiding Judge;
ii) in circumstances where there is a serious and identified risk to a specific person and / or community; and
iii) notifiable diseases.
In case of communicable / notifiable diseases, concerned public health authorities should be informed immediately.
Long before, on May 31, 2018, Business Standard examined if India India was to be the first to protect health data of citizens with iron-clad law. Link
Before to this, in 2012, was a Draft on Medical Privacy, published by The Centre for Internet & Society. Link
In 2008, the Indian Journal for Medical Ethics has dealt on Privacy and the Right to Information Act, 2005 Link
The above would sure make into the debate rooms, in colleges and interviews, I suppose.
Friday, 3 April 2020
AYUSH - Immunity Advisory
Ministry of AYUSH has made available a literature on Ayurvedic immunity boosting measures for self care during COVID 19 crisis
Disclaiming that the advisory does not claim to be treatment for COVID 19, the AYUSH ministry adds that the measures were recommended by certain eminent Vaidyas from across the Country and that they may possibly boost an individual’s immunity against infections.
Click link below for the Immunity Advisory from AYUSH
Download
Disclaiming that the advisory does not claim to be treatment for COVID 19, the AYUSH ministry adds that the measures were recommended by certain eminent Vaidyas from across the Country and that they may possibly boost an individual’s immunity against infections.
Click link below for the Immunity Advisory from AYUSH
Download
Thursday, 2 April 2020
Help Us Learn From You - NBT Launches Study on People Adjustments to Covid-19
ON-LINE QUESTIONNAIRE FOR NBT STUDY ON ‘PSYCHO-SOCIAL IMPACT OF CORONA PANDEMIC AND LOCKDOWN’
CliCk links- Parents, Mothers and Women (English)
- Parents, Mothers and Women (Hindi)
- Children, Adolescents and Youth (English)
- Children, Adolescents and Youth (Hindi)
- Employees, Professionals, Self-Employed and Workers (English)
- Employees, Professionals, Self-Employed and Workers (Hindi)
- Elderly (60 Years and Above) (English)
- Elderly (60 Years and Above) (Hindi)
- Differently-Abled (English)
- Differently-Abled (Hindi)
- Medical and Essential Services (English)
- Medical and Essential Services (Hindi)
- Corona Virus (COVID-19) Affected Families (English)
- Corona Virus (COVID 19) Affected Families (Hindi)
It is regrettable that the link as below,
https://nbtindia.gov.in/home__92__on-line-questionnaire-for-nbt-study.nbt.
Posted On: 02 APR 2020 4:30PM by PIB Delhi,
in PIB Website is not working.
The operating link is
https://nbtindia.gov.in/home__92__on-line-questionnaire-for-nbt-study.nbt
That is, without a dot in the end.
The operating link is
https://nbtindia.gov.in/home__92__on-line-questionnaire-for-nbt-study.nbt
That is, without a dot in the end.
Wednesday, 1 April 2020
All that we know and we need know about Covid-19 Novel Coronavirus
The Government of India, has made the following announcement.
Infection: The virus infects the epithelial cells in the throat and lungs. SARS-CoV-2 binds to the ACE2 receptors on human cells, which are often found mostly in throats and lungs. Virus on your skin, lacking ACE2 expression, will be harmless. The virus enters through the by nasal passage, eyes and mouth. Our hands are the main instruments that take the virus to reach our mouth, nose and eyes. Washing hands with soap water for 20 seconds as often as possible helps prevent the infection.
Can it infect animals: The molecular modelling suggests that SARS-CoV-2 can affect besides human, bat, civet, monkey and swine cells. Does not infect domestic animals or livestock. Consuming eggs or poultry will not result in SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Can one be infected twice: Once we get measles, most of us acquire life long immunity. We hardly get measles again. Experimentally infected macaques were not capable of being reinfected. Likewise, there is no evidence of reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 after recovery in humans. However, how long the immunity will last is unknown.
How severe is the illness: COVID-19 is not a death sentence. The majority of COVID-19 cases are mild (81%), About 15% need hospitalisation and 5% require critical care. That is the vast majority of the infected will not even need hospitalisation.
Who are the most vulnerable: Healthcare workers are most susceptible. About 20% of healthcare workers in Lombardy, Italy becoming infected while providing medical care to patients.
Among the general public, aged, in particular above 60 years of age and people with prior cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and respiratory conditions have a higher risk.
