Dr Kala Yadav ML’s day in the hospital may wrap up by 6pm but the calls don’t stop pouring in until 10pm.
Dr Kala Yadav ML
Bengaluru :
Dr Kala Yadav ML’s day in the hospital may wrap up by 6 pm but the calls don’t stop pouring in until 10 pm. But as a frontline worker at the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital, which is a designated supervised isolation centre in the city, Yadav is no stranger to this tense pace of work.
Along with being in-charge of hospital infection control and biowaste management at the hospital, the 45-year-old is also a professor and in-charge of the microbiology department at Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute.
“Nobody thinks of it but this is a major aspect of a COVID-19 hospital. If the waste disposed of is not treated beforehand, it could lead to a major infection, or community transmission even,” she says solemnly.
With Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital posing as the second standby hospital in the city, Yadav explains how the facility does 20-25 screenings a day.
Currently, staff members operate on three shifts, where once team is done with their duty for a week, they are quarantined for 14 days while the next team takes over.
“Everyone is worried. Some staff members even ask me to not assign them to COVID duty, so a rotational system works best. Each one of them is given adequate training,” she explains.
As in-charge of hospital infection control, Yadav’s job involves many things, including immunisation of staff, ensuring the premises are disinfected and preparing an infection control manual for everyone to follow. The task doesn’t get easier when she returns home.
“My two daughters are at my in-law’s place. Since they live in a joint family, I thought this would be better since they’d have the company of their cousins. This way, I can also isolate them and my other family members from me,” she says. But this doctor has managed to remain calm despite the gloom around her. “You don’t have time to think of this when you are in the thick of things,” she shares, adding that yoga and devotional music has come to her rescue in these times.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / April 13th, 2020
One of the old KSRTC buses converted as a ‘sanitizer bus’ in Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: V. Sreenivasa Murthy
It will be used to disinfect people offering essential services
The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is converting its old buses that were slated to be scrapped into ‘sanitizer buses’ to disinfect people in public places. On Saturday, one such bus was launched in the city.
KSRTC Managing Director Shivayogi C. Kalasad said the sanitizer buses branded as ‘Sarige Sanjeevini’ will be operated in the city limits for the benefit of police personnel, health workers, pourakarmikas and others who are carrying out essential services during the lockdown.
“There are various measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, this is one among them. We can’t say that the sanitizer buses will completely disinfect people. They have to follow other measures such as maintaining personal hygiene, washing hands, etc. This is one of the proactive measures taken by the corporation,” said Mr. Kalasad.
The bus was modified at the Central Workshop of KSRTC at a cost of ₹20,000. Modifications include installation of sprinklers. People need to enter from the front door and exit via the rear end to get disinfected.
“In districts such as Mysuru, Mangaluru, Chikkaballapur and others where COVID-19 positive cases have been reported, the KSRTC is planning to operate sanitizer buses. We may convert 18 to 20 buses for the time being.”
In Karnataka, in several districts such as Ramanagar, Mandya and others disinfectant tunnels have already been launched at markets where farmers and wholesalers gather in large numbers.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Special Correspondent / April 11th, 2020
Designed, engineered, and manufactured in India, the country’s first NIV system, Saans Pro, can be used to treat patients with worsening hypoxemia – low level of oxygen in blood.
Image for representation.
Mumbai :
Bengaluru-based InnAccel Technologies on Wednesday announced the launch of a non-invasive ventilation (NIV) system for use in the ICU with COVID-19 patients.
Designed, engineered, and manufactured in India, the country’s first NIV system, Saans Pro, can be used to treat patients with worsening hypoxemia – low level of oxygen in blood – who are not distressed and have no other organ failure, the company claimed in a statement here.
It can also serve as a backup ventilation system when a ventilator or trained staff for intubation is not immediately available, it added.
InnAccel is a product innovation platform with a diverse portfolio of globally certified medical devices.
With over 14 lakh cases worldwide, there is a dire need for adequate respiratory support, such as invasive and non-invasive ventilation systems that can provide breathing assistance to critically-ill COVID-19 patients, the release said.
As COVID-19 cases continue to increase in India, InnAccel’s infrastructure-independent NIV system can prove to be an essential tool to support the country’s fight against this deadly virus, the company noted.
