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In India, the incidence of mucormycosis reached high levels during 2021–2022, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to this, we established a multicentric ambispective cohort of patients hospitalised with mucormycosis across India. In this paper, we report their baseline profile, clinical characteristics and outcomes at discharge. Patients hospitalized for mucormycosis during March–July 2021 were included. Mucormycosis was diagnosed based on mycological confirmation on direct microscopy (KOH/Calcofluor white stain), culture, histopathology, or supportive evidence from endoscopy or imaging. After consent, trained data collectors used medical records and telephonic interviews to capture data in a pre-tested structured questionnaire. At baseline, we recruited 686 patients from 26 study hospitals, of whom 72.3% were males, 78% had a prior history of diabetes, 53.2% had a history of corticosteroid treatment, and 80% were associated with COVID-19. Pain, numbness or swelling of the face were the commonest symptoms (73.3%). Liposomal Amphotericin B was the commonest drug formulation used (67.1%), and endoscopic sinus surgery was the most common surgical procedure (73.6%). At discharge, the disease was stable in 43.3%, in regression for 29.9% but 9.6% died during hospitalization. Among survivors, commonly reported disabilities included facial disfigurement (18.4%) and difficulties in chewing/swallowing (17.8%). Though the risk of mortality was only 1 in 10, the disability due to the disease was very high. This cohort study could enhance our understanding of the disease's clinical progression and help frame standard treatment guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines how Hindu nationalist social service organizations, specifically the Deseeya Seva Bharathi (DSB), reconfigured the religious conception of 'Seva' to advance the project of constructing a Hindu social identity during the COVID-19 pandemic in the state of Kerala. The southern Indian state of Kerala has remained an exception in the story of the rise of the Hindu nationalist movement in contemporary India, which has repeatedly failed to make any considerable political inroads in the state. However, the disastrous economic consequences and livelihood challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic in the state, which was heavily dependent on foreign remittance and service industries, have opened up new spaces of engagement for Hindu nationalists. Drawing on the fieldwork conducted in central Kerala during the pandemic, this paper will elaborate on how the DSB used the crisis moment of the pandemic to reach out to economically and socially disadvantaged communities using the language of 'Seva' to build a Hindu social identity, which imbues the influence of majoritarian Hindu nationalist politics. The paper argues that the DSB's articulation of 'Seva' as a distinct and superior form of social service that is 'self-less', 'non-instrumental' and 'non-reciprocal' is significant in understanding the growing appeal of Hindu nationalist social service in the contested political sphere of Kerala, which is marked by competing social provisions by the state as well as other secular and religious groups. The paper notes that the reconfiguration of 'Seva' as a continuous religious concept enables Hindu nationalists to attain greater acceptance and legitimacy that even the secular state welfare could not achieve, while also concealing the inherent instrumental nature of its social service towards the construction of a Hindu social identity in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Many viral and bacterial respiratory tract infections can present with respiratory signs and progress to complicated pneumonia. In the recent Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, it is crucial to test all Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) patients for other microbial infections in addition to COVID-19, enabling timely diagnosis and treatment to reduce morbidity and mortality. The automated system, BioFire FilmArray, utilises multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to rapidly detect and identify multiple respiratory pathogens, including selected Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) genes, within an hour. Aim: To detect bacterial and/or viral pathogens associated with hospitalised COVID-19-negative SARI patients using the BioFire FilmArray Pneumonia Panel (BFPP). Materials and Methods: This laboratory-based cross-sectional study was conducted at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Nagpur, Maharashtra, India, from June 2020 to February 2021. Respiratory samples, such as sputum, tracheal aspirate, Endotracheal (ET) secretions, and Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL), were collected from COVID-19-negative hospitalised SARI cases. A total of 81 patients were included in the study. The samples were tested using the BFPP (multiplex PCR) system and processed using conventional culture techniques. Patient characteristics, clinical and laboratory investigation data, and findings of respiratory viral and bacterial agents, as well as antibiotic resistance genes detected by BioFire FilmArray, were recorded using paper case reports. The data were collected and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Results: Out of the 81 clinical samples processed, the BFPP detected 168 bacterial and 18 viral pathogens. Bacterial-viral codetection was observed in 13 (16%) samples. Atypical bacteria were detected in 3% of cases. Among the bacterial