HCARD, a robot, to assist frontline COVID-19 healthcare warriors

HCARD, a robot, to assist frontline COVID-19 healthcare warriors

Healthcare workers at hospitals are risking COVID-19 infection while taking care of those infected by it 24/7. Perhaps the level of risk may get reduced hereafter with the help of a new friend, HCARD. The robotic device HCARD, in short for Hospital Care Assistive Robotic Device, can help frontline healthcare workers in maintaining physical distance from those infected by coronavirus.

HCARD is developed by Durgapur-based CSIR lab, Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute. The device is equipped with various state-of-the-art technologies and works both in automatic as well as manual modes of navigation.

This robot can be controlled and monitored by a nursing booth with a control station having such features as navigation, drawer activation for providing medicines and food to patients, sample collection and audio-visual communication.

Prof. (Dr.) Harish Hirani, Director, CSIR-CMERI stated that “This Hospital Care Assistive Robotic Device could be effective for frontline healthcare officials dealing with COVID-19 patients in delivering services while maintaining mandatory physical distancing”. The cost of this device is less than Rs 5 lakh and the weight is less than 80 kilograms, added Prof. Hirani.

CSIR-CMERI is working on war footing to minimize the impact of COVID-19 through technological interventions. As spelled out by WHO, personal protective equipment (PPE) is very important in preventing transmission of coronavirus in the society, thus the Institute has channelized its resources optimally to develop PPE and community-level safety equipment for helping the public at large and healthcare institutions.

Scientists at CMERI have also developed a few other customized technologies, including Disinfection Walkway, Road Sanitizer Unit, Face Mask, Mechanical Ventilator and Hospital Waste Management Facility.

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KGS/( DST-(India Science Wire))

(Release ID :202636)

Centre Facilitates the Inter - State Movement of Stranded People including Migrant Labourer in the country, in wake of COVID -19 Pandemic

Centre Facilitates the Inter - State Movement of Stranded People including Migrant Labourer in the country, in wake of COVID -19 Pandemic

As a result of lockdown restrictions to fight COVID--19, migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons are stranded at different places in the country. Now, the Centre has permitted the movement of these stranded persons by road.  They would be allowed to move between one State/ UT to another State/ UT, after the concerned states consult each other and mutually agree to.

It has also been impressed upon that on arrival at their destination, such person(s) would be assessed by the local health authorities, and kept in home quarantine, unless the assessment requires keeping the person in institutional quarantine. They would be kept under watch with periodic health check-ups.  

For this purpose, States/UTs have been requested to encourage such persons to use Aarogya Setu app through which their health status can be monitored and tracked.

Click here to see the Official Communication to States/UTs

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VG/SNC/VM

(Release ID :202651)

Updates on COVID-19 as on 29.4.2020

Updates on COVID-19

Through a graded, pre-emptive and pro-active approach, Government of India is taking several steps along with the States/UTs for prevention, containment and management of COVID-19. These are being regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level.

The Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan interacted with the Lions Club International members across the country through Video Conferencing (VC), here today. He expressed his gratitude to the Lions Club members for contributing an amount of Rs. 9.1 Crores in the PM CARES fund and of Rs. 12.5 Crores to the various Chief Ministers Relief Funds. He also appreciated their contribution in the form of providing meals to millions, and much needed medical equipment and protective gear. The Union Health Minister stated that along with the States/UTs and the dedicated stakeholders and partners, India shall be able to emerge as a victorious in combating COVID-19.

Ms. Preeti Sudan, Secretary (HFW) chaired a Video Conference (VC) with representatives from States and districts to discuss and deliberate on health infrastructure and other various aspects related to COVID-19 management, here today. The functioning of GIS Dashboard, COVID-19 portal and dedicated RT-PCR referral App was discussed during the VC. She urged the States to promote the Arogya Setu App which is a self assessment tool helpful in the prevention efforts of the Government.

Secretary (HFW) emphasized that non-COVID essential medical care should not be neglected. It was reiterated that patients needing care like dialysis, cancer treatment, diabetics, pregnant women and those suffering from cardiac ailments must be given adequate care. States were urged to ensure that the services in proximity of people are functional and remain uninfected.

