News Analysis India

Tag: Covid pandemic

  • Pandemic sees rise in online consultations; users mostly women, young adults

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The Covid pandemic saw a rapid rise in online consultations in India, mostly among women, with over 65 per cent of them opting for this quick and easy way to meet their urgent medical needs, a new survey has said.

    After women, it was young adults, below 25, who wanted guidance about their sexual-related health problems, said the survey, which was conducted from data collated from 111 million interactions that happened between users and doctors on the Lybrate platform, a healthcare digital platform, in 2022.

    The survey conducted by HealthScape Advisors, a management consulting firm working in the areas of health, also found that online consultations have jumped by 87 per cent in tier-II and tier-III cities like Jaipur, Ahmedabad, and Lucknow, while metro cities witnessed a 75 per cent increase in the same period.

    “The last two years have seen a rapid increase in online doctor consultations. Telemedicine has given patients more accessible access to primary health care,” the study said

    Online appointments by women grew over 65 per cent in 2022 as compared to 2021, the study said, adding that most women consulted specialities including gastroenterologists and ENT, which grew by over 150 per cent

    This was followed by dermatologists and internal medicine, which grew by 125 per cent, psychiatry and paediatrics by 110 per cent each and gynaecology consultations grew by 100 per cent in 2022, the study said.

    The study said young adults under 25 are more curious about sexual health-related guidance and many of them posted queries on the platform, including on masturbation addiction, STDs, pregnancy and Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a common condition that affects hormones, and causes irregular menstrual periods, excess hair growth, acne and infertility.

    The data also showed that people between the ages of 25-45 majorly booked consultations for their kids or for issues related to sexual or mental health. Those above 45 years primarily seek consultations on chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, post-Covid-19 complications and thyroid-related ailments.

    Some of the highest searched keywords among men across age groups were masturbation addiction, penile enlargement and erectile dysfunction, the study added.

    Meanwhile, PCOS, healthy pregnancy and irregular periods were the highest searched keywords among women across India.

    Harsimarbir Singh, co-founder of Pristyn Care, said, “The pandemic has brought a massive shift in patient behaviour, especially most of them seeking medical consultations and communicating with doctors online and offline.”

    “We are not only witnessing a great demand for online consultations, but offline consultations have also jumped and have shown two times growth over the past year. It is encouraging to see that Indians are becoming more and more health conscious,” he said. 

    NEW DELHI: The Covid pandemic saw a rapid rise in online consultations in India, mostly among women, with over 65 per cent of them opting for this quick and easy way to meet their urgent medical needs, a new survey has said.

    After women, it was young adults, below 25, who wanted guidance about their sexual-related health problems, said the survey, which was conducted from data collated from 111 million interactions that happened between users and doctors on the Lybrate platform, a healthcare digital platform, in 2022.

    The survey conducted by HealthScape Advisors, a management consulting firm working in the areas of health, also found that online consultations have jumped by 87 per cent in tier-II and tier-III cities like Jaipur, Ahmedabad, and Lucknow, while metro cities witnessed a 75 per cent increase in the same period.

    “The last two years have seen a rapid increase in online doctor consultations. Telemedicine has given patients more accessible access to primary health care,” the study said

    Online appointments by women grew over 65 per cent in 2022 as compared to 2021, the study said, adding that most women consulted specialities including gastroenterologists and ENT, which grew by over 150 per cent

    This was followed by dermatologists and internal medicine, which grew by 125 per cent, psychiatry and paediatrics by 110 per cent each and gynaecology consultations grew by 100 per cent in 2022, the study said.

    The study said young adults under 25 are more curious about sexual health-related guidance and many of them posted queries on the platform, including on masturbation addiction, STDs, pregnancy and Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a common condition that affects hormones, and causes irregular menstrual periods, excess hair growth, acne and infertility.

    The data also showed that people between the ages of 25-45 majorly booked consultations for their kids or for issues related to sexual or mental health. Those above 45 years primarily seek consultations on chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, post-Covid-19 complications and thyroid-related ailments.