pathogens, the AMR gene for New Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamases (NDM) was detected in 42 (25.9%) cases, followed by CTX-M betalactamases, VIM, and the oxacillinase group of β-lactamases. Conclusion: The BFPP test is a valuable tool for the rapid detection of a wide range of pathogens, including associated AMR genes, with high sensitivity and specificity. This can greatly aid in treatment decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of global health diplomacy (GHD), with India emerging as a key player. India's commitment to GHD is demonstrated by its active participation in regional and multilateral projects, pharmaceutical expertise, and large-scale manufacturing capabilities, which include the production and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and essential medicines. India has supported nations in need through bilateral and multilateral platforms, providing vaccines to countries experiencing shortages and offering technical assistance and capacity-building programs to improve healthcare infrastructure and response capabilities. India's unique approach to GHD, rooted in humanitarian diplomacy, emphasized collaboration and empathy and stressed the well-being of humanity by embracing the philosophy of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam," which translates to "the world is one family." Against this background, this paper's main focus is to analyze the rise of India's GHD amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and its leadership in addressing various global challenges. India has demonstrated its commitment to global solidarity by offering medical supplies, equipment, and expertise to more than 100 countries. India's rising global leadership can be attributed to its proactive approach, humanitarian diplomacy, and significant contributions to global health initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The burden of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare systems worldwide has been compromising the progress made in the fight against HIV. This paper aims to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted HIV comprehensive care service delivery globally as well as to consolidate the evidence and recommendations that may be useful in averting future crisis. Methods: This review adheres to PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, DOAJ, Science Direct and other sources like Google Scholar and citations from included studies were searched methodically to locate studies evaluating the effects of COVID on services for HIV care. The NIH and JBI quality assessment tools were used for the quality assessment of individual studies. Results: In the present review 31 eligible studies were included and the impact on HIV care cascade were summarised under six themes: Lab services, Treatment and allied services, Counselling services, Outreach services, Psycho-social impact and Implementation of sustainable strategies. The studies also presented many innovative alternatives which were lucidly highlighted in the present article. Conclusion: Current evidence depicts multiple factors are responsible for the interruption of HIV care service delivery during the pandemic, especially in low resources settings. The prospective, alternative solutions that have been used to circumvent the threat have also been addressed in this review, in addition to the negative aspects that have been observed. Transition with new innovative, sustainable care paradigms may prove to be the building blocks in removing HIV-AIDS as a public health threat. Registration: Open Science Framework (DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/74GHM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: "CoviSainik Program" was implemented in collaboration with the Ambuja Cement Foundation and Community Medicine Department in rural districts of eight states of India from May to December 2021 to create a cadre of volunteers. The aim of the present paper is to describe the program and evaluate it so that the findings can be the guiding tool for policymakers to replicate a similar program. Material and Method: A cross-sectional, mixed-method – concurrent study design was adopted to evaluate the program for its short-term outcomes such as gain in the basic knowledge of COVID-19 amongst master trainers and their feedback and program output viz – the proportion of volunteers trained and their profile by census sampling. Motivational factors, experiences of volunteers, and outcomes of COVID-19 work in their villages were explored by purposive with maximum diversity sampling with 62 online in-depth interviews and 8 online focus group discussions (FGDs). Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the pre-test (12.8 ± 5.6) and post-test (25.9 ± 9.3) scores of the Master Training Program evaluation test. Out of 6534 trained volunteers, 5901 worked as volunteers, and amongst those, 47.1%, 35.1%, and 17.8% worked for ≤3 months, 3 to 6 months, and ≥6 months, respectively, in their villages. The major themes generated for motivational factors to join the program were altruism, savior nature, generating awareness, and concern for others. The major outcomes generated by trained volunteers COVID-19 vaccination were in raising awareness on COVID-19 appropriate behavior and early identification of COVID-19 cases in their villages. Conclusion: The "CoviSainik Program" was successful in creating cadres of trained volunteers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The corona pandemic altered many traditional and historical norms of society and law. COVID-19 created a humanitarian