Speaking on management of COVID-19 cases, Dr. Balram Bhargava, Secretary (DHR) and DG (ICMR) emphasized on the importance of the meticulousness in collection of samples and filling up of the accompanying forms. States were informed that the RT-PCR app has been made functional and needs to be put to use immediately.  
So far, a total of 7695 people have been cured. This takes our total recovery rate to 24.5%. The total number of confirmed cases is now 31,332.

For all authentic & updated information on COVID-19 related technical issues, guidelines & advisories please regularly visit: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/.

Technical queries related to COVID-19 may be emailed at technicalquery.covid19@gov.in and other queries on ncov2019@gov.in and via tweets to @CovidIndiaSeva .

In case of any queries on COVID-19, please call at Ministry of Health & Family Welfare helpline no. : +91-11-23978046 or 1075 (Toll-free). List of helpline numbers of States/UTs on COVID-19 is also available at https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/coronvavirushelplinenumber.pdf .

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MV/SG

(Release ID :202650)

Video on Covid-19 awareness for community level workers in various languages

TAMIL

TELUGU

TELANGANA

TELUGU

ANDHRA PRADESH

GUJRATI

ODIA

KANNADA

MALAYALAM

MARATHI

TRIPURA

BENGALI

PUNJABI

HINDI

The country will be self-reliant by the end of May 2020 in producing indigenous rapid Test and RT-PCR diagnostic kits

The country will be self-reliant by the end of May 2020 in producing indigenous rapid Test and RT-PCR diagnostic kits—Dr. Harsh Vardhan

Dr. Harsh Vardhan exhorts scientists to speedily develop COVID-19 mitigation solutions “At least half a dozen candidate vaccines are being supported of which four are in an advance stage.” - Dr. Harsh Vardhan

Union Minister of Science & Technology, Health & Family Welfare and Earth Sciences, Dr Harsh Vardhan, here today reviewed, through videoconferencing, the various initiatives undertaken by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and its Autonomous Institutes (AIs) and its Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) – BIRAC and BIBCOL, to tackle the current COVID-19 crisis especially with respect to progress made in indigenous development of vaccine, Rapid Test and RT-PCR diagnostic Kits.

Secretary, DBT, Dr. Renu Swarup informed that DBT has evolved a multi-pronged research strategy and action plan for immediate response as well as for long-term preparedness to tackle COVID-19. These multifaceted efforts include research towards development of candidate vaccines, therapeutics, and suitable animal models for COVID-19 as well as development of indigenous diagnostics and genomic studies on the host and pathogen. The DBT and its PSU,


Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) has announced a COVID-19 Research Consortium Call to support Diagnostics, Vaccines, Novel Therapeutics, Repurposing of Drugs or any other intervention for control of COVID-19.

During interaction with DBT scientists, Union Minister was informed about various computational methods being developed by DBT labs/AIs to predict potential antiviral drug molecules. In another strategy, surrogates of the virus are being developed representing one or more        critical steps in virus lifecycle and inhibitors are being tested. Work is in progress to isolate neutralizing antibodies either from the patients recovered from COVID-19 or from human     antibody libraries. Also various AIs of DBT are working on development of candidate vaccines

which are at various stages of pre-clinical studies with an overall aim to demonstrate the proof of concept and immunogenicity and safety evaluation prior to clinical testing. At the moment, at least 9 of these studies are in early stages and one delivery and adjuvant system for                 improving the immunogenicity of candidate vaccine is at the advanced stage of development.

While discussing genetic sequencing, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said, “These genetic sequencing efforts remind me of Polio eradication movement 26 years back. Towards the fag end of the Polio movement, active surveillance of the country was done to find out the cases of acute flaccid paralysis. That time also, genetic sequencing was used to establish the travel history of polio virus which eventually helped in the eradication of polio.”

