Deserted look of Reclamation in Mumbai’s Bandra area during the nationwide Janata Curfew. | Image: Afternoon Voice / Akshay Redij
The lockdown-like limitations in force in Maharashtra have been extended till June 15, announced public health minister Rajesh Tope. He said a fresh set of guidelines, however, will be issued on June 1st. The government had earlier extended the lockdown-like restrictions in the state till June 1 to contain the further spread of coronavirus.
Health minister Rajesh Tope told Afternoon Voice, “There is a need of this extension in lockdown to control the pandemic, moreover it is also said that the children are going to be vulnerable. 15 days’ extension has been given, but the guidelines related to it will be issued on June 1.”
He further stated “No relaxation will be given in the areas where the number of patients and positivity rate are high and hospital bed availability is an issue. All those areas, buildings are in containment zones or sealed will have to follow strict guidelines.”
However, experts from the medical fraternity recommended that the state shouldn’t allow any super-spreader events such as political, social or religious gatherings for a couple of months. Mumbai recorded 929 fresh Covid cases and 30 deaths in the last 24 hours. A total of 1,239 people recovered in the maximum city on Friday. At present, the city’s recovery rate stands at 94%.
Tope said the CM would assess the situation of each district and a fresh set of guidelines would be issued. While districts, where cases continue to surge, will see no relaxation, Tope said, “Those where occurrence has weakened and other parameters such as positivity rate and bed occupancy are looking better will be awarded some relaxations.”
Decisions on the opening of non-essential shops too would be decided by the CM. whereas BMC has urged some relaxations for sectors that directly affect rain preparedness. Additional municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani said, “We have requested the state to consider opening home repairing agencies, carpenter and umbrella shops, and those related to monsoon readiness,” There are no plans on starting local trains anytime soon though the city’s positivity rate has been under 5% for over 10 days. On Friday, the rate was 3%.
Although there is a demand from all quarters to reduce the restrictions given the decline in cases, medical experts have cautioned against it, said, state officials. Dr Subhash Salunkhe, the technical adviser to the state government, said the state has to go slow up to December in the wake of Covid virus mutations and continued transmission of cases. “If we open in a hurry, there will be an explosion of cases. The number of people susceptible to the infection is still very high and vaccination coverage is low,” he said.
Salunkhe recommends against major opening up till 60%-80% of the vulnerable population has been vaccinated. “The monitoring too has to be daily at the district level. Interventions have to be at the micro-district and taluka levels,” he added.
Members of the state task force have called for a gradual opening up after close monitoring of new cases in the districts. “It’s purely an administrative decision, but the unlocking has to be smart and gradual,” said Dr Rahul Pandit, a member. Dr Avinash Supe, chairman of the Covid death audit committee, said several districts are still seeing transmission in good numbers. “There shouldn’t be any hurry in resuming normalcy, else we may see a spurt again,” he said.
“Largescale relaxations or re-opening of sectors will not be done. Minor relaxations are likely. With vaccinations slowing down due to unavailability of doses, the state is not comfortable unlocking at once,” said a senior state official.
Avoid online shopping from multinational portals and support local businesses 3
Lalit Gandhi, the Senior Vice President, Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture expressed his concern for business groups and traders of Maharashtra. He wants the government to support them with basic facilities like waiving off interest on loans, paying business rents and also electricity bills. He wants trades of Maharashtra to breathe and not to succumb to the lockdown losses.
In conversation with our Editor-in-Chief Dr Vaidehi Taman, he expresses his concerns over various challenges that businesses are facing today.
Why the government has imposed the restrictions on non-essential shops?
To restrict contracts in the community but partial restrictions – like essential shops, Vegetable markets open and some segment closed is a very irrational and illogical decision.
How has this lockdown affected all business and traders?
To keep shops closed for almost 2 months has a suicidal impact on many traders, bank interest, shop rent, staff salary, tax everything in on but shops are closed, this vanished more than 25 per cent shopkeepers.
Non-essential shops were shut for a long time; will this not affect the economy of the state?
The state of Maharashtra lost business of 70,000 crores in this second lockdown, the state economy badly affected for the long term many businesses diverted in the neighbouring states.
Are you happy with the new curbs imposed by the state government on non-essential shops?
No, scientific base to keep some sectors open and some segments shut down. No convincing reason that the government has given for such closures.
Is there any demand for takeaway, parcel or home delivery services for non-essential shops?
It was in the initial stage and now we want to open our shops but we can’t sustain further. We will open our shops on 1st June and will follow all covid protocol.
Who will bear the losses incurred due to lockdown?
The trader is the only segment that doesn’t get any support from anyone. During last, one year more than 25 per cent rental shops have permanently closed down.
Since many people have migrated from Mumbai and Maharashtra, is there any labour crunch?