NIV ventilation systems are being recommended in countries like the US, the UK, Italy and China, it added.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by PTI / April 10th, 2020
A cauliflower farmer who supplies his produce to Ninjacart, seen in Chikka Tirupathi Road, Bengaluru. Photo: Nahla Nainar/THE HINDU
Ninjacart’s app-based sales plan is bringing fresh fruits and vegetables right to your apartment, so you can stay home safe
India’s farming community hardly had the time to celebrate the bumper harvest that followed an unusually wet winter, before it got hit by the nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of Coronavirus.
Unlike sectors where goods can be held in storage for a reasonable amount of time, agriculture thrives on fresh produce being sold within hours of being picked from the farm. Bengaluru-headquartered Ninjacart, reportedly one of India’s largest fruit and vegetable supply chain companies, has moved in to ease the plight of farmers and help people stay indoors, with an app-based fresh produce sales plan.
Targeted at residents of apartment blocks inChennai, Delhi, Gurugram, Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, Ninjacart ensures location-specific vegetable and fruit sales for the duration of the COVID-19 lockdown. Customers need to download the Ninjacart app from Google Playstore (it doesn’t have an iOS version), and fill out an online form with details of location, identity proof and so on. Ninjacart then assigns a mobile seller to the registered apartment block (with a minimum order of 50 kilograms per building).
“The COVID-19 pandemic really caught all of us by surprise,” says Ninjacart co-founder and CEO Thirukumaran Nagarajan, who prefers to be known simply as ‘Thiru’. “From a supply chain business, we have transformed ourselves into a company on a par with an essential service provider — just like you need hospitals to be working during lockdown, you need fruits and vegetables to be available daily too.” The COVID-19 effort has seen the five-year-old company change its operations as well, says Thiru. “So far, we have covered 1,000 apartments in six cities, with the help of 3,000 to 4,000 volunteers and staff. With many of our drivers being on the road for 12 or 13 hours daily, besides all our other executives and labourers putting in long hours, we realised that we had to provide them food, and if necessary, accommodation as well, to help them carry out their duties effectively. This was totally new for us,” says Thiru.
Thirukumaran Nagarajan, Co-founder and CEO, Ninjacart. Photo: Special Arrangement/THE HINDU
An electrical engineer with an MBA from IIM-Kozhikode, Thiru was part of several technology startups before co-founding Ninjacart with Sharath Loganathan, Vasudevan Chinnathambi, Kartheeswaran KK, Ashutosh Vikram and Sachin Jose. “Though I have moved away from my core degree, the Engineering mindset helped in solving a lot of operation-related problems,” says Thiru. For him and his team, selling fruits and vegetables with greater transparency was just an opportunity waiting to happen.
“Farming is an emotional profession, and that’s why our relationship with our growers doesn’t end with our transaction; we keep working on other aspects like their farming outlays and crop plans to make sure that they can make a profit on their harvest,” he says.
At present, Ninjacart has more than 50,000 farmers under its umbrella in as many as 20 states, and supplies fresh produce to over 60,000 local groceries and restaurants in Chennai, Delhi, Gurugram, Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Mumbai is temporarily out of service during the COVID-19 alert. Which in logistical terms, is around 1,400 tonnes of produce graded and delivered within 12 hours, using data analytics and technology.
Perhaps, the biggest game-changer has been the removal of the commission agent from the agri-business model. Says Thiru, “Besides increasing the farmer’s revenue by at least 20%, we also ensure freshness. From the time we get it from the farmers until when it reaches the retailers, the consignment is not touched.”
Ninjacart official Naveen Prakash Reddy showing the RFID tags fixed on the vegetable crates that will track their delivery from the centre to client seamlessly. Photo: Nahla Nainar/THE HINDU
MetroPlus had an opportunity to see the agritech company at work at a collection centre on Chikka Thirupathi Road in Bengaluru, a week before the COVID-19 alert was issued in March. The open-plan centre smells fresh, just like the greens that farmers from approximately 25 villages in the vicinity kept bringing in mini trucks for grading. “We have certain criteria for our produce, in terms of shape and weightage, which farmers have to adhere to, which is why we have a manual grading process,” says Ninjacart executive Naveen Reddy.
As we watch, a mini truck carrying capsicum and baby snake gourd gets readied for dispatch to retailers. Crates are fixed with radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags that help in seamless end-to-end operations. The consignment is weighed and a statement of accounts is given to the farmer. All payments are made by electronic transfer.
Large-size chillies being grown in a Ninjacart supplier farm along Chikka Tirupathi Road, Bengaluru. Photo: Nahla Nainar/THE HINDU
There are 14 such collection centres dotting Bengaluru, which Ninjacart considers to be its toughest market yet.