After the presentation, Dr. Harsh Vardhan appreciated the work being done by scientists and their innovative ways of finding solutions to mitigate COVID-19. “The sincere efforts of DBT scientists will enable the country to be self-reliant in production of RT-PCR and Antibody test kits by the end of next month. This will make it possible to meet the target of conducting one lakh tests per day by the end of next month”, he said. The minister also exhorted scientists working on developing new vaccines, new drugs and medical equipment, to speed up their work. “Out of at least half a dozen candidates supported for vaccines, four are in an advanced stage and regulatory platform at one place has been constituted for speedy clearances”, he said.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan also appreciated the BIRAC efforts in supporting over 150 start up solutions of which over 20 are ready for deployment. He also released a Hand-Sanitizer developed by another PSU of DBT, Bharat Immunologicals and Biologicals Corporation Ltd. (BIBCOL) which is engaged in manufacturing of various biological, pharmaceutical and food products. It currently is manufacturing formulations of Vitamin C and Zinc tablets to contribute towards the solutions for COVID-19. “A contribution of Rupee One towards commercial sale of each single bottle of this Sanitizer will go to PMCARES Fund”, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said.

Dr. Renu Swarup, Secretary, DBT, senior officials, Directors of DBT-AIs, Senior Scientists and senior officials from BIRAC and BIBCOL participated in the meeting.

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KGS/

(Release ID :202627)

Updates on COVID-19 as on 28.4.2020

Updates on COVID-19

Through a graded, pro-active and pre-emptive response strategy, Government of India is taking several steps along with the States/UTs for prevention, containment and management of COVID-19. These decisions and steps are being regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare today reviewed the research work conducted by the Directors / Heads of Department of Bio-Technology and its 18 Autonomous Bodies and PSUs through Video Conference. He has directed to expedite the development of antibody detection kits, real-time PCR based detection kits and vaccines for COVID-19 under 'Make in India'.
The Union Health Minister also reviewed the current status of COVID-19 surveillance in Delhi along with Shri Anil Baijal, LG of Delhi, Shri Satyendar Jain, Health Minister of Delhi, MCD Commissioners, DMs and DCPs of all districts of Delhi, Central / State and District surveillance officers and Heads of Government Hospitals via Video Conferencing. Shri Rajesh Bhushan, OSD (MoHFW), Dr Rajiv Garg, DGHS (MoHFW) and Dr S K Singh, Dir (NCDC) were also present during the review meeting.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued guidelines on home isolation for very mild / pre-symptomatic patients. Patients who have a requisite facility at their residence for self-isolation will have the option for home isolation. These guidelines are in addition to guidelines on appropriate management of suspect/confirmed case of COVID-19 issued by MoHFW on 7th April 2020. These guidelines are available and may be accessed at https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/GuidelinesforHomeIsolationofverymildpresymptomaticCOVID19cases.pdf.
Regarding plasma therapy for COVID-19, ICMR has already stated clearly that currently there are no approved therapies for COVID-19 including plasma therapy. It is one of the many therapies which are being experimented with. However, so far there is no evidence to support it as a treatment. ICMR has also started a National Study to evaluate the efficacy of the therapy. However, it needs to be clarified that until ICMR concludes its study and robust scientific proof is available, it should not be used except for research and trial purposes. In fact, use of plasma therapy may have life threatening complications. ICMR has already issued detailed guidelines in this regard for the use of plasma therapy outside the study purposes.
As of today, there are 17 districts in the country where earlier cases had come, but now no new case has been reported for the last 28 days. The number of these districts has increased by 1 (two new districts have been added whereas one has been dropped from the previous list) since yesterday. The districts that got added to the list are Kalimpong (West Bengal) & Wayanad (Kerala). The district which was removed from this list is Lakhisarai (Bihar).
As of now, 6,868 people have been cured with a recovery rate of 23.3%. A total of 29,435 people have been confirmed positive as of now for COVID-19 in India.
For all authentic & updated information on COVID-19 related technical issues, guidelines & advisories please regularly visit: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/.
Technical queries related to COVID-19 may be emailed at technicalquery.covid19@gov.in and other queries on ncov2019@gov.in and can be sent as tweets to @CovidIndiaSeva .
In case of any queries on COVID-19, please call at Ministry of Health & Family Welfare helpline no. : +91-11-23978046 or 1075 (Toll-free). List of helpline numbers of States/UTs on COVID-19 is also available at https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/coronvavirushelplinenumber.pdf .