crisis in some parts of globe, while pandemic privacy and civil liberties were under threat all over world. To combat the deadly virus, individual liberty and equality were compromised. This paper focuses on how India's health problem has compromised people's right to privacy. It will highlight how strict executive policies led to the creation of a massive surveillance system in the name of combating the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as how the absence of any policy or legal framework led to the exclusion of individuals and their families who were suspected of having the virus or caring for those who were infected with the deadly virus. The paper uses case studies and data collected from primary as well as secondary sources. The authors will also point out how the absence of privacy regulation puts millions of citizens' private information at risk of being compromised or exploited against their will. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India's pharmaceutical sector has been one of the largest manufacturers of generic drugs globally. During the pandemic, most countries were dependent on imports of generic drugs from India. However, India has been relying on resources from China for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) which are the raw material for preparing generic drugs. We considered, in our analysis, branded product groups of Paracetamol and Amoxicillin due to their extensive use in the treatment of COVID-19. From a thorough market analysis of both the drugs, we conclude that firms have a monopoly over their brands but compete within the same product group and operate in their respective market under varying prices within certain bandwidths which resembles the feature of monopolistic competitive market. We have introduced compensating function a la Helpman (1981) in the pharmaceutical goods market with the assumption that an 'ideal product' exists among the pharmaceutical goods. Given the framework, this paper explores a general equilibrium model set in a monopolistic competitive product market for branded drugs. We concluded through our propositions that expanding the pharmaceutical sector will increase the employment of unskilled labor under no capacity constraint. We will observe an increase in wages of unskilled labor only under full employment conditions wherein we would observe that the expansion of pharmaceutical good will increase wages in the unskilled labor market. However we obtain an intriguing result wherein we obtain that despite instances of limiting trade dependence on China through implementation of policies like 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' and 'profit linked incentive schemes', yet to maintain the status quo in the global market for generic drugs, India's dependence on China would increase, owing to API imports due to the pandemic crisis. While India can grab the opportunity in the form of increased demand for pharmaceutical goods to increase the employment level of the economy but this improvement in welfare is also dependent on the degree of dependency of API India has on China. The Indian government has recognized the same through the incorporation of 'Covid-Suraksha' and PLI schemes to minimize import dependency, and accelerate the development of APIs and the production of indigenous drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Topic modelling with innovative deep learning methods has gained interest for a wide range of applications that includes COVID-19. It can provide, psychological, social and cultural insights for understanding human behaviour in extreme events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, we use prominent deep learning-based language models for COVID-19 topic modelling taking into account data from the emergence (Alpha) to the Omicron variant in India. Our results show that the topics extracted for the subsequent waves had certain overlapping themes such as governance, vaccination, and pandemic management while novel issues aroused in political, social and economic situations during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also find a strong correlation between the major topics with news media prevalent during the respective time period. Hence, our framework has the potential to capture major issues arising during different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic which can be extended to other countries and regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digitalization process has been increasing rapidly worldwide today. There is various technologies developed and continue developing tremendously in the world, such as mobile payment systems. Such type of emerging technologies has made a very significant transformation in people lives everywhere. Technologies such as mobile devices facilitate people to finish their work in less time and effort required usually. That is why, these innovations and advancements in technologies led people to be more inclined toward their use. Furthermore, in the current scenario, mobile payments have become an integral part of the daily lives of people due to the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) disease on society. The presence of mobile payment systems can be considered for years, but the use of mobile payment systems has increased in the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is the core basis of this research paper. However, the user's acceptance of mobile payment systems is still low due to some pros and cons of this technology which are examined in this paper by applying a hybrid machine learning model. We