Page 16 - Dream May 2020 English

COVID-19 SPECIAL
SOLIDARITY
BHEL to develop electrostatic sprayers as well as ventilators that would cost from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1 lakh. Aerobiosys Innovations, a healthcare startup associated with IIT- Hyderabad has built a low-cost, portable
emergency ventilator. Named ‘Jeevan Lite’, it costs around Rs 1 lakh.
IIT-Roorkee has developed face shield for medical staff dealing with COVID-19 cases at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh. These transparent shields have been manufactured using 3D printing technique and costs just Rs 5 each.
Containing the transmission
COVID-19 is highly contagious. Any
proximity with an affected person puts
another person as great risk of infection.
Thus, a single infected person can transmit
the disease to thousands, if not checked.
Social distancing is one of the prescriptions
to break the chain of transmission. People
have been asked to follow the lockdown
rules in letter and spirit and care for their personal hygiene.
The National Informatics Centre (NIC) has released an app to help track the suspected COVID-19 cases. The Aarogya Setu app helps user know if he has come in any contact with an
infected person. The app also enables one to self-diagnose the symptoms. The App requires the users to give location access and keep Bluetooth of their mobile devices switched on. The app, if popularised, can help people assess potential risk of catching the virus.
Aarogya Setu combines Bluetooth technology, GPS and artificial intelligence to calculate the risk of contracting the coronavirus using the user’s interactions with other people. The app is available in 11 languages. If Aarogya Setu finds you are in a high-risk zone, it will advise you to dial toll-free number 1075 and take
appointment for diagnosis at the nearest facility. In addition, it also provides tips for precautions against the disease.
Awareness
The World Health Organisation (WHO), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), ICMR, Department of Science and Technology (DST) as well as various educational institutions along with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have started programmes to raise awareness against the coronavirus. They are also providing training to the people at the frontline of battling the outbreak and developing material to disseminate information on how to prevent the infection. The social media as well as electronic and print media are being used to spread the information in every part of the country. Many institutes like the Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and Vigyan
Prasar are actively working to spread scientific information on public health precautions that could save people from this disease. Vigyan Prasar is working overtime to spread information and dispel several myths related to the pandemic. It is using platforms like DD Science and India Science as well as other print and social media avenues for the purpose.
The battle against the COVID-19 is far from over. The World Health Organization has acknowledged India’s efforts in meeting this challenge. India has led the way in SAARC and G-20 groups of countries in this battle. The strong resolve of the corona warriors, preparedness of the government and its agencies as well as unity of 134 crore Indians is a testimony to the fact that India stands ready to win the war against coronavirus.
The author is Scientist ‘F’ in Vigyan Prasar. Email: kapil@vigyanprasar.gov.in
The team of researchers at NIV tested three COVID-19 samples and found that the genome sequence of the novel coronavirus in two of them matched 99.98 % with that of the virus sample in Wuhan. Whereas the genome sequence in the third sample was found to be broken. This indicates the coronavirus spreading in India is not the same as the virus found in other places.
Jeevan Lite Ventilator
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