India coronavirus dispatch: Dealing with Covid-19 after the lockdown

From clinical trials for a vaccine to steps to be taken after the 21 day lockdown, and questions about Covid-19 spreading through banknotes, read about all this and more here

Here is a roundup of articles in Indian news publications on how India is dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. From clinical trials for a vaccine, steps to be taken after the 21-day lockdown, and questions about Covid-19 spreading through banknotes – read about all this and more here:

Expert Speak

Podcast: When will a vaccine be ready? The work has started in a handful of labs around the world to create a vaccine against coronavirus. These efforts are progressing, thanks to international collaboration among scientists, but a vaccine is still thought to be at least a year away. Listen to this conversation with Dr Gautam Dey, cell biologist, University College London, on the stages through which a vaccine must go before it can be widely distributed, and the pioneering clinical trials that are under way. Listen it here.

Citizens under Lockdown

How do people with chronic illnesses survive a lockdown? Social distancing and contagious disease outbreaks can be especially difficult for people with chronic illnesses. Local hospitals, doctors, support groups, neighbours, along with other measures, can help. Read more here.

Supporting informal workers during the Covid-19 crisis: Farmers, agricultural labourers, and informal-sector workers are the worst hit by Covid-19, and the resulting lockdowns. In order to reach this large segment, we need to look at the three big systems in place – the banking system, the payments system, and the Public Distribution System. Read here to understand what each can do, to help informal workers cope financially.

Managing Covid-19

A prescription for action – Nine steps after the next 21 days: Nobel laureate economists Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo have written about the necessity to plan for the spread of Covid-19, especially for migrants on the road, until the vaccine come on line. They list out nine recommendations, including households having information, ways to report the disease via hotlines, and boldness with social transfer schemes. Read more here.

Anti-epilepsy drug can be repurposed for Covid-19, says scientist: Cooperation among researchers and government agencies is necessary. Keeping this in mind, scientist Neel Sarovar Bhavesh has found that valproic acid, an anti-epilepsy drug, can be repurposed and used for acute cases of Covid-19. He has written to ICMR to test valproic acid to find a quick solution to the coronavirus crisis. Read more here.

Covid-19 exposes our public health system: Doctors from several government hospitals have complained about the lack of personal protection equipment. Government hospitals are also ill-equipped with ventilators. The pandemic has not only stirred India’s healthcare network into action but also sharply brought into focus its severe shortcomings. Read more about the impact of Covid-19 on the health system.

Long Reads

Drugs that could be used to beat Covid-19 have another barrier: Patents on potential anti-Covid-19 drugs allow researchers to conduct clinical trials. However, once they have been approved, the regulations prevent them from being marketed. Allowing the generic production of patented medicines is needed. Read more about what India needs to do at this time.

Short of protective gear for medics, govt recommends unproven preventive drug: The ICMR has recommended that healthcare workers and caregivers of confirmed Covid-19 patients be prescribed hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as a preventive against the disease, even as experts say that the efficacy of this drug for preventing Covid-19 infections is unproven. Read more here about how the lack of evidence and the possibility of side effects can have long-term impact.

Opinion

Safeguarding the vulnerable among us: The human dimensions of the Covid-19 pandemic reach far beyond the critical health response. The economic, social and developmental aspects of the future will be impacted. Read here about why our response must be urgent, coordinated and on a global scale, and should immediately deliver help to those most in need.

Five lessons the coronavirus pandemic can teach Indians: If one were to acknowledge the hints Covid-19 is dropping at us, it might help us reflect on our conventional wisdom rather critically. The lessons of the pandemic include the efficacy of Asian healthcare models, the irrelevance of international summits, and the need to emphasise science. The author explains these and more here.

Understanding Covid-19

Dirty money: Can coronavirus spread through bank notes? Concerns about contaminated currencies have been reflected in many countries, and the World Health Organization has advised taking measures to maintain proper hygiene after handling of notes. However, no conclusive scientific study links the spread of the current strain of coronavirus to contaminated currency notes. Read more here.

Lesson from Black Death – Coronavirus will transform economic life for longer than we expect: In the long run, developed as well as emerging economies may have no option except providing a universal basic income in addition to boosting hospital capacity, and nationalising chunks of their collapsed financial systems and bankrupt industries. This will have a lasting shadow. Read the full piece here to understand why. 

Video

Corona Curfew – Police shouldn’t use force, except in self-defence: The coronavirus pandemic has thrown unprecedented challenges to the police, and law enforcement agencies. However, there have been isolated cases of police personnel going overboard, becoming overzealous, and giving bizarre punishments. Dr Vikram Singh, a retired Indian Police Service officer, explains why this is unacceptable. Watch it here.