Yes, there is a labour crunch. Particularly in construction, foundries and other MSME segments due to migration.
Who is taking care of the traders in distress?
Being an Apex body, Confederation and Maharashtra Chamber Regularly Counselling Traders to keep them alive morally.
We came across news that many traders committed suicide due to no business and the burden of business loan, is this true?
Yes, till now many trades committed suicide for financial issues, we have official information 7 traders suicides the figure is much more than the announced one, 50 plus traders have died since last year.
When can the government announce total relaxations?
We expect immediately they should announce relaxation, at least permission to open shops immediately and lift total relaxation by 30 June.
What are the challenges to small-time traders and big business houses?
Big business houses suffered losses due to a break in the supply chain, problem in recovering due to payments from retailers.
How are you planning to recover the losses and help traders in stress?
We are advised daily to set packages from the central as well as state government. Giving Morally boost through various seminars, trying to keep their morale high but this will not work for a long time. It’s high time that they should be given some relief packages.
What kind of help do you expect from the government?
Immediately financial package – covering waiver of property tax, waiver of bank interest, waiver of shop rent (owned by Municipal corporation), extension for tax payment.
What is your message to the government?
Don’t ignore traders of the state, they are the backbones of employment and economy. They are the ones who are providing the highest employment to unskilled segments.
What would you like to tell the people of India?
Follow Covid protocols. Make all your purchases from local traders. Avoid online shopping from multinational portals.
A huge number of businesses have suffered losses and many have closed down, particularly, the small and micro sector units that have a small investment or, those that were already stressed with high debt. Many have been unable to pay their EMIs, shop rents and electricity bills above all taking care of family needs without any income. A moratorium was offered till the end of August but that has not helped many strained units. With failures, the already high NPAs of the banks will spurt and the financial sector is likely to face further problems.
In India business groups or small, big traders, never got any support from anyone. They are assumed to be wealthy and get ignored by every sector. For the past one and half years many are gone hand to mouth and at least fifty traders of Mumbai committed suicide. Many beauticians, salon owners, spa therapists and street vendors have taken their lives. They need to have savings to be able to take care of their families.
When there is no business, there is no work for daily wage workers. Daily workers need to be paid a living wage so that they can face the challenge of a future pandemic. The possibility of new viruses attacking humankind has increased as the environment has been greatly troubled and animals have come closer to human populations. In the last 20 years, the coronavirus is the seventh virus to have infected humans. Business is a chain if one segment suffers an entire setup collapse.
Some could Work-from-Home (WFH) via the net but most could not. Children had to have classes via the net. The use of telecom services shot up. But the efficiency of work and studies was not what it used to be since people were not used to the new requirements. Businesses cannot expand unless demand revives but that is unlikely with the low consumer sentiment in the organized sector itself. It is much worse in the unorganized sector.
The government’s pro-business stance is also clear from the way lockdown was handled, very irresponsible and inefficient. It was eased when India had a rising number of cases. In most countries, the lockdown was eased when the new cases had dropped sharply. The business is down by 50 per cent in Mumbai. Hundreds of retailers in Mumbai, India’s financial capital, face similar challenges. Worst hit by the lockdown are stores that deal in non-essential services, as they aren’t even allowed to open at all, even for four hours.
The USD 300 billion strong (€250 billion) Maharashtra economy sunken into lockdown on April 4 with a nighttime curfew, followed by a complete lockdown announced on April 14, in an attempt to control the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic which is ravaging the country. The government announced later that only essential services stores will be allowed to open, from 7 am to 11 am, which means that all other businesses, including malls, multiplexes, spas, clubs, restaurants, bars and beauty parlours will be completely shut.
Malls and hotels face similar problems. Almost 35 per cent of hotels and restaurants remain shut in the state due to last year’s lockdown because they could not sustain or survive. The turnover of the remaining establishments is below 50 per cent against pre-COVID levels. With the latest lockdown order, at least another 30 per cent of restaurants will shut down permanently.
Maharashtra is the richest state in the country, according to its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), and represents around 15 per cent of India’s total GDP. Mumbai-based rating agency Care Ratings has projected that around USD 5.4 billion of GDP is being lost in every month of lockdown. This kind of mass destruction of business has not been witnessed since Independence.
India has seen one of the strictest lockdowns in the world, with gradual relaxations for resumption of economic activities being allowed after the third phase that will end by 30 May. Growing COVID cases in states including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Delhi have posed challenges for the full resumption of economic activity.
According to GDP data released last week by the National Statistical Office, the country’s growth rate slumped to an 11-year low of 4.2 per cent in 2019-20. The RBI too recently said the growth may be in the negative territory in 2020-21.