collected primary data through Google Form from the institute in the Meerut region and other sources from India with a total of 222 respondents. In this study, the data is processed and applied on to the machine learning models. Data analysis and findings of the research showed that the proposed ensemble of classifier algorithms outperforms other exiting machine models in terms of accuracy, precision, recall and F1-score. The research and findings will help the organizations have a clear and correct analysis of the scenario of the adoption of mobile payments in India and also design better mobile payment systems to curb the situation like the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The second wave of COVID-19 is an unprecedented condition in India and began in mid February 2021. Individuals who were already suffering from other comorbidities were found with lung infection, and hence, the number of disease induced deaths were rising faster during the second wave in relation to the first wave. This paper has proposed a mathematical model with fractional order derivatives by correlating the model based number of infectives with the real number of infectives in India. For the system of fractional differential equations, a disease-free state has been computed and proved to be locally asymptotically stable with certain restrictions. The mathematical model has been numerically simulated using the predictor-corrector method to highlight the role played by fractional order in controlling the disease spread. Numerical simulations signify the fact that a vital role has been played by fractional order model over integer order model in determining the transmission of COVID-19. It can be visualized that the increment rate in the infectives is lower by taking into consideration the memory effect due to a previous exposure to COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although both central and state governments in India took the decisions to impose hard paternalistic policies of lockdown/shutdown to manage the spread of COVID-19, new cases were rising even after the first and second waves. Reverse migration, lack of social distancing, and failure to adhere to appropriate covid behavior are attributed as the leading cause of COVID-19 spread. The policy measures like 'Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana,' financial assistance, and series of lockdowns and shutdowns by the government of India have not significantly controlledthe spread of disease owing to a lack of understanding of individual's reaction to the pandemic and their reactive behavior. This paper used daily COVID-19 positive cases data to show the overall picture of COVID-19 in India. It used the explorative method to review articles related to behavioral biases involved in the decision-making process of migrant workers and individuals during the pandemic. The paper's findings show that different behavioral biases like base rate neglect, herd behavior, anchoring effect, availability bias are responsible for creating chaos, trauma, and anxiety among the migrant workers and leading to reverse migration in India. Despite knowing that COVID-19 is a fatal disease, some individuals' reaction to it was casual mainly because of hyperbolic discounting bias, optimism bias, overconfidence bias, confirmation bias, status quo bias, and loss aversion. Taking behavioral economics lessons, the paper suggests different nudging techniques for guiding people to maintain social distancing during this pandemic. Nudging has been proved to be an inexpensive tool in bringing desired behavioral changes in health economics. The paper concludes that nudging techniques can influence human behavior to control the spread of the disease. In the end, it gives direction for future work in this area to explore how behavioral economics can help policymakers to tackle the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Covid Pandemic has posed several challenges to medical leadership and public health management. The whole world is working on the best possible problem-solving health strategies to combat the worst pandemic. Modem and traditional drugs have been used and have been under testing, trial and developments; however, there is no full-proof curative or Prophylaxis treatment to Covid-19. The paper aims to develop an integrative approach to treat Covid-19. It exemplifies the integrative approach that emerged in a blending protective mechanism to reduce the infection and save people. One of the objectives of the paper is to understand how the integrative approach to treat covid-19, in tum, provided medical ethics suitable for the management ofCovid pandemic like health emergencies. Method:The research work is based on contemporary theoretical and empirical studies published in Elsevier, Pubmed and Scopus Journals. Some Studies based on modem drugs researched to show their efficacy in managing severe and critical cases. Traditional ayurvedic medicine based studies have been examined to understand their prophylaxis preventive immunity booster role in fighting against the covid19 early stages ofinfections. The integrative stratigy ofusing modem and traditional medicines, based on severity and criticality of the covid patients, has been examined. The role of A YUSH protocol in guiding the treatment and therapies with drugs and procedures have been discussed to understand integrative health management. The medical ethics has been tested through various researches on the application of social distancing, integrative medical leadership of the government and social health practices followed by the people to