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MV

(Release ID :202626)

Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad appreciated the efforts of all States and UT in the fight against Covid19

Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad appreciated the efforts of all States and UT in the fight against Covid19

Minister expressed his vision to realize1 lakh digital villages that are self-sufficient with amenities such as digital education, digital health, digital payment etc Minister made an appeal to all States to work unitedly, digitally and physically to pool together national and state level resources to fight against COVID-19 and assured all the help from Central Government in this effort

Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, held a meeting with State IT Ministers on 28 April 2020 through video conferencing. The meeting was graced by the Hon’ble Chief Ministers of Haryana and Sikkim, Deputy Chief Ministers of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka, who are also in charge of the IT Department in their respective states. State IT Ministers from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Assam, Odisha, Goa, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Meghalaya have also attended. All States and UTs were represented by State IT Secretaries. It was also attended by Secretaries and other senior officers from Ministry of Electronics and IT, Dept. of Posts and Dept. of Telecommunications.

As a part of this, the efforts of Ministry of Electronics and IT and its organisations were presented covering Aarogya Setu App, Innovation Challenge, awareness and communications on COVID-19 through My Gov and social media channels and several chat bots at these platforms, nation-wide video conferencing facility, e-Office, Public Financial Management System, services from Common Services Centres in rural areas, CDAC’s e-Sanjeevani Telemedicine Platform etc.

Secretary, Department of Posts informed that 1.56 lakh Post Offices are connected and it has facilitated 2.5 Crore Post office Saving Bank transactions worth Rs.38,000 Crore. It also delivered 43 lakh mails and 250 tones of essential medicine and COVID-kits during these difficult times.

Secretary, Department of Telecommunications (DoT) stated that all efforts are made for uninterrupted and quality Telecom Services during lockdown.  DoT promised all support for work from home, which is expected to become the new norm. It also explained its newly launched COVID Quarantine Alert System (CQAS) and Saavdhaan System. Regarding implementation of National Broadband Mission at field level, state government’s support was sought for relaxation in right of way and levy of reasonable charges.

States and Union Territories also shared their best practices and efforts to tackle COVID-19. All States deeply appreciated the work being done by India Post, Common Services Center, Department of Telecom and Ministry of IT in providing citizen centric services during COVID19 crisis. The states also suggested several measures and sought the engagement of Central Government.

Minister of State for Communications and Electronics & IT, Shri Sanjay Dhotre remarked that connectivity and quality of internet has become even more important for rural areas and there is need to improve digital services in rural areas in a trusted partnership among Central and State Governments and Private Sector. 

Hon’ble Minister, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad appreciated the efforts of all States and UT in the fight against Covid19. While concluding, he made the following key announcements:

• Central Government would extend the Dept. of Telecommunication’s deadline on relaxation of the norms for the ‘Work From Home’ from 30 April to 31 July 2020.
• 
  
• He asked the States to support Bharat Net scheme and requested them examine right of way issues for promoting development of a robust telecom network. He highlighted the importance of Bharat Net for the purpose of providing digital education, health care services etc. in rural areas to address the challenges posed by COVID19.
• 
  
• Acting on the suggestion made by one of the states, he directed that Ministry of Electronics and IT to develop a portal on the COVID-19 related best practices gathered from all States and UTs.
• 
  
• He also accepted a suggestion from a State IT Minister for formation of a Strategy Group comprising representatives from Central Government, State Governments and Private Sector to work out a roadmap for the Indian IT and electronics sector post COVID19.
• 
  
• He expressed his vision to realize 1 lakh digital villages that are self-sufficient with amenities such as digital education, digital health, digital payment etc.
• 
  
• He also accepted this request from states and directed that data from Aarogya Setu app should be made available online to the States right up-to District officials. Minister also announced that a similar solution for the feature phone users is being developed and it will be launched very soon.
• 
  
• Minister further informed that India stands a good opportunity to promote electronics manufacturing and urged the states to work towards attracting investments in their states. He shared that three schemes namely Production Linked Incentive 2.0, Electronics Manufacturing Clusters, and Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors (SPECS) with a project outlay of Rs 50,000 crore have been notified by the Govt. of India in order to attract investments in electronics manufacturing sector. He appealed to States to supplement these with their schemes. He made an appeal to all States to work unitedly, digitally and physically to pool together national and state level resources to fight against COVID-19 and assured all the help from Central Government in this effort.