“Bengaluru is the horticulture hub of India. It is tougher for us to show a stark differentiation in the quality of the market and our product here, since so many fruit and vegetable farms are located close to the city. But having made an impact in Bengaluru has helped us replicate our business model in other cities,” says Thiru.
This article has been corrected for a statistical error.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech> Agriculture / by Nahla Nainar / Bengaluru – April 09th, 2020
The device collects respiratory data through a thin sensor sheet which is to be placed below the mattress and positioned right underneath the patient’s chest area.
Mysuru :
As medical practitioners and health experts work round-the-clock to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, health care startup .
Dozee has offered the use of its portable device to ease the burden on doctors in Bengaluru. Dozee’s contactless health monitor, which tracks respiration, can be used by anybody, even someone with no technical expertise and can help doctors remotely check on patients’ progress.So far, the Bengaluru based start-up has distributed around 200 devices in the state capital for free to quarantined residents.
The device collects respiratory data through a thin sensor sheet which is to be placed below the mattress and positioned right underneath the patient’s chest area.Readings taken by the device are sent to an app that can be downloaded on your phone.Respiratory diffulties are among the symptoms of Covid-19.
“When patients are on the bed, their health data will be captured and shared with doctors remotely. The device tracks heartbeat, respiration, sleep, stress recovery and more with medical-grade 98.4 per cent accuracy and raises early alerts of health deterioration. With restricted movement in the current lockdown, our device is helping doctors monitor all the patients using a single screen and provide care to all the elders even with reduced staff,” said Mudit Dandwate, CEO and Co-Founder of Dozee.
The brainchild of Mudit Dandwate and Gaurav Parchani, the startup has the capacity of producing 5,000 devices per week. Dandwate said they have scaled up production to meet a demand of 1,00,000 devices per week to help the health care system. They are currently getting orders through their website.
The start-up has also tied up with the Rajasthan government to enable their hospital wards with continuous monitoring technology.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Karthik K K / Express News Service / April 07th, 2020
Physically challenged tailor N. Manjunath of Bommenahalli in K.R. Pet taluk of Mandya district. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A physically challenged tailor in K.R. Pet taluk of Mandya district has shown that with a strong will and commitment, everyone can do their bit in helping society prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Fondly called by his neighbours as a “real corona warrior”, the 30-year-old N. Manjunath of Bommenahalli has been working day and night for over 10 days now stitching and supplying reusable masks for free.
“Preventing community transmission of virus is the need of the hour. Sellers should not exploit people by demanding exorbitant charges for masks,” Mr. Manjunath told The Hindu.
The public service-minded tailor was born without his right leg and walks with the help of an artificial limb. He has an old sewing machine and pedals it day and night to prepare masks by using locally available cloth. He has already prepared and gifted several hundreds of masks to people in his vicinity. According to him, while many collect masks for free, some have forcibly paid him money while leaving his tiny house, lauding his social service. “I was just 12 when I learnt tailoring. I know that the face masks I am offering are not on a par with the scientifically prepared ones [N95 and three-layered surgical masks] and personal protection gears. But they prevent droplets reaching others when people cough and sneeze,” he said.
He explained that reports of some shopkeepers financially exploiting people while selling masks and the non-availability of masks prompted him to start making them himself.
As his father, Nagaraje Gowda, abandoned their home about 25 years ago, Mr. Manjunath takes care of his mother, Sakamma, 58, and grandmother, Boramma, 82. He depends entirely on tailoring to earn a livelihood as he does not have any property. “But the financial constraints have not marred my enthusiasm [in offering free masks to people],” he said.
Srinivas Sajjan, a friend of the young tailor, stressed the need for authorities to utilise the services of people like Mr. Manjunath. “He is capable of preparing hundreds of masks a day and interested persons can help him by placing orders. His masks can be used for several days with proper wash,” he said. Mr. Manjunath can be contacted on 96323 61864.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by M.T. Shiva Kumar / Mandya – April 07th, 2020
The sanitiser tunnel at Sir M. Visvesaraya district stadium in Mandya.
Actor Nikhil, son for former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, has established a sanitiser tunnel at Sir M. Visvesaraya district stadium in Mandya where the temporary market has been established.
He, however, skipped the inauguration programme of the facility citing the reason of his visit could attract his fans in large number thereby leading to violation of the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.