protect from Covid pandemic. Results:Modem medicine based curative treatments to Covid-19 has been explorative and empirical. Remdesivier, Hydroxychloroquine, Azithromycin, Evermactine, Ritonavir, Ruxolitinib and Camostat as they have entered the trials in treating corona infection. These modem drugs have if not specific but controlling and positive results to manage and protect the people. Hydroxychloroquine based treatment has saved people in India. On the other hand, traditional medicines; Ayurvedic Tinospora Corifolia (Giloya), Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Ayush-64, Homeopathy drugs for mild cases Arsenicum album, Bryonia alba, Gelsemium sempervirens, Rhus tox. Eupatorium perfoliatum, lpecacaucunha, Belladonna, Camphora, may be used depending upon the similarities of the symptoms. Unani drugs are recommended specifically under prophylaxis approach Zanjabeel (Zingiber officinale ), Gilo (Tinospora cordifolia), Aslassus (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Khameera Marwareed, Safoof Asgand and some are used for symptomatic relief in upper respiratory tract infections: Behi dana (Cydonia oblonga ), Unnab (Zizyphus jujuba), Sapistan (Cordia myxa), Karanjwa (Caesalpinia bonducella). Yoga-asana and therapeutic Kriyas have been proved to be effective and recommended for boosting immunity and improving lung capacities and maintaining respiratory hygiene. Conclusion:Indian medical leadership acquired comprehensive medical wisdom through the pandemic experience. The worth of modem medicines and traditional medicines and practices has been recognised, applied and practised by the Indian people. The comprehensive integrative medical approaches, as well as medical leadership, emerged as a virtue in disguise during the Covid-19. Pandemic is not over yet. Those countries who did not tackle covid-19 with integrative approach had no other defence mechanism. They could not maintain a reasonable recovery rate. Hence, they could not control the deaths due to pandemic. They lack the comprehensive medical leadership to adapt to traditional medicines, practices and prophylaxis approaches to prevent the infection in its early stages so to cure. The traditional medication has proved their worth in fighting against Corona. It is complementary for modem curative approaches. They both formed the integrative medical ethics, which must be directive for medical leadership and public health management for ongoing Covid-19 and future course of policies and strategies to fight against the diseases which create health emergencies across the globe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering is traditionally considered a male domain with lower female participation despite various affirmative actions taken in recent decades. There is evidence of greater gender equality as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and precautionary lockdown measures. With this in mind, this paper investigates whether women engineers in India were more adversely affected than their male counterparts by the COVID-19 pandemic. Such an impact may be explained by 'intersectional stigma', expanded upon in the literature on discrimination. The impact of such stigma varies in different countries based on socio-cultural factors. Through the use of ethnographic and statistical research methods on secondary and primary data from a sample of 384 engineers, this paper shows that the impact of COVID-19 is not significantly different between genders in engineering education and employment. This may be due to the high demand for digital engineering skills, and strong family support in Indian society. Engineering branch may play a relatively more important role than gender in terms of impact. This finding has repercussions for continuing engineering education (CEE) programs and regulatory bodies in India in terms of enhancing course content and the results may be used in developing affirmative programs in other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 outbreaks are the critical challenge to the administrative units of all worldwide nations. India is also more concerned about monitoring the virus's spread to control its growth rate by stringent behaviour. The present COVID-19 situation has huge impact in India, and the results of various preventive measures are discussed in this paper. This research presents different trends and patterns of data sources of States that suffered from the second wave of COVID-19 in India until 3rd July 2021. The data sources were collected from the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This work reacts particularly to many research activities to discover the lockdown effects to control the virus through traditional methods to recover and safeguard the pandemic. The second wave caused more losses in the economy than the first wave and increased the death rate. To avoid this, various methods were developed to find infected cases during the regulated national lockdown, but the infected cases still harmed unregulated incidents. The COVID-19 forecasts were made on 3rd July 2021, using exponential simulation. This paper deals with the methods to control the second wave giving various analyses reports showing the impact of lockdown effects. This highly helps to safeguard from the spread of the future pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The MMR vaccine as we know is a vital vaccine to protect against three disease-causing microbes- measles, mumps, and rubella. To commemorate 75 years of Indian independence, the present study delves into the achievement of Indian research and lists out articles retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database on the domain of MMR vaccine research. The data has been restricted to the publication from India, thereby, has throwing some understanding into the MRR vaccine research in India over the last 28 years- 1994 to 2021. The data have been compared based on scientometric analysis. Qualitative and quantitative analysis have also been taken into account in order to give a comparative insight into the research. The comparison was done based on citation data, usage count data, year of publication, journals, publication media, domains focussed on the papers, and type of document. Astonishingly, in 2021, the most number of papers were published, most of them have related MMR vaccine as a potential immunity developer against COVID-19 infection. A total of 43 articles were retrieved from the search, the numbers are quite big, and the highest citation among them being 99 which was published in 2014, which is quite impressive for such a short duration of time. The comparative study suggests a positive growth of MMR vaccine research in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A resilient health system necessitates strong governance, political commitment, effective administrative entities and inter-organisational collaboration. This paper examines India's current health policy landscape and explores the analytical and operational capacities required to establish a robust post-pandemic health system using the policy capacity framework described by Wu et al. (2015). We emphasised the need for a coordinated policy response to strengthen health information systems, health service management, human resource management and healthcare financing. The role that the planned implementation of Indian public health management cadres would play in the coming era, the importance of a comprehensive health information management system and the need for operational coordination between government and non-governmental organisations has also been emphasised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is devoted to answering some questions using a mathematical model by analyzing India's first and second phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. A new mathematical model is introduced with a nonmonotonic incidence rate to incorporate the psychological effect of COVID-19 in society. The paper also discusses the local stability and global stability of an endemic equilibrium and a disease-free equilibrium. The basic reproduction number is evaluated using the proposed COVID-19 model for disease spread in India based on the actual data sets. The study of nonperiodic solutions at a positive equilibrium point is also analyzed. The model is rigorously studied using MATLAB to alert the decision-making bodies to hinder the emergence of any other pandemic outbreaks or the arrival of subsequent pandemic waves. This paper shows the excellent prediction of the first wave and very commanding for the second wave. The exciting results of the paper are as follows: (i) psychological effect on the human population has an impact on propagation; (ii) lockdown is a suitable technique mathematically to control the COVID spread; (iii) different variants produce different waves; (iv) the peak value always crosses its past value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates India's first officially approved self-administered rapid antigen test kit against COVID-19, a device called CoviSelf. The context is rural India. Rapid antigen tests (RATs) are currently popular in situations where vaccination rates are low, where sections of the community remain unvaccinated, where the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grow and where easy or timely access to RTPCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) testing is not an option. Given that rural residents make up 66% of the Indian population, our evaluation focuses on the question of whether this self-administered RAT could help protect villagers and contain the Indian pandemic. CoviSelf has two components: the test and IT (information technology) parts. Using discourse analysis, a qualitative methodology, we evaluate the practicality of the kit on the basis of data in its instructional leaflet, reports about India's 'digital divide' and our published research on the constraints of daily life in Indian villages. This paper does not provide a scientific assessment of the effectiveness of CoviSelf in detecting infection. As social scientists, our contribution sits within the field of qualitative studies of medical and health problems. Self-administered RATs are cheap, quick and reasonably reliable. Hence, point-of-care testing at the doorsteps of villagers has much potential, but realising the benefits of innovative, diagnostic medical technologies requires a realistic understanding of the conditions in Indian villages and designing devices that work in rural situations. This paper forms part of a larger project regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in rural India. A follow-up study based on fieldwork is planned for 2022–2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The absence of reliable registration of Covid-19 deaths in India has prevented proper assessment and monitoring of the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, India's relatively young age structure tends to conceal the severity of Covid-19 mortality, which is concentrated in older age groups. In this paper, we present four different demographic samples of Indian populations for which we have information on both their demographic structures and death