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RJ/RP

(Release ID :202632)

Updates on COVID-19 as on 27.4.2020

Updates on COVID-19

Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi interacted with the Chief Ministers of all the States through video conference today. He suggested that the chain of transmission of the virus should be broken, strictly for districts falling in the red zone and orange zone. He highlighted the importance for States/UTs to enforce guidelines strictly in the hotspots i.e. the red zone areas. He stated that the efforts of the States/UTs should be directed towards converting the red zones into orange and thereafter to green zones. He stated that no stigma should be associated with Corona Virus Disease and health facilities should provide required other health services besides COVID-19. He further added that traditional medicinal systems should continue their work.  
16 Districts in the country, which earlier had cases, have not reported any fresh cases since the last 28 days. 3 new districts which got added to this list from include (24th April):

• Gondia in Maharashtra,
• Devangere in Karnataka
• Lakhi Sarai in Bihar

2 districts have now shown fresh cases, which earlier did not have any fresh case in last 28 days and those are Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar in Punjab. Further, a total of 85 districts from (25 States/UT) have not reported any new cases since the last 14 days.

At the press briefing here today, the Empowered Group 5 (EG5) of Government of India shared updates related to supply chain and logistical arrangements made in the country since the COVID-19 outbreak to meet the challenges posed by the pandemic and the measures taken to control its spread in the country.

Addressing the media, Shri Parameswaran Iyer, Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, and Convener of the EG5, shared the steps being taken by the government to tackle challenges in four critical sectors, viz. agriculture, manufacturing, logistics and feeding vulnerable groups. He said that the percentage of trucks moving food and pharmaceuticals has increased from 46% on March 30th to 76% on April 25th, 2020. In the same period, the percentage of railway rakes moved has increased from 67% to 76%, percentage traffic handled by ports has increased from 70% to 87%, and percentage of operational major mandis has gone up from 61% to 79%. More than 1.5 cr people are being provided cooked meals every day by Government agencies, NGOs and industries.

Speaking about the role of EG5, he said that the Government is focusing on easing policy and implementation bottlenecks in supply chains of essential items, troubleshooting specific bottlenecks on the ground and tracking key indicators and disseminating best practices of supply warriors. For this, he said, they are collaborating with line Departments, Ministry of Home Affairs, and other key stakeholders from industry including food, pharma, transporters, wholesalers, retailers and mandis.

As of now, 6,184 people have been cured with a recovery rate of 22.17%. Since yesterday, an increase of 1396 new cases has been reported. Also, a total of 27,892 people have been confirmed positive as of now for COVID-19 in India. In the last 24 hours, 48 new deaths have been reported with total fatality of 872.

For all authentic & updated information on COVID-19 related technical issues, guidelines & advisories please regularly visit: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/.

Technical queries related to COVID-19 may be emailed at technicalquery.covid19@gov.in and other queries on ncov2019@gov.in .

In case of any queries on COVID-19, please call at Ministry of Health & Family Welfare helpline no. : +91-11-23978046 or 1075 (Toll-free). List of helpline numbers of States/UTs on COVID-19 is also available at https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/coronvavirushelplinenumber.pdf .

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MV

(Release ID :202602)

Facts on the controversy around prices of Rapid Antibody tests

Facts on the controversy around prices of Rapid Antibody tests

First of all, it is important to understand the background in which procurement decisions are made by ICMR. Testing is one of the most crucial weapons to fight COVID-19 and ICMR is doing everything it can to ramp up testing. This requires procurement of kits and supplying them to states. This procurement is being undertaken when globally there is huge demand for these test kits and various countries are applying their full might, monetary and diplomatic, to acquire them.

ICMR’S first attempt to procure these kits did not elicit any response from the suppliers. Its second attempt got adequate responses. Of these responses, taking sensitivity and specificity in mind, kits of 2 companies (Biomedemics and Wondfo) were identified for procurement.  Both had the requisite international certifications.

For Wondfo, evaluation committee got 4 bids and the corresponding quotes received were Rs. 1,204, Rs. 1,200, Rs. 844 and Rs. 600. Accordingly, bid offer of  Rs. 600 was considered as L-1.