What is the cause of the death: Most of the deaths is caused by respiratory failure or respiratory failure combined with heart damage. Leakage of fluid into the lungs, which inhibits respiration and leads to morbidity, is the primary clinical condition. At present, the treatment for COVID-19 is primarily supportive care, including ventilation if necessary. Several therapeutic trials are ongoing, and the results are awaited.
Are the virus transmitted by milk sachets, or newspapers: SARS-CoV-2 can persist on plastic and stainless steel surfaces for up to 3 days. When the viral load was 10000 PFU, it lasted on newspaper and cotton cloth only for 5 minutes. Washing the milk sachets is adequate to remove the virus.
Will it spread through the air: In the air, the virus can survive only up to 2.7 hours. Therefore being in open spaces such as a balcony, the terrace is no harm.
Is there a less virulent strain: While many strains are being identified, studies so far have not indicated any mutations that are linked to any changes in transmission or disease severity.
Will, the onset of summer or rainy season, gives respite: No strong evidence exists showing a reduction in transmission with the seasonal increase in temperature and humidity.
Many things about Novel Coronavirus are spreading rapidly through social media, WhatsApp and the Internet. Some of these could be true, but many of those informations are baseless. At a time when the coronavirus epidemic is spreading across the world, it is important to know about some facts related to this deadly virus. A senior scientist in Vigyan Prasar. Dr. TV Venkateswaran after various research findings, tells us more about it.
Infection: The virus infects the epithelial cells in the throat and lungs. SARS-CoV-2 binds to the ACE2 receptors on human cells, which are often found mostly in throats and lungs. Virus on your skin, lacking ACE2 expression, will be harmless. The virus enters through the by nasal passage, eyes and mouth. Our hands are the main instruments that take the virus to reach our mouth, nose and eyes. Washing hands with soap water for 20 seconds as often as possible helps prevent the infection.
Infectious dosage: A dose of 700000 PFU was needed to infect a Macaque. PFU (Plaque forming unit) is a unit of measurement of sample infectivity. Although the animal did not show any clinical symptoms, the droplets from the nose and the saliva had a viral load. Humans will need a higher dosage than 700000 PFU to get infected. An animal study on the genetically modified mice with ACE2 receptors showed that it could be infected with SARS with just 240 PFU. In comparison, it required 70,000 PFU of novel coronavirus to get infected.
Infectious period: Length of time an individual can transmit the infection to others is not known precisely, but possibly up to 10-14 days. Artificially reducing the contagious period is a crucial method of reducing overall transmission. Hospitalisation, isolation, lockdown and quarantine are all effective methods.
Who can infect: Anyone infected with the virus can infect even before the symptoms appear. Most carriers do not even show signs. Covering our mouth and nose when we cough or sneeze will help reduce the infection. The virus is present in the saliva, sputum and faeces of the infected person for the whole infectious period.
How we infect: Transmission is mostly via droplets. This requires relatively close contact, less than 6 feet. This is why it is recommended that we stay 1.5 metres away from each other in public places such as the vegetable market or supermarket. A study done in Hong Kong shows that social distancing can reduce the spread by 44%. Inanimate vector of disease, in particular phones, doorknobs, surfaces are a potential source for transmission, but not much is known about it. It is safe sanitise out hands after touching doorknobs, lift call buttons and counters in public places.
How many we infect: The average number of new infections caused by a typical infectious person, that is human transmissibility range (R0) is between 2.2 to 3.1. In simple word, one infected individual on the average infects about 2.2 to 3.1 persons. By physical distancing, we can artificially reduce the actual transmissibility, thus slow the rate of infection.
Where did the virus come from: It is not from eating bat soup. Once you boil, the virus is decimated. Initially, it was speculated that the SARS-CoV-2 virus jumped from bat to humans. But recent genomes study show first it must have leapt from bat to an intermediary species before it latched on to humans. Another study indicates that a lineage of SARS-CoV-2 virus was circulating in humans before the disease outbreak.
How it evolved: SARS-CoV-2 has emerged either by natural selection of virulent strain in a non-human animal host before zoonotic transfer to humans or natural selection of virulent strain in humans following a zoonotic transmission. Only more studies will show which of the two is right. We still are not clear what are the mutations in SARS-CoV-2 that allowed human infection and transmission.