    Some of the highest searched keywords among men across age groups were masturbation addiction, penile enlargement and erectile dysfunction, the study added.

    Meanwhile, PCOS, healthy pregnancy and irregular periods were the highest searched keywords among women across India.

    Harsimarbir Singh, co-founder of Pristyn Care, said, “The pandemic has brought a massive shift in patient behaviour, especially most of them seeking medical consultations and communicating with doctors online and offline.”

    “We are not only witnessing a great demand for online consultations, but offline consultations have also jumped and have shown two times growth over the past year. It is encouraging to see that Indians are becoming more and more health conscious,” he said. 

  • Free Covid booster doses free for all adults from today till next 75 days

    By Agencies

    NEW DELHI: The Centre will provide free booster doses of Covid vaccines for the 18-59 age group at government vaccination centres under a 75-day special drive from July 15, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced on July 13.

    The free booster dose drive will be held for the next 75 days as part of the government’s Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to celebrate the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence and to boost the uptake of Covid precaution doses, he said.

    “Under the Amrit Mahotsav of Azadi, a 75-day free vaccination campaign will be conducted from July 15, in which all citizens above the age of 18 years will be given free vaccination doses at government centres”, Mandaviya said in a tweet.

    Urging eligible population to get the precaution doses, he said in a subsequent tweet: “With this decision, India’s fight against Covid will be strengthened and additional security of citizens will also be ensured. I urge that all adult citizens must get the prevention dose.”

    Less than 1 per cent of the target population of 77 crore in the 18-59 age group have been administered the precaution dose, as per a source. The initiative has been undertaken to increase the uptake of the precautions doses.

    However, around 26 per cent of the estimated 16 crore eligible population aged 60 and above as well as healthcare and frontline workers have received the booster dose.

    To accelerate the pace of vaccination and encourage booster shots, the government also initiated the second round of the ‘Har Ghar Dastak campaign 2.0’ across states and UTs on June 1. The two-month programme is currently underway.

    ALSO READ | Har Ghar Dastak: 9 lakh houses visited in Delhi, only 1.75 lakh say yes to Covid booster shots

    According to government data, 96 per cent of India’s population has been administered the first dose of Covid vaccine, while 87 per cent of people have taken both doses.

    On April 10 this year, India began administering precaution doses of COVID-19 vaccines to all aged above 18 years.

    The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 last year with health care workers getting inoculated in the first phase.

    Vaccination of frontline workers started from February 2 last year.

    On March 1 last year, COVID-19 vaccination began for people over 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified comorbid conditions.

    Vaccination for all people aged above 45 years began on April 1 last year.

    The government then decided to expand the ambit of the vaccination drive by allowing everyone above 18 years to be inoculated against Covid from May 1 last year.

    Inoculation of those in the age group of 15-18 started on January 3 this year.

    The country began inoculating children aged 12-14 on March 16.

    READ HERE | Covaxin booster dose generates 25-fold rise in antibodies: ICMR study

    (Register for precaution dose at cowin.gov.in or in the Aarogya Setu app, go to the Cowin tab, and tap on the vaccination tab.)

    (With PTI and IANS inputs)

    NEW DELHI: The Centre will provide free booster doses of Covid vaccines for the 18-59 age group at government vaccination centres under a 75-day special drive from July 15, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced on July 13.

    The free booster dose drive will be held for the next 75 days as part of the government’s Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to celebrate the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence and to boost the uptake of Covid precaution doses, he said.

    “Under the Amrit Mahotsav of Azadi, a 75-day free vaccination campaign will be conducted from July 15, in which all citizens above the age of 18 years will be given free vaccination doses at government centres”, Mandaviya said in a tweet.

    Urging eligible population to get the precaution doses, he said in a subsequent tweet: “With this decision, India’s fight against Covid will be strengthened and additional security of citizens will also be ensured. I urge that all adult citizens must get the prevention dose.”

