Month: April 2020

The evaluation of rapid antibody testing kits supplied by two Chinese companies- Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech and Zhuhai Livzon Diagnostics in field conditions have shown wild variations in sensitivity and Indian Council Medical Research (ICMR) has asked states to stop using those kits.   In a new advisory issued to the states by ICMR, it stated that, “The results have shown wide variation in sensitivity, despite early promise of good performance for surveillance purposes,” ICMR said. The decision ends the era of short lived saga of rapid tests that were intended…

An uncut prolonged lockdown might probably throw millions of Indians into the “margins of subsistence”, claims former RBI Governor Duvvuri Subbarao while expecting a ”V” curved recovery once the COVID-19 crisis ends and the turnaround in India to be faster than some economies.   Subbarao was a part of a webinar on “History repeats – but differently- Lessons for the post Corona World,” organised by the Manthan Foundation here, in which former Deputy Governor of RBI Usha Thorat took part.   “Because most analysts believe that this year India will…

NCP Chief Sharad Pawar penned a letter to PM Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman seeking for a generous financial package for Maharashtra from the Center, to fight against deadly pandemic Coronavirus.   Drawing the attention of Modi and Sitharaman to economic indicators and strategy to overcome the crisis faced by Maharashtra, Pawar in the letter dated April 25 has suggested the Centre should extend the National Small Savings Fund Loan (NSSF) repayment by two years and additional grants of Rs 1 lakh crore should be given to the…

Coronavirus pandemic is going to bring various scope and opportunities in India post COVID-19 . New model adopted by India’s number 1 IT company TCS, called 25/25 will require far less office space.   Decision came after the firm briskly moved 90% of its workforce to an operating model called secure borderless work spaces.   The crisis has provided an opportunity to India’s largest IT firm to discard its 20-year-old operating model and leapfrog into a new mode of work. A new report says, 75% of 4.5 lakh TCS employees to permanently…

Senior Congress leader and Ahmedabad corporator Badruddin Shaikh succumbed to the coronavirus on Sunday. Badruddin Shaikh was admitted to SVP Hospital in Ahmedabad, Gujarat eight days ago.   The Congress leader’s condition deteriorated after he tested positive for Covid-19. After battling the infection for eight days, Badruddin Shaikh succumbed to it.   Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil condoled the death of Badruddin Shaikh. Taking to Twitter, Shaktisinh Gohil said, “My friend #Badru was a true #CoronaWarrior . He got infected with #coronavirus whilst helping poor people in #Ahmedabad #Gujarat .He is a big loss to our @INCGujarat family as he succumbed to #Covid_19. Lesson for all: Please take care and co operate with…

On April 15, Delhi’s Max Super Speciality Hospital announced that it would test all its workers and the 33 cases were found during this process, including two doctors, who had tested positive for COVID-19 so far, the hospital spokesperson said on Monday.   “As part of our ongoing routine COVID-19 testing for all healthcare workers, admitted patients and new admissions, a total of 33 healthcare workers have tested positive since the exercise began earlier this month”, the hospital group was quoted saying.   “All of them have been shifted to our COVID-only Max Hospital, Saket, east wing,” it said.   The daily reported quoting an unidentified health department official that the hospital began contract tracing of the hospital staff after a…

Amid COVID-19, Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) may soon resume flight operations but with strict restrictions and curbs in place. Face masks are mandatory for all travellers and crew members, no queues for security clearance, restricted use of in-flight lavatories and a stop on all in-flight meals said, senior officials, which have been recommended by stakeholders to the Union Aviation Ministry recently, may mean that it would take a little longer than usual for flyers to get through security checks.   It has been a month since India suspended all…

Amid the fight with pandemic Coronavirus, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in its latest order, issued on Friday night, permitted the shops providing non-essential goods and services to open from Saturday (April 25) onwards. With the latest order from the government, the registered neighbourhood and stand-alone shops have been permitted to open amid the coronavirus lockdown. The shops that are allowed to open during the coronavirus lockdown include those located in residential complexes within and outside the limits of municipalities and municipal areas. However, market complexes within the limits…