Covid’s toll on tourism and aviation: According to this report, the tourism secretary has informed the parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism and culture that the pandemic has cost Tourism sector an estimated revenue loss of Rs 1.58 trillion. In addition, 20 to 55 million people employed — directly or indirectly — by the sector have lost their jobs. The panel had met to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on tourism and aviation sectors. As far as aviation goes, aviation secretary P S Kharola informed that there will be a reduction of up to 50 per cent-60 per cent in international traffic and 50 per cent in domestic traffic is expected. He further added that there will be ‘significant but temporary’ job losses in aviation. Officials of both ministries were unsure as to when normalcy will return. Read more here.
Double trouble: With healthcare facilities across the country engaged in managing the pandemic, there has been a decline in tuberculosis cases. Many state governments have now decided to test patients who are not infected by coronavirus but display influenza-like symptoms for TB. Karnataka and Gujarat have already started testing such patients while Uttar Pradesh has written to all district TB officials to initiate the process. TB reporting, compared to last year, has gone down by 30 per cent during the pandemic. Read more here.
Comment
Recovery rate is meaningless: On August 12, the Health Ministry claimed that the high recovery rate was a sign of the country’s success in the battle against the pandemic. However, the writers argue, that these statistics are meaningless. During the course of a pandemic, the recovery rate is bound to increase over time. If a person tests positive for Covid-19, there are only two outcomes: they recover or they die. At the end of the pandemic, the recovery rate will have to be 100% minus the infection fatality rate. So if the fatality rate is 3%, then we will have a 97% recovery rate regardless of what intervening measures were taken.Further, comparing recovery rates among countries is also meaningless since the spread of infection greatly varies across regions. Read more here.
Shift focus to public healthcare: If there’s one thing the pandemic has shown clearly, it’s that the government must work on improving public healthcare. Private healthcare either shut down or turned patients away. Instead, the PM chose to speak of a digital ID during his Independence Day speech. The government must focus on its duty to ensure access to healthcare for citizens instead of creating databases, says the writer. Besides, even government insurance schemes that give citizens’ access to private hospitals couldn’t work either. It’s no surprise that states with robust public health infra, like Kerala, were the ones who could manage the pandemic better. Read more here.
Long Read
Plasma problems: Plasma therapy as Covid-19 treatment method gained legitimacy thanks to the Delhi model. Delhi has set up a couple of plasma banks, as well. But as with any blood product replacement procedure, this also suffers from deep structural issues. According to WHO guidelines, replacement donations have to be non-remunerative and voluntary. But the international body has observed how the process inevitably involves hidden payments and, at times, even coercion. India’s own National Blood Policy discourages replacement donation but does not outlaw it. As far as the therapy itself goes, it’s still experimental. Some patients have been given two to three units instead of the standard practice of administering a single unit. The real shocker for most families, however, is that they have to arrange for plasma themselves. Read more here.
Understanding Covid-19
Plasma research: A preliminary analysis of an ongoing study looking into the effectiveness of plasma therapy has found that the procedure does, in fact, work. The American Journal of Pathology has published these findings. Researchers infused over 350 patients with plasma taken from recovered patients. The study found that administering the treatment within 72 hours of hospitalisation can actually reduce the mortality rate. Further, those treated early on with plasma therapy showed higher concentrations on anti-Covid antibodies and are therefore more likely to recover and survive than those who were not treated with plasma. Read more here.
Disinfecting surfaces: Even after all these months, the jury on how much we should disinfect surfaces as a preventive measure still seems to be out. Increasingly, experts believe that transmission through surfaces is less prevalent than originally feared. Covid-19 largely spreads via person-to-person contact. Wearing masks and maintaining social distance, therefore, are more important than disinfecting surfaces. However, a few precautions are still necessary: disinfect phone screens and other digital surfaces frequently, clean the doorknob as much as possible, disinfect the high-tough spots in the car. Most importantly, don’t forget to wash your hands! Read more here.