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'Small traders' hand to mouth due to lockdown restrictions 15
The current lockdown restrictions across Maharashtra have cost business loss and economic stress to the small and micro retailers. Big and small non-essential shop owners across Maharashtra have appealed for shops to be permitted to stay open throughout the week.
At present shops in most of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, especially in Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Ulhasnagar and Badlapur are not allowed to function. Only the essential commodity shops are allowed to open for a limited time.
Mehul Thorat, Vice President of The Confederation of All India Traders said, “Today, all the gold and silver traders, jewellers and goldsmiths in the country are following the rules by closing their businesses as per the government order due to the illness of COVID-19. However, during this period, the bread earners of many business families and in some places the entire family suffered due to the COVID pandemic. As a result, there is no outside support for these children and their families. There is no hope for the merchant’s family to get any aids from the government. From now on, the disease will continue to occur and the government has no plan for this and today it has become difficult for the trader’s family to survive. There is no plan to provide any relief to the members of the businessmen’s kith and kin in Maharashtra. These traders are the highest taxpayers, they contribute hugely to the state economy.”
Lalit Gandhi, Senior Vice President, Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, urged the Government of Maharashtra to allow full-time resumption of all trade from June 1st, as the lockdown restrictions in Maharashtra were lifted by then. He said, “The business is almost closed in all neighbouring states of Maharashtra, such loss is unreasonable. There is a lot of burden on traders and their families, survival has become tough.”
“Most of the shopkeepers in the state have been vaccinated and the rest of the traders should get vaccinated themselves and their employees as soon as possible,” Lalit Gandhi appealed to traders.
Mahesh Jevrani of Mahesh Jevrani Traders said, “If the lockdown continues in its present form, it is bound to kill more people because of unemployment. In no time we would hear about middle-class businessmen forced to commit suicide. Imposing restrictions on businesses, making it worse for the traders. If they really care for the small business traders, they should come up with relief funds as support.”
Sandeep Bhandari of SB group, which is a building material supplying company said, “State government has completely failed to deal with the corona epidemic and the present lockdown impositions on traders are absolutely wrong, for example, there is permission for construction work but building material supply for constructions is banned, isn’t this hilarious? It’s more than one and a half year since this lockdown ban on businesses has taken many lives due to irreparable loss in small businesses. These traders are overburdened with loans, they don’t have the income to address their basic needs. Many small businesses got shut and joblessness is another challenge, who should be responsible? Now even if we demand a package for small traders from the government, we know what has happened to the packages announced to auto-rickshaw pullers, the funds were announced on paper and it remained there.”
Mukesh Jangid a business analyst said, “Bigger unemployment numbers is a big stress and of course families who lost their bread earners have to struggle even after the lockdown or for years now. People are searching for new income sources as their previous sources are in danger and their financial plans have got a big dent after losing savings, and family members. As entrepreneurs, we always look for opportunities and come out strong. No doubt we are a fast-developing country but current conditions have opened the eyes of the system and we need to improve a lot of things. Let’s unite and work on getting ourselves back with stronger passionate mindsets.”
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that “The government is looking at the demands and suggestions of the traders seriously and soon we will come up with some solutions. The restrictions are not against anyone. While measures will be taken after considering their demands and suggestions seriously, the traders should work together with the government in the fight against the pandemic.”
Shweta Inamdar, owner of Readymade Matching Designer blouses shop in Thane says, “Due to Lockdown, we are facing huge losses and so we request the government to waive off all the electricity bills, wave off the rent to be paid and interest on EMI to be waived off. Uncertainty in business is leading to miserable future for traders.”
Vinayak Kumar, Secretary-General, FRAI told Afternoon Voice, “The effect will be across all sectors particularly for non-essential categories while grocery stores and medical stores may have some respite much like last year. If there is going to be a prolonged lockdown across the country then stores retailing non-essential goods and services will be reduced to zero revenue and would have to shut down.”
Rasik Chedda, Chairman, Ram Maruti Road Shopkeepers Association said, “Due to these restrictions on non-essential shops we cannot do business. We remained closed most of the time due to strict lockdown enforced here; it has had a deep impact on our business. Small business owners are struggling to pay shop rents and electricity, and there are no aids provided from government.”
“Clothes and apparel business was yet to recover to its pre-COVID revenue but with new restrictions in place, we are going through a total business loss already and if the lockdown extends beyond next week, then it would be just suicidal, “Kishan Jethva, a cloth and tailoring business owner in Goyal Market, Borivali told Afternoon Voice.
Tankush Zambad, Ex-President of Aurangabad Marathwada Chamber of Trade & Commerce, ECM, MACCIA says, “We demand to reopen all trade and businesses including hotels and restaurants industry from 1st June. Give relief in bank interest, GST return flexibility till 31st December. With an exemption in interest, give relief in property tax, local taxes and exemption in Profession tax. Implement Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Arogya Yojna to traders turn over up to 5 cores. Announce a special package to the family of the trade who lost their lives due to COVID-19.”