When did SARS-CoV2 emerge: While here have been no documented cases of SARS-CoV2 before December 2019. However, preliminary genomic analyses suggest that the first human cases of SARS-CoV-2 appeared between mid-October and mid-December 2019. This means there was a period of unrecognised transmission in humans between the primary zoonotic event and the outbreak.
Infectious period: Length of time an individual can transmit the infection to others is not known precisely, but possibly up to 10-14 days. Artificially reducing the contagious period is a crucial method of reducing overall transmission. Hospitalisation, isolation, lockdown and quarantine are all effective methods.
Who can infect: Anyone infected with the virus can infect even before the symptoms appear. Most carriers do not even show signs. Covering our mouth and nose when we cough or sneeze will help reduce the infection. The virus is present in the saliva, sputum and faeces of the infected person for the whole infectious period.
How we infect: Transmission is mostly via droplets. This requires relatively close contact, less than 6 feet. This is why it is recommended that we stay 1.5 metres away from each other in public places such as the vegetable market or supermarket. A study done in Hong Kong shows that social distancing can reduce the spread by 44%. Inanimate vector of disease, in particular phones, doorknobs, surfaces are a potential source for transmission, but not much is known about it. It is safe sanitise out hands after touching doorknobs, lift call buttons and counters in public places.
How many we infect: The average number of new infections caused by a typical infectious person, that is human transmissibility range (R0) is between 2.2 to 3.1. In simple word, one infected individual on the average infects about 2.2 to 3.1 persons. By physical distancing, we can artificially reduce the actual transmissibility, thus slow the rate of infection.
Where did the virus come from: It is not from eating bat soup. Once you boil, the virus is decimated. Initially, it was speculated that the SARS-CoV-2 virus jumped from bat to humans. But recent genomes study show first it must have leapt from bat to an intermediary species before it latched on to humans. Another study indicates that a lineage of SARS-CoV-2 virus was circulating in humans before the disease outbreak.
How it evolved: SARS-CoV-2 has emerged either by natural selection of virulent strain in a non-human animal host before zoonotic transfer to humans or natural selection of virulent strain in humans following a zoonotic transmission. Only more studies will show which of the two is right. We still are not clear what are the mutations in SARS-CoV-2 that allowed human infection and transmission.
When did SARS-CoV2 emerge: While here have been no documented cases of SARS-CoV2 before December 2019. However, preliminary genomic analyses suggest that the first human cases of SARS-CoV-2 appeared between mid-October and mid-December 2019. This means there was a period of unrecognised transmission in humans between the primary zoonotic event and the outbreak.
Can it infect animals: The molecular modelling suggests that SARS-CoV-2 can affect besides human, bat, civet, monkey and swine cells. Does not infect domestic animals or livestock. Consuming eggs or poultry will not result in SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Can one be infected twice: Once we get measles, most of us acquire life long immunity. We hardly get measles again. Experimentally infected macaques were not capable of being reinfected. Likewise, there is no evidence of reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 after recovery in humans. However, how long the immunity will last is unknown.
How severe is the illness: COVID-19 is not a death sentence. The majority of COVID-19 cases are mild (81%), About 15% need hospitalisation and 5% require critical care. That is the vast majority of the infected will not even need hospitalisation.
Who are the most vulnerable: Healthcare workers are most susceptible. About 20% of healthcare workers in Lombardy, Italy becoming infected while providing medical care to patients.
Among the general public, aged, in particular above 60 years of age and people with prior cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and respiratory conditions have a higher risk.
What is the cause of the death: Most of the deaths is caused by respiratory failure or respiratory failure combined with heart damage. Leakage of fluid into the lungs, which inhibits respiration and leads to morbidity, is the primary clinical condition. At present, the treatment for COVID-19 is primarily supportive care, including ventilation if necessary. Several therapeutic trials are ongoing, and the results are awaited.
Are the virus transmitted by milk sachets, or newspapers: SARS-CoV-2 can persist on plastic and stainless steel surfaces for up to 3 days. When the viral load was 10000 PFU, it lasted on newspaper and cotton cloth only for 5 minutes. Washing the milk sachets is adequate to remove the virus.
Will it spread through the air: In the air, the virus can survive only up to 2.7 hours. Therefore being in open spaces such as a balcony, the terrace is no harm.
Is there a less virulent strain: While many strains are being identified, studies so far have not indicated any mutations that are linked to any changes in transmission or disease severity.
Will, the onset of summer or rainy season, gives respite: No strong evidence exists showing a reduction in transmission with the seasonal increase in temperature and humidity.
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