    Less than 1 per cent of the target population of 77 crore in the 18-59 age group have been administered the precaution dose, as per a source. The initiative has been undertaken to increase the uptake of the precautions doses.

    However, around 26 per cent of the estimated 16 crore eligible population aged 60 and above as well as healthcare and frontline workers have received the booster dose.

    To accelerate the pace of vaccination and encourage booster shots, the government also initiated the second round of the ‘Har Ghar Dastak campaign 2.0’ across states and UTs on June 1. The two-month programme is currently underway.

    ALSO READ | Har Ghar Dastak: 9 lakh houses visited in Delhi, only 1.75 lakh say yes to Covid booster shots

    According to government data, 96 per cent of India’s population has been administered the first dose of Covid vaccine, while 87 per cent of people have taken both doses.

    On April 10 this year, India began administering precaution doses of COVID-19 vaccines to all aged above 18 years.

    The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 last year with health care workers getting inoculated in the first phase.

    Vaccination of frontline workers started from February 2 last year.

    On March 1 last year, COVID-19 vaccination began for people over 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified comorbid conditions.

    Vaccination for all people aged above 45 years began on April 1 last year.

    The government then decided to expand the ambit of the vaccination drive by allowing everyone above 18 years to be inoculated against Covid from May 1 last year.

    Inoculation of those in the age group of 15-18 started on January 3 this year.

    The country began inoculating children aged 12-14 on March 16.

    READ HERE | Covaxin booster dose generates 25-fold rise in antibodies: ICMR study

    (Register for precaution dose at cowin.gov.in or in the Aarogya Setu app, go to the Cowin tab, and tap on the vaccination tab.)

    (With PTI and IANS inputs)

  • Two Covid positive men in Maharashtra avoid hospitalisation by sending dummy patients; three held

    By PTI

    AURANGABAD: Two men, who had tested positive for coronavirus in a rapid antigen test conducted at a city-based zoo, sent two dummy patients to a medical facility by offering Rs 10,000 to them in order to avoid hospitalisation, police said on Wednesday.

    The fake patients were arrested by the Aurangabad city police from a civic-run COVID-19 facility soon after their real identity came to light on Monday, while one of the actual patients, Gaurav Kathar, was nabbed on Wednesday, police said.

    Search is on for another patient named Gagan Pagare, they said.

    “Siddharth Garden, a zoo cum park in Aurangabad reopened after a long time. As per the coronavirus protocols, if any person visiting it has not received both the doses of COVID-19 vaccines, they have to undergo a rapid antigen test on the spot. On Saturday, when Pagare and Kathar went to the zoo, they tested positive for the infection in this test conducted there,” a police official said.

    ​ALSO READ | Number of people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 surpasses those partially vaccinated: Union Health Minister

    “However, instead of getting admitted into the hospital for treatment, they sent two youths in their place by offering Rs 10,000 to them,” he said.

    The fake patients, identified as Alok Rathod and Atul Sadavarte, were brought to the Meltron Covid Care Centre of the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) on Saturday by a person named Sabale in his car, he added.

    According to him, after their admission, they kept on asking the doctors to shift them to another facility.

    On Sunday, they also produced a referral letter from another private hospital in Aurangabad.

    Following this, the in-charge of Meltron facility, Dr Vaishali Mugdadkar, instructed the hospital staff to keep a close watch on the two suspicious patients and file a complaint if they try to step out.

    ALSO READ | As COVID-19 cases dip, Maharashtra allows 10,000 more devotees to visit Shirdi shrine per day with offline passes

    But the two men later revealed that they were sent to the centre as dummy patients by the actual ones.

    After it came to light, the police arrested Rathod and Sadavarte on Monday, he said.

    Kathar, a resident of Mhada Colony in the city, was arrested by Vedant Nagar police on Wednesday.

    Police said that after the incident came to light, they tried to search Kathar at his home, but he was finally nabbed close to the Meltron hospital itself.