Ramanand who owns a grocery shop in Goregaon said, “When shops are permitted to open till 10 pm, it will be comfortable for both traders as well as the customers. Grocery shops should be allowed to open from 6 am to 10 pm. Otherwise, people rush to shops for items and it leads to a rush at shops as well.”
Dominican court stays deportation of Indian fugitive Mehul Choksi 17
A Dominican court has restrained local authorities from removing Indian fugitive Mehul Choksi from the country, throwing up another hurdle to India’s attempts to have him brought home and tried in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam case.
Choksi, who was born in India, was captured in Dominica earlier this week after going missing from the Caribbean nation of Antigua on Sunday, triggering a global manhunt. He had been living in Antigua, where he had secured a passport, after fleeing India before the fraud came to light. He is one of the main defendants in the case.
After Choksi was detained, Antigua refused to take him back and Prime Minister Gaston Browne a news agency that the country was in talks with the Dominican as well as Indian governments for his repatriation to India.
The court order blocking his repatriation came after Choksi filed a habeas corpus petition, which determines whether detention is lawful, against Dominican authorities, Vijay Aggarwal, his lawyer in India, told Reuters.
The court has allowed Choksi access to legal assistance, Aggarwal said, adding that the case will be heard on Friday. Indian federal police have filed fraud charges against Choksi, his nephew, Nirav Modi, and others in connection with their suspected involvement in fraudulent transactions that led to losses of about $2 billion for India’s Punjab National Bank (PNB).
PNB alleged in 2018 that a few rogue employees had issued fake bank guarantees over several years to help jewellery groups controlled by Modi and Choksi to raise funds in foreign credit. Both Modi and Choksi have denied any wrongdoing. Modi was arrested in London in 2019 and is fighting extradition to India. The Indian government has been pushing for Choksi’s extradition from Antigua and Barbuda.
Remove GST on life-saving medicines, equipment used in COVID-19 fight: Priyanka Gandhi to Centre 19
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday urged the Centre to remove GST on all life-saving medicines and equipment being used in the fight against COVID-19, asserting that charging tax on such items amid the pandemic amounts to ”cruelty”.
Her appeal to the government came ahead of the GST Council meeting, which decides on taxes on goods and services, later on, Friday.
Recovering GST on COVID-related products from people who struggled for ambulances, beds, ventilators, oxygen, medicines, vaccines during the pandemic amounts to ”cruelty and insensitivity”, Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.
महामारी के समय एंबुलेंस, बेड, वेंटीलेटर, ऑक्सीजन, दवाइयों, वैक्सीन के लिए परेशान हुए लोगों से कोविड संबंधित उत्पादों पर GST वसूलना निर्दयता व असंवेदनशीलता है।
आज GST काउंसिल में सरकार को कोविड से लड़ाई में इस्तेमाल हो रही सभी जीवनरक्षक दवाइयों व उपकरणों पर से GST हटाना चाहिए। pic.twitter.com/nSN3lVZi8t
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) May 28, 2021
”Today, in the GST Council, the government should remove GST on all life-saving medicines and equipment being used in the fight against COVID,” the Congress general secretary said.
She also attached a list of items being commonly used in the fight against coronavirus and the rate of GST charged on them.
CoviSelf - Stating accuracy of test would be very tricky 21
With the increase in pandemic conditions in Maharashtra, a company called MyLab of Pune has developed a ‘Coviself’ kit. Through which one can test whether their corona report is positive or negative. The director of MyLab company said, we are the first company in India, which has been approved by ICMR for the home test or self-test, we can also say, you can see this test kit after one week in every medical store in India.
Once the kit arrives at your home, you can do the COVID-19 test yourself. If you have any symptoms or you have come in contact with a patient with corona symptoms then this news is for you. But the biggest challenge in this self-assessment is the collection of swabs. No one will easily let go of something in their nose and throat. Nasal samples are taken and measured. Saliva is also tested through such kits which is a more economical and effective way. Well, this is too early to comment on its repercussions.
People can gain confidence only by knowing about the efficacy of test methods. Recently, many clinics are offering tests directly in the clinic or through home tests. Special COVID-19 kits are developed and working successfully in many parts of the world, but these tests are done by some medical representatives or lab technicians. Same as pathological tests at your home by collecting blood stool and urine samples by lab technicians. You don’t take blood from your arteries.
Using CoviSelf giving accuracy would be very tricky, the result can say “yes, you have antibodies” but going further, “antibodies for what” and “antibodies for how long” and finally “and how long will those antibodies afford protection” oh, and one more, “what level of protection?”. These tests have unpublished rates of false positives and false negatives. We don’t even know what the test does and how good it is.