outcomes. We show that we can model the age distribution of Covid-19 mortality in India and use this modeling to estimate Covid-19 mortality in the country. Our findings point to a death toll of approximately 3.2–3.7 million persons by early November 2021. Once India's age structure is factored in, these figures correspond to one of the most severe cases of Covid-19 mortality in the world. India has recorded after February 2021 the second outbreak of coronavirus that has affected the entire country. The accuracy of official statistics of Covid-19 mortality has been questioned, and the real number of Covid-19 deaths is thought to be several times higher than reported. In this paper, we assembled four independent population samples to model and estimate the level of Covid-19 mortality in India. We first used a population sample with the age and sex of Covid-19 victims to develop a Gompertz model of Covid-19 mortality in India. We applied and adjusted this mortality model on two other national population samples after factoring in the demographic characteristics of these samples. We finally derive from these samples the most reasonable estimate of Covid-19 mortality level in India and confirm this result using a fourth population sample. Our findings point to a death toll of about 3.2–3.7 million persons by late May 2021. This is by far the largest number of Covid-19 deaths in the world. Once standardized for age and sex structure, India's Covid-19 mortality rate is above Brazil and the USA. Our analysis shows that existing population samples allow an alternative estimation of deaths due to Covid-19 in India. The results imply that only one out of 7–8 deaths appear to have been recorded as a Covid-19 death in India. The estimates also point to a very high Covid-19 mortality rate, which is even higher after age and sex standardization. The magnitude of the pandemic in India requires immediate attention. In the absence of effective remedies, this calls for a strong response based on a combination of non-pharmaceutical interventions and the scale-up of vaccination to make them accessible to all, with an improved surveillance system to monitor the progression of the pandemic and its spread across India's regions and social groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Health Organization announced on March 11, 2020 that COVID-19 could become a pandemic. COVID-19 is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2). Viruses usually enter the body through the mouth or nose. The virus then enters the alveoli, which are small air sacs inside the lungs. Cough, fatigue, fever, shortness of breath or breathing difficulties, and loss of smell and taste are all symptoms of COVID-19. Anosmia, also known as smell blindness, is a condition in which the ability to detect one or more smells is lost. Olfaction uses chemoreceptors to create signals that are processed in the brain and form the sense of smell in anosmia. Anosmia is recognised as a COVID-19 symptom in many countries, and some have developed "smell tests" as potential screening tools. The first level of screening, which is currently used in India, is primarily based on temperature and can result in false positives and negatives (fever as a symptom has not yet been developed although infection). One of the methods for detecting COVID-19 is an intermediate level of screening based on assessing an olfactory function, depending on the usage. This paper provides an overview of COVID-19 and its effects on the human body, as well as an overview of anosmia and how it contributes to one of the symptoms of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the clinical manifestations, risk factors, treatment modalities and maternal outcomes in pregnant women with lab-confirmed COVID-19 and compare it with COVID-19 negative pregnant women in same age group. Design: Multicentric case-control study. Data sources: Ambispective primary data collection through paper-based forms from 20 tertiary care centres across India between April and November 2020. Study population: All pregnant women reporting to the centres with a lab-confirmed COVID-19 positive result matched with controls. Data quality: Dedicated research officers extracted hospital records, using modified WHO Case Record Forms (CRF) and verified for completeness and accuracy. Statistical analysis: Data converted to excel files and statistical analyses done using STATA 16 (StataCorp, TX, USA). Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) estimated using unconditional logistic regression. Results: A total of 76,264 women delivered across 20 centres during the study period. Data of 3723 COVID positive pregnant women and 3744 age-matched controls was analyzed. Of the positive cases 56·9% were asymptomatic. Antenatal complications like preeclampsia and abruptio placentae were seen more among the cases. Induction and caesarean delivery rates were also higher among Covid positive women. Pre-existing maternal co-morbidities increased need for supportive care. There were 34 maternal deaths out of the 3723(0.9%) positive mothers, while covid negative deaths reported from all the centres were 449 of 72,541 (0·6%). Conclusion: Covid-19 infection predisposed to adverse maternal outcomes in a large cohort of Covid positive pregnant women as compared to the negative controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic restricted movement, closed businesses, and economic activities which disproportionately affected people globally. This pandemic has resurfaced the existing cracks in the societal set-up and has pushed the vulnerable and marginalized