    Search is on for Pagare and Vijay Mapari, who allegedly worked as a middleman in the case, they said.

  • Life expectancy in India dropped by two years due to COVID-19: Study 

    “The life expectancy at birth in 2019 was 69. 5 years for men and 72 years for women, which came down to 67.5 years and 69.8 years, respectively, in 2020,” the report said.

  • Indian Immunologicals Limited to make 10 million doses of Covaxin drug substance from Dec

    By PTI

    HYDERABAD: Indian Immunologicals Limited which has supplied two million doses of drug substance to Bharat Biotech to make COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, is set to make ten million doses of the drug substance from December, a press release from IIL said on Friday.

    Lauding the efforts of the PSU for its ability to roll out the vaccine drug substance in record time, Union Minister Parshottam Rupala formally handed over the drug substance to Bharat Biotech, makers of Covaxin, it said.

    “To date, IIL has already supplied 2 million doses of the drug substance. It is learned that the drug substance produced by IIL has already been formulated into vaccines by BBIL ( Bharat Biotech) and is ready for use. IIL will produce three million doses a month and from December will increase it to 10 million doses,” the release said.

    K Anand Kumar, Managing Director, IIL said, the production and delivery of Covid-19 drug substance in record time is a testament to IIL’s technical expertise, adaptability, state-of-art manufacturing capability, resilience, and above all a commitment to the larger cause in the interest of the nation.

    IIL is also developing on a live attenuated COVID-19 vaccine which has many advantages and will be rolled out next year, Kumar said.

    The animal studies have been completed and the results are very encouraging.

    Human trials are also expected to start soon, he added.

    Krishna Ella, CMD, Bharat Biotech said it was essential that both competing organisations come together and support each other to a larger cause of national health.

    “If the Indian companies don’t join hands, then the multinationals will take over the industry,” Ella said.

    Set up by National Dairy Development Board , Indian Immunologicals Limited is one of the largest producers of vaccines in Asia.

  • Centre writes to Kerala, Maharashtra for state-specific Covid control measures

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Friday shot off a letter to Kerala asking it to step up the measures for curbing the rapid transmission and expanding the Covid vaccination coverage, especially for those due for their second doses. 

    Kerala, reporting over half of India’s daily new Covid cases at present, has also been logging over 30,000 fresh cases every day for the last few days while the test positivity rate has reached over 20%. 

    In a letter to the state chief secretary, Bhushan pointed out that all 14 districts in the state have been identified as districts of concern due to high test positivity rates and high cases per million reported in the past four weeks. 

    More worryingly, Thrissur, Kozhikode, and Ernakulam have reported more than 4,000 cases per million population in the week ending August 25. 

    ALSO READ | Kerala to enforce intense lockdown on Sundays after sharp rise in COVID cases post Onam

    The letter stressed that contact tracing effort should be further scaled up to ensure that at least 20-25 contacts per positive cases are tested while targeted testing also needs to be enhanced in containment zones and especially cover high risk contacts.

    The state administration was also instructed to ensure genomic surveillance in areas of high and sustained transmission and asked to send samples of all cases of vaccine breakthrough infections for genome sequencing while clinic-epidemiological assessment of such cases should also be carried out. 

    “While expanding the coverage of Covid19 vaccination is required, it is reiterated that a state specific strategy to complete the second dose vaccination of due beneficiaries may be devised,” the letter said. 

    In a separate letter to Maharashtra, Bhushan advised imposing local restrictions to restrict public gatherings ahead of festivities such as Dahi Handi and Ganpati Utsav. 

    Bhushan, along with Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla on Thursday had carried out a review of the Covid19 situation in the two states on Thursday. 

  • As Covid ebbs, Northeast starts reopening

    By Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: The states in the Northeast have started reopening after enforcing COVID-19 curbs for months together.

    The Assam government decided to resume classes for the students of class XI to postgraduate level from September 1. The guidelines on how the institutes will function will be issued by August 31.