Presuming the RT-PCR tests, then it cannot be truly said to be a COVID-19 diagnostic test. Such tests are closer to fraud than COVID-19 tests. RT-PCR had 40% false positives and 40% false negatives. They are essentially worthless. At Huntsville Hospital these rapid tests were activated in 10 unopened tests and all came back positive. Such tastings can be proven schemes.
Moreover, no self-test kits are 100 per cent accurate whatever it is testing for. There will always be some uncertainty due to the precautions taken to not contaminate the kit before or after the test was administered the competence of the person conducting the test and even if the test kit has been compromised in some way.
Plague, once upon a time, was believed to be spread by dust. Electron microscopy made it possible to visualise viruses, but every laboratory cannot afford it. Therefore, easier methods such as ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) were adopted as a basic test for detecting a group of viruses, whose accuracy is only 60%. Therefore, ELISA has been replaced by rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) in recent years. Antigen test confirms the presence of antigen, as a level 2 test, accuracy can be nearly 50 per cent.
PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) is sampler based, that detects antigen rather than immune response, still has a drawback that the said sample may contain an insufficient quantity of detectable viruses, whereby it may be subjected to cloning by PCR for better molecular-level detection.
See, if you test positive, maybe you have been exposed, in just the last 10 days or so, and will soon become ill with it. OR, it could mean, you were exposed some time ago and maybe — but maybe not, are somewhat immune. Even if you are immune to what degree and for how long is it a tricky thing to detect? Toss in, if you have some level of immunity, does that mean you can no longer pass it to someone else? The new CoviSelf kit is the rapid Antigen test in individual packaging to be made available to the public through pharmacies. It is basically the same Rapid Antigen test that is currently being done by healthcare workers and Labs at airports or bus stops and railway stations. These tests can’t guarantee you complete a health check.
Whether you can test yourself accurately is difficult to answer as there are many ifs and buts while performing the most important step of the test — nasal swab Collection. A layman wouldn’t know how the swab is to be collected, or how much the swab should be inserted in his or her own nostril for the sample to be properly and adequately collected. Let’s boil this down so far — and this might change, but so far, it does not appear the rest can tell you much of value — as I see it anyway.
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'CoviSelf' test kit: Self-collection of the swab poses a threat 28
These Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) kits can add more to the pandemic than resolve it. As it leaves a huge margin of being undetected, it’s impending danger as the government is asking for trouble.
Many doctors and civil society members gave their mixed reactions when, The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has permitted a home-based Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) kit for COVID-19, which will allow people to test themselves within 20 minutes without the need for going to a lab or sample collection by a healthcare professional.
Manufactured by Pune-based Mylab Discovery Solutions Limited, CoviSelf is the first home test that has got the regulatory nod in the country. These Rapid Antigen Testing kits which have been approved by ICMR right now, will they be guaranteeing accuracy?
Dr Deepak Sawant,former Minister of Public Health and Family Welfare said, “Firstly, the testing should be done under medical supervision. Second thing is that how the swab is taken from the nose and throat is a very important aspect of this test, as it influences the positivity and negativity rate of taking the swab. The apprehension of hurting yourself will always prevent the person from taking the sample correctly from the nose and throat, and eventually correct results will be uncertain. Also, people will do the test and remain at home and have home-based treatment which may result in health matters getting worse and this will result in affecting more people around in the society. Thus, real information of the Covid patient’s numbers if increasing or decreasing will be compromised by causing bigger issues down the line.”
Dr Samir Dalwai,Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician, National Jt Sec-Indian Academy of Pediatrics said, “We don’t know how well it can be practically used by the persons taking the test. The test comprises chemical or technological parts which must be appropriate, but the second aspect, which is the method of doing the test, may not be appropriate. Since this test requires a nasal swab, one cannot guarantee the trustworthiness of the nasal swab derivation. If it is not done correctly and under expert check, this may cause concern. So let us not say that it cannot be done and be more objective and say we do not know the reliability of procuring the sample for the test.”
“Also, COVID-19 is a notifiable disease, so it is important to know if the reporting is happening properly. Data is very important as we are in a pandemic. We need to see how competently the self-testing can be done. To deal with this concern, what we are suggesting is that these self-testing kits be placed at the PHC centre, maybe Gram Panchayat level and appoint a trained person to take the test samples. Appointing a rightly trained person who takes accountability and responsibility for carrying out the test must be placed there and report correct data. Thus, the health and treatment of the COVID-positive person along with his relatives must be addressed plus overall statistical information reporting on pandemic level, both should be balanced. Mainly doubts on whether testing will be performed correctly and reported properly are the key concerns,” Dr Dalwai further stated.
