India Coronavirus Dispatch: Second wave has much lower mortality rate

Experts blame public carelessness for the surge in cases, more corporate employees prefer a hybrid working model, and more-news relevant to India's fight against Covid-19

The second wave has much a lower mortality rate

While India has reported a rise in coronavirus cases for two weeks in a row, the number of daily deaths has remained around 200. The mortality rate is low compared to the first wave, reports ThePrint. Daily deaths had hovered around 600 when the active caseload had risen to 340,000 the last time on July 17. Medical experts said there is little clarity if the difference in mortality rates is due to changes in the virus strain, but a better Covid-19 response mechanism is definitely a factor. “We are wiser, as far as the disease is concerned, and we have exactly come to know what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to treating these patients,” Anjan Trikha, a professor of Anaesthesiology at AIIMS told the news website. Read more here

Blame public carelessness for Covid surge, not mutant strains: Experts

The country's top public health experts believe the resurgence in coronavirus cases is due to the public's cavalier attitude towards the pandemic and not because of mutations in the virus, ThePrint reports. The experts said relaxed enforcement of precautions by the authorities and misleading notions about Covid being in an 'endemic' stage are adding to the surge. Read more here 

Amid Covid, more employees prefer a hybrid model: Survey

A majority of office workers polled in a recent survey preferred a hybrid working model that allows them to divide their hours between working remotely and from the office, a report in Hindustan Times said. The survey—conducted by Paperspace India, a collective of designers and architects—polled 610 employees and employers across the country. As many as 56% of respondents preferred the hybrid model. Respondents said they felt comfortable spending an average of 2.6 days a week in the office. The findings also showed 63% felt returning to the office is critical for advancing their careers. Read more here 
 

Covid-specific health insurance policies get a longer run

Short-term Covid-specific health insurance policies 'Corona Kavach' and 'Corona Rakshak' will get a longer run as insurance regulator IRDAI has allowed insurers to renew the policies for six more months, a report in The Hindu said. “Taking the prevailing COVID situation into consideration, it is decided to allow all insurers to offer and renew short-term COVID-specific health policies, including Corona Kavach and Corona Rakshak, up to September 30,” the regulator said. Read more here