    The neighbouring Meghalaya decided to reopen schools and colleges from the next month.

    Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said the students of classes VI to VIII will visit their school to submit assignments and interact with teachers to clear doubts etc while classes IX to XII will be open for regular offline classes. In rural areas, classes VI to XII will be open for the regular classes.

    ALSO READ | Hit hard by Covid pandemic, popular Assamese musician strikes a chord in fisheries

    The state will also reopen its doors for tourists from September 1. The tourists will have to come after taking both vaccine doses.

    There is no bar on the entry of those who have taken one dose and the unvaccinated people but they will be required to produce a negative report of RT-PCR, TRUNAT or CBNAAT test done within 72 hours of the visit. The tourists will be also required to furnish the details of their visit and stay.

    Tripura resumed the physical classes for students from VI to XII from August 25 following the decline in COVID-19 positivity rate.

    Similarly, the Mizoram government has also allowed the reopening of over 300 schools in COVID-free areas. In Nagaland, the offline classes have resumed for XI and XII students.

    Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh have not yet taken any decision on the reopening of schools and colleges.

  • Rajasthan relieved as 30 districts report zero new Covid-19 cases

    Express News Service

    JAIPUR: Amid the fears of a possible third wave, Rajasthan is currently going through a remarkable Covid-free phase. The state registered just 3 cases on Thursday which is the lowest it has ever seen in a single day since the start of the pandemic. 

    In addition, it’s now nearly a month since the state saw a single Covid-related death. Also, the state has registered major success administering 4 crore doses whereby over one crore people in the state have now got both doses. As a result, over 20% of the state’s eligible population is now fully vaccinated. Rajasthan is the only state to achieve such a milestone. 

    Rajasthan is now moving towards a Corona-free phase. As many as 30 out of 33 districts in Rajasthan registered no new Covid cases in the past 24 hours. The state saw just 3 new cases on Thursday — the lowest in the 542 days of the coronavirus era. Only Jaipur, Alwar, and Baran districts saw one new case each and the state now has just 107 active cases – easily the lowest figure among the large states of the country. 

    ALSO READ | 100 days of Pinarayi govt: No respite from Covid, ministers a letdown

    In terms of Covid deaths, not one person succumbed to the infection in the past 24 hours. In fact, all through the month of August, Rajasthan has not seen a single Covid death and the total death toll in the state stands at 8954. 

    Significantly, of the 30,905 samples, only 3 patients tested positive on Thursday. As a result, the positivity rate came to just 0.009% which is the lowest ever recorded in the state.

    While the second wave has almost vanished, the health department is now focusing on vaccination. The number of beneficiaries who have got the second dose has crossed the figure of 1 crore. Of the total number of 5.14 crore people eligible for vaccination in the state, 1,00,89,107 have now received both the doses. Another 3.14 crore have received their first doses. In effect, over 60% of the people in the state have now been given at least one dose from the 3177 vaccination sites functional in the state. 

    Ironically, despite all these successes, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who has been suffering from post-Covid complications, was rushed to hospital on Friday morning after he complained of severe chest pain. The angioplasty was successfully done on him in a few hours at Jaipur’s SMS Hospital. 

    According to the Health Bulletin, Dr. Sudhir Bhandari, Superintendent of SMS Hospital, the Chief Minister’s health is improving now. Dr. Bhandari said, “CM’s angioplasty has been successful and now his tests are normal. After angioplasty, he will be kept under observation for 24 hours. The CM has been advised to stay in the hospital for 2-3 days. He is feeling better now.” 

  • Hit hard by Covid pandemic, popular Assamese musician strikes a chord in fisheries

    Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: Hit hard by the Covid pandemic with the music industry reeling under its impact, a well-known Assamese musician has delved into a fish farming pond.