Mahesh Zagade,former Principal Secretary to Government of Maharashtra said, “Generally, RT-PCR test is considered as most reliable except for occasional false negative or positive. But, as it takes a longer time of 1-2 days, it can’t be used for mass detection. For mass detection, an antigen test is used on a large scale which gives results in half an hour. However, it’s at best a preliminary test. The CoviSelf could be used as the third layer testing technique just to give a very raw idea and subsequently, it should be followed by RT-PCR. As CoviSelf is a new entrant in the market, its efficacy would be known only after statistical studies are carried out and analysis of its accuracy is proven beyond doubt.”
Vivek Parab,M.SC Microbiology said, “Rapid antigen tests like CoviSelf are a simple and faster alternative for antigen testing, but can be inaccurate and may give a false positive or a false negative test if the samples are not tested at a right time. So, if the test comes as positive, then it’s better to go ahead with isolation or consider contacting a medical doctor.”
Dr Parag Telang,Plastic surgeonsaid, “If it is approved by ICMR and seems to be promising. It will be especially useful for elderly people who cannot visit a lab to get tested. Also, you can get the result in 15 mins as against RT-PCR which takes 1-2 days.”
The Indian Council of Medical Research issued an advisory for COVID-19 home testing where an individual will be able to test himself or herself without the presence of any medical professional. Giving details of how to conduct this test, the ICMR said that it has approved one kit called CoviSelf for home testing. Only nasal swabs will be required for this rapid antigen testing.
Indian diagnostics company said, “Mylab Discovery Solutions has the ability to increase their production of the self-test COVID-19 kits to 100 million units per week over the next few months based on demand.”
As the uncertainty created by the global pandemic rumbles on, one thing there is widespread agreement on is the need for more testing. Increased testing and quicker identification of COVID-19 cases can help to prevent spread by isolating infected people.
Health authorities can then start to identify close contacts of infected people and respond appropriately as more positive cases emerge. Increased testing also provides investigators with more data on the level of contagiousness of COVID-19 and the true scope of the outbreak.
Mylab Chief Executive Officer Rahul Patil said, “The government agencies have shown interest in our test kits. Each individual without any technical expertise can perform the test. And our motive is to make sure it reaches rural India as well.”
“Mylab which is backed by Adar Poonawalla, CEO of vaccine maker Serum Institute of India, plans to start shipping the product within a few days, with the aim of producing 7-million kits next week. The company can raise the weekly production to 10 million in the next two weeks and has the capacity to hit the 100 million mark, depending on demand over the following four to six weeks,” Patil further said.
Things you need to follow with the self-testing kit
Users can follow these simple steps to use CoviSelf:
Download the Mylab CoviSelf app.
Wash your hands and let them dry. Now, open the CoviSelf kit.
Open the Mylab CoviSelf app and enter your credentials. Now, scan the QR code on the test device to link the code with the credentials filled in.
Tap the pre-filled buffer tube vertically and ensure that the extraction buffer solution settles at the bottom of the tube.
Remove the cap and keep it upright so that there is no spillage.
Take the nostril swab and insert it into the nose till you face some resistance. Roll it inside your nose at least five times so that enough cells are extracted. Repeat the process with the other nostril with the same swab.
Now, dip this nasal swab into the pre-filled extraction tube and pinch its bottom. Swirl the swab 10 times before breaking it at its “breakpoint”. Now, cover the tube with its attached nozzle cap.
Add two drops of extracted antigen buffer mixture into the sample of the test device by pressing the tube.
Wait for a few minutes. The result will be available on the app within 10-15 minutes. If results don’t appear within 20 minutes, your report must be negative. The result will be considered invalid if it appears after 20 minutes. Click a picture of the device with the phone app and wait for it to analyze the result.
Dispose of the kit in the biohazard bag provided. If your result is positive, isolate yourself as per ICMR guidelines.
There are several types of fungal infections like candida, aspergillosis, cryptococcus, histoplasmosis, and coccidioidomycosis. Mucormycosis, candida, and aspergillosis, these names hardly get any mention but colours now indiscriminately call them. Even much-educated people are falling into this shit trap called medical rumours.
People are panic confused and clueless about these colourful fungi. There are many reports in media with some random doctor’s quotes and disturbing hospital pictures where the patient is seen panic, some staff wearing PPE kit around them, to make the story more profitable, some dead bodies in some corner. Above all to attract views, some newspapers and media houses using pictures of the man with eye-popping out or some man with lost vision, big bandage on his face. God knows from where they are getting the pictures for display but all looks very scary.
You talk to anyone these days; they have almost forgotten about COVID and talking about colourful fungus. Naming the same fungus based on its colours, depending on the area of infection creates confusion, but we don’t care. There are some local babas, home remedy experts, and some self-declared Ayurveda experts making rounds in forwards, advising various remedies to get cured of fungus. Random suggestions, like do hawan at home with a lot of camphor and cow ghee, the house will be protected from fungus. Drink Neem and Haldi (Turmeric) water, the body will never receive fungus.