The Janata Dal (Secular) youth wing president was supposed to arrive at the stadium to inaugurate it at 7.30 a.m. His party’s local leaders had made arrangements to welcome him.
Later, the local party leaders informally inaugurated the tunnel and handed it over to the district administration.
At least 3,000 persons – both the sellers and buyers – visit the stadium every day. The sanitiser tunnel would spray disinfectants on people when they enter the stadium.
The party has put photos of Mr. Nikhil, his father, grandfather and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, and MLAs and MLCs representing the district on the sanitiser tunnel.
Mr. Nikhil is all set to marry the grandniece of former minister and Congress leader M. Krishnappa in Bengaluru on April 17.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> States> Karnataka / by M.T. ShivaKumar / Mandya – April 07th, 2020
The coaches will have spaces for doctors, nurses and paramedical staff, besides arrangements to install medical equipment.
PTI Photo
Mangaluru:
Southern Railway have begun work on converting 20 train coaches into isolation wards for treatment of Covid-19 patients here on the instructions from the Railway Board.
Twenty coaches have reached the central railway station here and two of them have already been converted into isolation wards for suspected coronavirus patients. Work on setting up toilet facility and bathroom in the coaches after removing seats and modifying their design is under progress in the remaining coaches which will also be converted into isolation wards within a week, Southern Railway (Palakkad division) public relations officer Gopinanthan said.
The coaches will be kept at the second entry of the central railway station here and handed over to the health department.
The coaches will have spaces for doctors, nurses and paramedical staff, besides arrangements to install medical equipment.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / by PTI / April 03rd, 2020
A team of researchers has developed a low-cost indigenous prototype of polymer swab which can be used for collection of samples for coronavirus testing.
If it is approved for production, the country will not need to depend on imported swabs, said Dr Milind Kulkarni, a senior polymer scientist with Pune-based Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET) on Saturday.
“We import testing kits and polymer swabs primarily from Italy, Germany and the United States. But due to import restrictions and international lockdown, we could soon face a shortage of these kits,” said Kulkarni, who led the project.
It was a joint project of C-MET (which comes under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology), SRI Research FOR Tissue Engineering Private, Rangadore Hospital, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru and Additive Manufacturing Society of India, he said.
As per the guidelines of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, polymer swab is used for collection of a sample from the upper respiratory tract of a patient.
To develop prototype of the swab, the researchers used a speciality polymer from polyester family and a rod made up of Polypropylene, Kulkarni said.
“Prototype samples are ready to go for further sterilization and clinical trial and testing,” he added.
Dr K N Shridhar, urologist from Rangadore Hospital in Bangaluru, had given the responsibility to develop the polymer swab to CMET, Kulkarni said.
“Dr Shridhar will conduct testing of the swabs by tying up with a lab which is approved by the Indian Council for Medical Research in Bengaluru,” he added.
CMET has developed two types of swabs which are required to collect samples, he said.
One is nasopharyngeal swab (NP swab) which is used for collecting nasal secretions and other is Oropharyngeal swab which is used for collecting throat samples, he said.
Once samples are taken, the swab is inserted into a tube of Universal Transport Media (UTM). Kulkarni said that as it is a one-time use kit, India will need millions of such swabs to collect samples in the days to come.
The swabs developed by his team could cost a third of the price of imported swabs, he said.
“Using a special automated machine, 1000 to 2000 swabs can be made in one minute,” he claimed.
The number of coronavirus infection cases in the country had crossed 3,250 as of Saturday late afternoon.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Science & Environment / by PTI, Pune / April 04th, 2020
The social initiative led by Arun Isloor, professor and head of the department, was launched by NIT-K director K Uma Maheshwar Rao.
Hand sanitizers.(AFP file)
The chemistry department of National Institute of Technology-Karnataka (NIT-K) here has started producing hand sanitizers in view of its shortage in the market after the coronavirus outbreak.
The social initiative led by Arun Isloor, professor and head of the department, was launched by NIT-K director K Uma Maheshwar Rao.
The raw materials needed for this product were provided by the institute.
It has plans to produce 5,000 bottles of sanitizer containing 70 mm each.
The sanitizers already manufactured were distributed to Suratkal police station, health department, petrol bunks and employees of NIT-K, including the security staff.
Isloor said the product has been manufactured conforming to high standards set by the World Health Organisation.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Education / by Press Trust of India, Mangaluru / April 04th, 2020