In the meanwhile, ICMR also tried to procure the kits directly from Wondfo company in China through CGI. However, quotation received from direct procurement had the following issues:

• • Quotation was FOB (Free on Board) without any commitment on logistics issues.
  • The quotation was on the basis of 100% direct advance without any guarantees.
  • There was no commitment on timelines.
  • Rates were communicated in US dollars without any clause for accounting for fluctuations in prices.

Hence, it was decided to go Wondfo’s exclusive distributor for India for the kit who quoted an all inclusive price for FOB (logistics) without any clause for advance.
It needs to be also remembered that this was the first ever effort by any Indian agency to procure such kits and the rate quoted by the bidders was the only reference point.
After receipt of some supplies, ICMR has again conducted quality checks on these kits in field conditions.  Based on scientific assessment of their performance, the order in question (Wondfo) along with order in respect of another make found under-performing have been cancelled.

It needs to be stressed that ICMR has not made any payment whatsoever in respect of these supplies. Because of the due process followed (not going for procurement with 100% advance amount), GoI does not stand to lose a single rupee.

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MV

(Release ID :202598)

Guidelines for Home Isolation of very mild / pre-symptomatic COVID-19 cases

PM interacts with CMs to plan ahead for tackling COVID-19

PM interacts with CMs to plan ahead for tackling COVID-19

Lockdown has yielded positive results, country has managed to save thousands of lives in the past 1.5 months: PM

Our aim must be rapid response, need to follow mantra of ‘do gaz doori’: PM

PM said that efforts of states should be directed towards converting the red zones into orange and thereafter to green zones

We have to be brave and bring in reforms that touch the lives of common citizens: PM

We have to give importance to the economy as well as continue the fight against COVID-19: PM

Impact of coronavirus will remain visible in the coming months, masks and face covers will be part of our life: PM

CMs provide feedback, suggest measures to meet economic challenges and boost health infrastructure

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today interacted with Chief Ministers of states via video conferencing to discuss the emerging situation and plan ahead for tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the fourth such interaction of the Prime Minister with the Chief Ministers, the earlier ones had been held on 20th March, 2nd April and 11th April, 2020.

Prime Minister underlined that the Lockdown has yielded positive results as the country has managed to save thousands of lives in the past one and a half months. He added that India’s population is comparable to that of the combined population of several countries. The situation in many countries, including India, was almost similar at the start of March. However, due to timely measures, India has been able to protect many people. He however forewarned that the danger of the virus is far from over and constant vigilance is of paramount importance.

Prime Minister said that the country has seen two Lockdowns till now, both different in certain aspects, and now we have to think of the way ahead. He said that as per experts, the impact of coronavirus will remain visible in the coming months. Reiterating the mantra of ‘do gaz doori’, he said that masks and face covers will become part of our lives in the days ahead. He added that under the circumstances, everyone’s aim must be rapid response. He pointed out that many people are self-declaring whether they have cough and cold or symptoms, and that this is a welcome sign.

Prime Minister said that we have to give importance to the economy as well as continue the fight against COVID -19. He emphasized on the importance of usage of technology as much as possible and also to utilize time to embrace reform measures. He emphasized on the significance of ensuring that more people download the AarogyaSetu app to bolster the efforts of the country in the battle against COVID-19.  He said “we have to be brave and bring in reforms that touch the lives of common citizens.” He also suggested that people associated with Universities can be integrated on devising ways to fight the pandemic and strengthen research as well as innovation.

He highlighted the importance for states to enforce guidelines strictly  in the hotspots i.e. the red zone areas. He stated that the efforts of the states should be directed towards converting the red zones into orange and thereafter to green zones.

On the issue of getting back Indians who are overseas, he said that this has to be done keeping in mind the fact that they don’t get inconvenienced and their families are not under any risk. Prime Minister also urged Chief Ministers to factor in the changes in weather - advent of summer and monsoon - and the illnesses that can potentially come in this season, while strategizing ahead.

Union Home Minister reaffirmed the need to enforce lockdown so that maximum lives are saved.