communities like migrant workers, people with disabilities, geriatric population, and commercial sex workers (CSWs) to an edge for their existence. Materials and Methods: Due to the paucity of peer-reviewed research publications on CSWs, formative research was conducted to identify the determinants and attributes of the challenges faced by CSWs during COVID-19 situation in India. Media scanning approach was used to collate literature from newspaper and magazine reporting, and peer-reviewed articles were referred from research-based search engines. Results: In total, 31 articles were included for content analysis and four domains of issues i.e., economic, social, psychological and health related challenged faced by them were identified which are supported with the verbatims of the community members as reported in the data sources considered for this study. It was identified that the CSWs adopted several protective measures and coping strategies to deal with the pandemic situation. Conclusion: This research highlighted that there is a need for further exploration of issues among CSWs by conducting studies among the communities. Furthermore, this paper provides a scope for future implementation research by identifying the key priorities and determinants of the challenges among the personal livelihood of CSWs in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The second wave of COVID-19 was disastrous and claimed many lives in India and abroad. The most challenging task was to provide the required treatment as per the patient's condition, within a limited span of time. The lack of prognostic predictors at the time of admission led to failure in prioritizing the patient's need for intensive care. Aim: This study was conducted to find out the clinical and laboratory parameters at the time of admission to ICU as predictors of outcomes in COVID-19 patients, which can help in judicious utilization of the available resources for better patient care. Subjects and Methods: Study comprises of 161 ICU admitted patients. Study of clinical traits, comorbidities, test results, and demographic variables were carried out among survivors and non-survivor. Result: Maximum death were patients of age group 21–30 years and male gender. Mortality in hypertensives, diabetics, and patients with sepsis were found to be statistically significant. Patients who developed ARDS and pneumonia or needed ventilation died invariably. High levels of laboratory parameters like IL-6, LDH, PT, INR, aPTT, ferritin, WBC count, and D-dimer were significantly associated with poor outcomes and at a particular cutoff had optimum sensitivity and specificity to predict mortality in ICU admitted COVID-19 patients. At the same time, low lymphocyte count and PaO2/FiO2 ratio was significantly associated with bad prognosis (P < 0.05). Conclusion: This paper will help in prioritizing patients in ICU who need special attention especially at the time of meager supply of resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 is the highly communicable disease which is being announced as pandemic by WHO. The disease has already impacted the economies of big nations like China, Italy, United states etc and now this disease is hitting our developing country i.e. India too. COVID-19 or Corona virus is human to human spread disease and thus social distancing is the only measure which everyone can take to minimize its spread. National lockdown is the measure taken by Government to create distance among people. But what will be the probable impact of this lockdown on different sectors of our country. This paper aims to analyze impact of COVID-19 on the educational sector of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The present study examines the publication output of authors from India on the topic of "Covid-19 and Psychology" using bibliometric methods. Methods: The publications as listed in Scopus database were identified by using "Covid-19" and its synonyms keywords in "Keyword" and "Title" tags. The results obtained were further restricted to subject "Psychology" under subject tag and country to India. Results: 372 publications emerged in the last 2 years on the topic of "Covid-19 and Psychology", accounting to 4.63% share of global output. About 9.95% and 25.81% share of Indian publications received external funding support and involved international collaboration, respectively. The author's from 277 organizations and 416 authors participated unevenly in the research in this area. The highest number of publications emerged from National Institute of Mental Health and Allied Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangaluru, followed by Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar. Authors from Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry had highest impact in terms of citations per paper and relative citation index, followed by authors from King George's Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow, and Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal. The journals that published the highest number of publications were Asian Journal of Psychiatry (158 papers), Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine (44 papers), and Frontier in Psychology (18 papers). The most commonly investigated topics in terms of frequency of appearances of keywords were mental health (93), followed by anxiety (80), mental disease (68), depression (64), mental stress (34), and social isolation. Conclusion: Over the last 2 years a large number of publications have emerged in the area of COVID-19 and psychology from India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]