    Bipin Chawdang said joblessness for two years made him eke out a living in a non-musical way. “I had a piece of land measuring 1.6 hectare which lay unused. I myself have been a paddy farmer and I have a fair idea about how much I can earn by growing paddy on the land. I thought I should try my luck in pisciculture,” the singer, widely popular for his Bihu songs, told The New Indian Express.

    He had approached the Fisheries department for financial support and technical know-how. Under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, the government gives a subsidy of 60%.

    Bipin dug a pond on his land at Khoomtai Chakalia in Charaideo district. He said he had spent around Rs 14-15 lakh but received a subsidy of only Rs 1.13 lakh so far.

    “They (government) had assured that I would be given the remaining amount of subsidy soon. I have been waiting for it for a long time. They were also supposed to give me the fish feed but I haven’t received it,” the singer lamented.

    ALSO READ | Two Assam men arrested with meth tablets worth Rs 100 crore in Mizoram: Police

    The Fisheries Department said Rs 2.26 lakh had been released to the singer out of the sanctioned Rs 5.04 lakh. The fish in his pond has grown up to 400 grams.

    “Their enthusiasm (Bipin and his wife Monoshree) and dedication towards the fisheries sector is exemplary and they have a desire to make it an integrated fish farm and a spot for agro-tourism,” Pratul Deka, a fisheries development officer, said.

    Official sources said like Bipin, much educated unemployed youth, who have been rendered jobless, took to pisciculture in a big way with subsidy from the government. The Fisheries department has launched a new scheme for promoting intensive aquaculture through biofloc technology.

    The biofloc-based farming system is a new technology for the promotion of intensive fish/shrimp production in a small area. A person having a small landholding (as small as 150-200 square metres) with either municipal piped water supply or bore well water supply can establish this business with a small investment.

    “The programme aims to support fish farmers and young entrepreneurs to make a living. This new and emerging technology would boost fish production and encourage small landholders and entrepreneurs to take up fish farming,” Fisheries Minister Parimal Suklabaidya said.

    The cost for installation of a biofloc unit of two tanks is Rs 1.50 lakh while a six-tank unit costs around Rs 4 lakh.

    The musicians in Assam rely much on the month-long Rongali Bihu cultural programmes. The events were not allowed last year as well as this year by the government due to the pandemic.

  • Hugh Jackman’s ‘Reminiscence’ to release on August 27 in select Indian cities

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Warner Bros Pictures has announced that Hugh Jackman-starrer “Reminiscence” will release in India on the big screen on August 27.

    The studio has already released “Mortal Combat”, “The Suicide Squad” and “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” in theatres here.

    “Reminiscence”, which also features Rebecca Ferguson and Thandiwe Newton, revolves around Jackman’s Nick Bannister, a private investigator of the mind, who navigates the darkly alluring world of the past by helping his clients access lost memories.

    Living on the fringes of the sunken Miami coast, his life is forever changed when he takes on a new client, Mae (Ferguson).

    A simple matter of lost and found becomes a dangerous obsession.

    As Bannister fights to find the truth about Mae’s disappearance, he uncovers a violent conspiracy, and must ultimately answer the question: how far would you go to hold on to the ones you love?

    “The film explores the idea of memory and nostalgia as something that is potentially addictive, or just enticing to go back and live in the good old days, remember that time. And with this technology, you can relive it and just stay in the past. But what is the cost of that? And what does it mean for the future of these characters or even the present when you can so easily escape in the past?” Jackman said in a statement.

    The Hollywood star is hopeful that the movie will appeal to his fans in the post-pandemic world.

    “I think we live in this changing world. We’re in this post-pandemic world right now and we’re now coming out into it. Is it a new world? Are we going to try and re-create what we had before? And I think it’s a really interesting time and a very uncertain time. And I hope the movie resonates in that way, where it is wonderful to have memories, but as humans, we have to be constantly creating new ones. I hope in a way that this film opens that sort of discussion.”

    Writer-director-producer Lisa Joy, who earlier co-created and directed TV series “Westworld”, makes her feature film directing debut with “Reminiscence,” and directs from her own original screenplay.