The Chief Ministers praised the leadership of the Prime Minister during this period of crisis, and also highlighted the efforts undertaken by them in containing the virus. They spoke about the need to keep a close vigil on international borders, and also on addressing the economic challenge and ways to further boost health infrastructure. The leaders expressed gratitude towards the police force and medical staff for the exemplary work done by them in the fight against COVID-19.

VRRK/SH

(Release ID :202596)

Herbal decongestant spray on mask can protect from suffocation

Herbal decongestant spray on mask can protect from suffocation

This formulation helps in clearing the wind pipe and congestion by removing the mucus or cough leading to ease of breathing

Health authorities have been strongly advocating the use of face masks to prevent corona infection. At the same time, wearinga mask for a long time is reportedly causing difficulties in breathing and congestion in the respiratory system. To address this issue, scientists at CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow, have developed a herbal decongestant spray.

“The main reasons behind this problem include the accumulation of carbon dioxide and humidity in the inner cavity of the mask. When a person breathes in, this goes back to the lungs again. Repetition of this process over a period of time causes discomfort in breathing and congestion”, said Dr. Sharad Srivastava, Senior Principal Scientist, CSIR-NBRI, who led the team of researchers for this study.

“Herbal decongestant spray is a fine blend of four plant-based oils, but the names of these plants cannot be disclosed right now because of issues related to intellectual property. This product is developed based on the principles of Ayurveda and contains ingredients reported in traditional scriptures”, explained Dr. Srivastava.

This formulation helps in clearing the wind pipe and congestion by removing the mucus or cough leading to ease of breathing. It also reduces stress due to excessive use of mask and decongestion.This spray has been prepared as per guidelines of the Ministry of AYUSH.

Lucknow-based NBRI is a constituent laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), which is mainly known for its botanical research work. The initial results of this NBRI's herbal spray have been extremely impressive. People wearing masks for a long time are getting a lot of relief from this, say researchers.

The Institute plans to transfer the technology of this inhaler for commercial production so that it can be produced on a large scale and sent to the frontline worriers fighting against COVID-19 pandemic.

[For More Details : Dr. Sharad Srivastava, CSIR-NBRI, Lucknow
Email : sharad@nbri.res.in,sharad_ks2003@yahoo.com]

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KGS/(DST-(India Science Wire))

(Release ID :202563)

Fake news on WhatsApp claims Government giving Rs 1000 under Corona Sahayata Yojana

Fake news on WhatsApp claims Government giving Rs 1000 under Corona Sahayata Yojana

Fact Check Unit of Press Information Bureau has today clarified in a tweet that Government of India is not giving Rs 1000 to anybody under the so called Corona Sahayata Yojana scheme. This tweet was in response to a widely circulating message on WhatsApp that claimed that Government had launched a scheme-WCHO- under which people were being given Rs 1000 each. The message requires people to click on a link and provide their information.

The tweet clarified that the claim and the link both were fraudulent and warned people against clicking on it.

PIB Fact Check

✔@PIBFactCheck

दावा: कोरोना सहायता योजना WCHO की तरफ से 1000 ₹ सहायता राशि सभी को दिया जा रहा हैें। फॉर्म भरें और 1000 ₹ प्राप्त करें। #PIBFactCheck: केंद्र सरकार द्वारा ऐसी कोई भी योजना नहीं चलाई जा रही। मैसेज में किया गया दावा व दिया गया लिंक फ़र्ज़ी है।
कृपया जालसाज़ों से सावधान रहे।

710

1:19 PM - Apr 25, 2020

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Background

In order to check the spread of fake news on social media and following observations of the Supreme Court, PIB set up a dedicated unit to bust rumours getting viral on the social media. ‘PIBFactCheck’ is a verified handle on Twitter that continuously monitors trending messages on social media platforms and conducts comprehensive review of its contents to bust fake news. Besides, PIB_India handle and various PIB regional unit handles on Twitter are posting official and authentic version of any item on Twitter using the hashtag #PIBFactCheck for the benefit of the Twitter community at large.

Any person can submit to PIBFactCheck any social media message, including text, audio and video, to verification of its authenticity. These can be submitted online on the portal https://factcheck.pib.gov.in/ or on Whatsapp No. +918799711259 or email: pibfactcheck@gmail.com. The details are also available on PIB website: https://pib.gov.in