We can understand these people are not much aware of literates to understand the anatomy of Fungus or fungal infections. But they are the brand creator. They talk volumes about the colours and cures of fungus. In the meantime, some doctors are appearing from nowhere and announcing the patients with various colour fungus.
Cases of Black Fungus or Mucormycosis have been on the rise among recovering Covid patients in various states. Close to 10,000 cases have been reported across the country. But Mucormycosis should be called by its name rather than its colour. Classifications of the same fungus with names of different colours can create misperception. People should be aware of the fact that Mucormycosis is not contagious and is not transmissible as well.
90-95% of patients getting infected by Mucormycosis were found to have been either diabetic or were using steroids during their Covid-19 recovery. Mucormycosis needs immediate doctor’s attention. Some warning signs for Mucormycosis such as headache, rusting or bleeding from the nose, swelling below the eye, lowering of facial sensation if observed in high-risk patients or those taking steroids should be informed to doctors so that early diagnosis and treatment can be given to the affected patients.
In general, the types of fungus that we are mostly seeing are Mucormycosis, Candida, and Aspergillosis. Mucormycosis is being found more in cases where Covid is compounded with steroids and diabetes. This is generally seen in sinuses – in medical terms, they call it rhino-orbital cerebral mucormycosis. They are found in the nose, sinuses and may enter the brain. Occasionally they are found in lungs – pulmonary mucormycosis and sometimes in the gastrointestinal tract.
Candida, according to Dr Samir Bhargava whom I interviewed today, was seen in those with weak immunity and those on immune suppressants. White patches are seen in oral cavities and the food pipe. The tongue might also become white. Might infect other places like the private parts. It may spread to the blood. After Black Fungus and White Fungus, a case of Yellow Fungus, and today even some red fungus emerged in reports. Tomorrow, there can be a whole range of colourful fungus in news. Media and medical personals should know where to draw the line.
Rather than confusing people with colours, create awareness in them to maintain cleanliness, sanitation, and hygiene in order to fight the disease. Tell them the fungus thrives in unhygienic surroundings and humidity. Help them to understand what fungus means, instead of introducing colours with scary pictures and descriptions. At this juncture, we need to be more sensitive towards fellow human. please stay safe and say no to forwards.
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The best microbiologist in the country does not know from where these colourful fungi are originated 31
Dr Samir Bhargava is one of the best and renowned ENT Specialists in Mumbai. He has over 30 years of experience as an ENT Doctor. He is the National President of the ENT association of India. Dr Bhargava is known for his friendly approach and human attitude towards his patients.
While talking to our Editor-in-Chief Dr Vaidehi Taman, he throws light on ongoing colour theories of various fungal infections and the humorous media coverage. Following are excerpts of this interview:
These days we are hearing about Black/Yellow/White Fungus, who is colouring it?
Actually (Doctor smiles and says), we should ask “fungus tere kitne rang?”. Unfortunately, certain doctors have labelled the colours. To tell you very frankly, the black fungus itself is a misnomer. None of these fungus’ that we are tackling are black, white, or yellow. They don’t have their colours.
Depending upon the medium that it is grown and the time that is seen can have various colours. Mucor is called Black fungus for the simple reason that it damages the blood circulation, causes the tissue to become dead and that tissue first becomes white because it does not have a blood supply and then becomes black because it is dead tissue. That is actually a reason why it is a black fungus.
White fungus is Candida infection. We see a lot of Candida in the ear, mouth and it is non-invasive. The yellow discolouration can happen in Aspergillus fungus. But none of these is labelled in any microbiology textbook as White, Yellow, or Black. This terminology is given in the Indian subcontinent.
Why this Yellow fungus is in news with its horrific nature?
There is some doctor from Uttar Pradesh who broke this news to the media, may be to remain in limelight though there is no such fungus emerged so far to my knowledge. These days’ people want to make a comment stating something unusual or different to create some sensation. Mucor definitely does not have these colours.
What is the relevance of these colours with fungus?
When you talk about white fungus, it is Candida. Candida forms a bed of white. In monsoon, if you see any tissue paper where you see these black dots, it’s Aspergillums Niger. Mucor never had any of these colours.
How true are the reports of people losing vision due to black Fungus and now there are special wards to deal with it?
In Bombay among the four Medical colleges around 190 patients are admitted for treatment of Mucormycosis. It enters through the nose and via bloodstream can go into the eye as the orbit is in close relation. It damages the vision and can also cause Intracranial problems. That is definitely a known entity. At Cooper hospital, in the last week, three patients’ eyeballs had to be removed. That is an entity and unfortunately is a reality.
