India’s COVID crisis continues, as cases of the disease continue to surge. Early on in the pandemic, India was ostensibly mildly affected in comparison to other nations. The situation has altered dramatically since. Even with the imposition of a lengthy, wholescale lockdown countrywide in late March (one since relaxed in many areas of the country), […]
COVID-19
Dexamethasone: Scientists hail ‘breakthrough’
Potential positive news has come during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers in the United Kingdom have suggested that the corticosteroid medication dexamethasone could save lives among the severely affected. The National Institute for Health Research (NIRH) reports that a “study, conducted at the University of Oxford and led by Professor Peter Horby and Professor Martin Landray, […]
PandemiCast XI: International Day of the African Child
This week we observe International Day of the African Child. COVID-19 is impacting all segments of society and children are hard-hit. In a special edition of PandemiCast, we talk to Professor Anne Njom Nlend and Sheriff Bojang, Jr. about the effect of COVID-19 on children in Africa and their mental, emotional, and physical health. Watch […]
Self-imposed village lockdowns
News of a health worker that has tested positive for COVID-19 has resulted in villages across the state of Goa placing themselves in self-imposed shutdowns. The worker was posted on duty in the port city of Vasco da Gama, which has since become a hotspot for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) – the virus which […]
Superspreaders: Asymptomatic or not?
The concept of COVID-19 “superspreaders” has been a hotly debated topic since the beginning of the spread of the disease. Details regarding these superspreaders are still being established, with several studies offering conflicting information — particularly regarding whether asymptomatic individuals can be superspreaders. A study published on June 3rd in Annals of Internal Medicine […]
India unprepared to handle COVID-19 outbreaks?
Lockdown measures are beginning to be revoked in many areas of India, despite cases of COVID-19 surging across the country. Could the removal of lockdown procedures lead to the disease becoming all but uncontrollable? India’s initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic was both rapid and thorough. A countrywide lockdown was put in place beginning on […]
Lancet retracts controversial HCQ study
The authors of a controversial study concerning hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and its use in the treatment of COVID-19 have retracted it. “After publication…several concerns were raised with respect to the veracity of the data and analyses conducted by Surgisphere Corporation and its founder and our co-author, Sapan Desai, in our publication,” three of the study authors […]
Hydroxychloroquine debate rages on
In India and at the global level, the debate over the merits of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as a treatment for COVID-19 continues. Last month, the World Health Organization (WHO) cited safety concerns as it announced a moratorium on clinical trials of hydroxychloroquine. HCQ is used as a treatment for a number of conditions including malaria and […]
ASHAs undervalued during COVID-19 crisis
India’s rural healthcare workers are vital in efforts to track COVID-19 cases in rural locations that are hard to reach. Despite this they remain an undervalued, and underpaid, segment of India’s healthcare workforce. Accredited social health activists (ASHAs) are Indian women who act as a liaison point between individuals in the community and the often […]
Will COVID-19 become seasonal?
Countries across the world have taken greater measures to combat COVID-19 than any other disease in living memory. Despite this, the disease is projected by some to become a yearly, seasonal condition. Not since the Spanish flu that began more a century ago have we witnessed lockdown measures of the manner being witnessed today. COVID-19 […]