A recent article in The New York Times reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries have authored an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO), concerning the potential for COVID-19 viral particles to remain airborne for a prolonged period of time. The scientists “outlined the evidence showing that smaller particles can infect people, and […]
COVID-19
HIV/AIDS: “The world can do better”
UNAIDS has issued a sharp warning about the consequences of one pandemic on another: COVID-19 has significantly disrupted the global fight against HIV/AIDS. Yet that is not the sole reason why we are falling behind in combating the HIV/AIDS crisis – already we were off-track. “The global aggregate of country data reported to UNAIDS shows […]
India global third for COVID-19 cases
India’s COVID-19 situation continues to escalate, as the country now has the third highest number of cases globally. Figures now exceed 700,000, with numbers near or exceeding 20,000 new cases per day now being the new norm. Weeks of ever-increasing daily figures have seen India climb the ranks of most affected nations in just a […]
Mylan gets license for remdesivir in India
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has revised guidelines for remdesivir use in cases of COVID-19, whilst Mylan has been given the nod to produce the antiviral drug in the country. Last month, India approved restricted emergency remdesivir use for the treatment of moderate cases of COVID-19 – the disease caused by severe […]
A COVID-19 vaccine. When?
The search for a COVID-19 vaccine is well underway in India. However, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has sparked controversy with what some experts have suggested are dubious claims. The ICMR announced last week that an indigenously-manufactured vaccine may be ready by mid-August. ICMR Director-General Dr Balram Bhargava said “it is envisaged to […]
Hospital beds lie empty in Bengaluru – pointing to a national crisis
In Bengaluru, a significant proportion of private hospital beds are lying empty according to a state official. According to a Times News Network (TNN) report, Dr K. Sudhakar – who serves as Minister of Medical Education and Control of COVID-19 in the Health and Family Welfare Department of the Karnataka state government – has reported […]
20,000 cases per day, COVID-19 out of control?
India’s COVID-19 situation continues to escalate, with numbers near or exceeding 20,000 new cases per day now being the new norm. The prospect of COVID-19 becoming all but uncontrollable in India is becoming ever more plausible. India’s COVID curve is rising at an ever increasing rate with no signs of abating. This upwards curve would […]
Fewer non-COVID-19 diseases recorded?
Fewer non-COVID disease alerts were recorded at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in India. This is according to information on weekly outbreaks available on the website of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), a Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare body. While initially this would be thought to be associated with the […]
India passes 600,000 COVID-19 cases
By Thursday, July 2nd, India registered 6,04,641 cases of COVID-19 after 19,148 new cases were reported over the preceding 24 hours. 434 people died over this same time period, pushing the death toll up to 17,834. Of the 434 COVID-19 deaths reported over the 24-hour period, 198 were from Maharashtra; 63 from Tamil Nadu; […]
PandemiCast XII: How coronavirus has hit businesses and what the situation looks like going forward
In the twelfth edition of PandemiCast, members of the Baird’s CMC family – co-founders Francois Baird and Marta Dourado and shareholder Frederick Fussi – join moderator Mark Chataway to discuss how the coronavirus pandemic has affected businesses. Edited by Iknoor Kaur. You can watch the video here. Watch previous editions of PandemiCast here.