Is our country or Mumbai facing any shortages of these medicines?
Mucormycosis is considered a rare fungal infection. Not only Mumbai but also the whole of India is facing a shortage. The drug of choice is Amphotericin-B, which is an anti-fungal. There are two types of Amphotericin is a conventional cheaper type but that can be nephrotoxic so the kidney reaction can rise.
The other one is called liposomal Amphotericin-B, which’s very expensive. Each vial can cost Rs 7500, and you need a minimum of six vials per day for the patient every day for a minimum period of Fourteen days.
The therapy cost Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 before COVID times and now the people have jacked up the price.
In a year, my entire institute would see three or four cases of Mucormycosis, Similarly, all the centre’s of the country had that many cases, where was the requirement for Amphotericin-B? That’s why medicines production was very little. And now as we speak 10,000 patients reported all over India and rising. So that’s why there is a shortage.
Initially, there may have been some hoarding, but now there is a genuine shortage and they need to produce more and limited companies are making that. It is under the centre’s control so they are distributing from there. Maharashtra has ordered one lakh vials; Rajasthan has ordered so many more, every state is ordering. Let us see how early the supply is delivered.
What causes this kind of Fungal Infection?
There are two types of infections, Invasive and Non-Invasive. This is an Invasive Fungus, which attacks other parts of the body. It is an opportunistic infection. This means that if our immunity is good, even if we get exposed to the Mucor fungal spore, we will not get this infection. We will get this infection only and only if our immunity is low. Covid-19 this particular variant has caused the immunity to be lowest, so the main reason is the new strain of the virus. Other than other patients have received high doses of steroids. Most of these are diabetic or Pre-diabetic because of the steroids; their sugar level goes up.
Last year too I saw Mucor, but still, numbers were very small. Now we are seeing so many patients.
Other factors are oxygen, which is humidified, is given to patients from faulty contaminated containers and people not washing them. Fungus is in the ground or we can say in the soil. Mucor spores are in the soil and they get picked up from there. Personally, I feel that all these things are common, only the different variant that’s we got this mucor.
Is it contagious?
No, it is not contagious. Doctors are operating patients but not getting infected because their immunity takes care of their wellbeing. The port of entry is through the nose only.
What are the challenges of treating such patients?
The biggest challenge is that this disease spreads very fast. It can spread within hours to days into the eye and the brain. If it goes to the brain the mortality is 80% to 90%. If it goes into the eye the chances of losing vision and if sinus affected, one may have to remove the major part of the sinus and then it goes to the palate. So some of these people lose their teeth and half of their palate. These are challenges as far as the disease is concerned.
Another challenge is that the medicines are nephrotoxic, and can affect the kidneys of the patient. The cost, the medicines are expensive. Psychological damage is a major issue. One can end up saving one’s life, but without an eye, the person may face emotional trauma. The lists of challenges are very long but what one needs is a will, to get cured and treat.
What would be your advice to the people to stay away from these kinds of infections?
Mask, Mask and Mask, if one wears a mask neither the virus nor the fungus can enter into the nose or mouth. Also, get vaccinated because with vaccines the chances of being infected are less and prevention is better than cure. Also, maintain hygiene in all ways. Maintain sugar levels. Every patient who goes home, who is diabetic should monitor the sugar.
Unfortunately, people were given steroids, which was required at that time as it was saving lives, but sadly did not get Glycemic control. Many patient’s sugars go haywire, as it never gets checked. Today if you give a patient any medicine, you have to look at the side effects also. If you don’t monitor that, why give medicine a bad name?
There was a report about those who have been vaccinated will die within two years?
That is some rubbish forward. The claim is fake and the Covid-19 vaccine is completely safe. Vaccines are not new and have been around for many years. Because of vaccines, you don’t have smallpox or polio. They have been proven over the period of time and any new treatment comes in, it becomes a challenge till it becomes the norm and then nobody encounters it.
Being a doctor, have you ever got disturbed by these rumours?
Awkwardly, people doubt all the good intentions. If people scream from rooftops about something is false, even if that is genuine the news starts appearing as false. That is the disadvantage of forwards and circulations.
Those who can shout hundred times will have more impact than someone who shouts five times. Controversial the statement, more attention it draws. People don’t even think before forwarding fake news. Forwards are a curse these days.
Coming back to our main question, nobody is colouring the fungus, the fungus itself has no colour that you want to say?
Mucor is definitely not exhibiting these colours, these are colours that we are labelling because of certain changes that are taking place but it’s a misnomer and all these colours are wrong. The best person who can comment on a fungus is a Microbiologist. And the best microbiologist in the country also does not know from where these colours have originated. When a media person spoke to a microbiologist, he hilariously said that I have to refer my books to see what is written there.
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