Day: January 8, 2021

Covid-19 recovery rate in country reaches 96.36 per cent

India has crossed a significant milestone in its fight against COVID-19 with over one crore recoveries. The total number of patients successfully recovered so far from the viral contagion surpassed the tally of one crore 16 thousand. The rate of new daily infection also continues to remain below 25 thousand with only 20 thousand 346 cases being reported in the past 24 hours. The gap between the recovered patients and active cases in the country has further widened and the number of recovered patients stands at 44 times the number of current active cases.

The active caseload in the country comprises nearly two lakh 28 thousand people and stands at 2.19 per cent. Out of these nearly 60 per cent are under home isolation and have mild to very mild symptoms.

The national cumulative recovery rate continues to register gradual improvement and stands at 96.36 per cent with recovery of over 19 thousand 587 people in the last 24 hours.

Second nationwide dry run of Covid-19 vaccination drive to be held today

The second nationwide dry run on the Covid 19 vaccination will be held today. The massive mock drill will be held in 736 districts across 33 States and Union Territories. The objective of this dry run is to simulate the actual vaccine administration event. The entire planning of the vaccination drive, including beneficiary registration, microplanning and vaccination at the planned session site, will be tested under the leadership of District Collector or District Magistrate.
 
 The dry run will also familiarize the State, District, Block and Hospital level officers on all aspects of COVID-19 roll out. AIR correspondent reports that around one lakh 70 thousand vaccinators and three lakh vaccination team members have been trained on the process to be followed at the vaccination sites.

The country’s drugs regulator has approved Covishield and Covaxin for restricted emergency use in the country. The first round of dry run was held across the country on 2nd of January. The exercise is being done to ensure efficient planning and management for vaccine delivery in each district. The second dry run will be held in 736 districts across 33 States and Union Territories except Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Each district will identify three types of session sites, similar to the previous dry run including a public health facility, private health facility and rural or urban outreach sites.

As the country prepares for the COVID-19 vaccine roll out, Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan will be visiting Tamil Nadu today to personally review the preparedness and oversee the dry run operations at the scheduled sites. The Health Minister will visit the session sites at Government General Hospital and Government Omandurar Hospital in Chennai this morning. Later in the day, Dr Harsh Vardhan will visit the private vaccination centre at Apollo Hospital in Chennai after a brief visit to the General Medical Store Depot (GMSD) in Periamedu. This is one of the four national vaccine storage facilities and the other three are located at Mumbai, Kolkata and Karnal. The Union Health Minister will also visit the vaccination centre at Chengalpattu. He will also be visiting the Hindustan Bio-Tech Ltd. Campus at Chengalpattu after concluding his supervision at these sites.

Yesterday, Dr Harsh Vardhan interacted with the Health Ministers and Principal Secretaries of the States and Union Territories through video conferencing to review the preparedness for the dry run.
 
The Union Health Minister appreciated the tireless efforts being made by the multiple stakeholders including the Central and State government officials and the medical community. He also expressed gratitude to the scientific community who have worked tirelessly for the two vaccines which have recently received the Emergency Use Authorization.
 
The Health Minister highlighted the unique digital platform, Co-WIN, repurposed from the e-VIN platform that will provide real time information of vaccine stocks, their storage temperature and individualized tracking of beneficiaries of the COVID-19 vaccine. He stated that more than 78 lakh beneficiaries have been already registered on the platform.
 
The Minister reassured all his State counterparts that the country’s cold chain infrastructure has been sufficiently upgraded to ensure last mile delivery and that adequate supplies of syringes and other logistics have also been provided for. Dr Harsh Vardhan requested the Health Ministers to be vigilant against rumours and disinformation campaigns regarding the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. He rubbished the rumours being propagated on social media which are raising doubts in the mind of the public regarding the vaccine side-effects.

WHY MENSTRUAL CUPS ARE A NEED OF THE DAY?

Menstruation is one of the most natural and healthy affairs of a woman’s life. Though we live in a modern society, menstruation is still considered as a taboo and menstrual hygiene is of great concern. Majority of the women have been depending on menstrual products like sanitary pads, tampons etc for decades without knowing the health hazards behind their use. 

Sanitary napkin is one of the most widely used feminine hygiene products due to its convenience in usage and availability at an affordable cost. This ‘easy to use’ product is not only a potential threat to the environment but also causes severe health problems. These sanitary pads are made up of 90 per cent plastic that is non-biodegradable and non-recyclable which makes it difficult to be disposed of. The chemicals that are added for increasing absorption and reducing the odour can cause significant impacts on one’s health. Over time, the BPA present in the sanitary napkins and tampons along with other chemicals can enter one’s body and increase the risk of cancer in reproductive organs. The deodorants and fragrances directly enter the bloodstream and interfere with the embryonic development thus affecting one’s fertility.

Tampons are equally or more dangerous than sanitary napkins. The strings and applicators of tampons are made from polyethylene and polypropylene which makes them non-biodegradable. Studies have shown that longtime use of highly absorbent tampons can cause bacterial infections leading to fatal conditions like toxic shock syndrome. The disposal of the sanitary wastes is a big crisis as an average person who menstruates throws away up to 200 kg of menstrual products in their lifetime and they end up in landfills, on beaches or polluting our oceans for decades.

Menstrual cups come as an alternative for various problems generated by sanitary napkins and tampons. Unlike other products which absorb the menstrual blood, menstrual cups instead collect the discharge. They are made of medical-grade silicone or rubber which makes them easy to clean and durable for more than 5 years. This reusability of the menstrual cup itself is its major advantage which enables it to be cost beneficiary and eco-friendly. The proper use of a menstrual cup can reduce the chances of period hassles, rashes, skin infections and allows more physical movements without leakage. It can collect almost double the amount of blood than any other method making it more convenient to be used while travelling. Menstrual cups are getting more popular in western countries accounting its reusability and comfort. Proper practice and maintenance of hygiene can reduce the chances of risk caused by menstrual cups. The benefits of menstrual cups over other products makes it clear that they are a sustainable alternative barring certain drawbacks.