The coronavirus can linger in the lungs even when swab tests of the back of the nose and throat are negative, doctors reported after unknowingly transplanting infected lungs into a patient who later died of COVID-19.
University of Michigan surgeons obtained the lungs from a deceased donor who had tested negative for the virus and had reportedly never been exposed to it. Soon afterward, the transplant recipient and one of the surgeons developed COVID-19.
Comparative study
The team collected a fluid sample from the patient’s new lungs and compared it to a sample taken from the lungs immediately after removal from the donor, as well as to swab samples from the infected surgeon. Genetic analyses showed the patient and surgeon had both acquired virus from the donor lungs, the doctors reported in the American Journal ofTransplantation.
The surgeon had worn only a surgical mask when preparing the lungs for transplant, rather than full personal protective equipment, because both donor and recipient had tested negative.
Potential lung transplant donors should all have specimens collected from deep within the lungs to be tested for the coronavirus, the report’s co-author Dr. Daniel Kaul said. The virus is less likely to be transmitted by other donated organs, such as liver or kidneys, he said.
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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday highlighted India’s policy response to COVID pandemic and the world’s largest inoculation drive during a meeting with her G-20 counterparts. Speaking at the virtual meeting of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, she said India’s domestic policies have been based broadly on supporting citizens through measures such as credit guarantees, direct transfers, food guarantees, economic stimulus packages and accelerating structural reforms.
Sitharaman also spoke about India’s vaccination programme, which is the world’s largest and the most ambitious vaccination drive. The Finance Minister also mentioned that India has extended vaccine support to several countries, an official statement said. This was the first such meeting under Italian Presidency and it discussed policy actions for transformative and equitable recovery along with other issues on the agenda, including global economic outlook, financial sector issues, financial inclusion and sustainable finance.
During the meeting, G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors also discussed the implications of climate change on global growth and financial stability.
Delhi has made it mandatory for travellers from five states, where Covid-19 cases are on a rise, to carry a negative coronavirus test report upon arrival to the national capital from Friday, February 26.
Travellers from Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab will require a negative Covid-19 test report in order to enter Delhi from February 26. The order shall stay in place till March 15, reported ANI.
Several states have made it mandatory for travellers to bring a Covid-19 test upon their arrival from states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh where there has been a recent surge in the number of coronavirus cases. Fresh restrictions have been imposed on inter-state travel, too.
Besides Delhi, state including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Chattisgarh and Uttarakhand now require a negative RT-PCR tests from visitors, especially those arriving by air.
Here is a round-up of all the states that need a negative Covid-19 test report from passengers on or before their arrival:
Maharashtra
Travellers to Maharashtra from Gujarat, Delhi-NCR, Goa, Rajasthan and Kerala require to produce a negative RT-PCR test report upon their arrival to the state. This is applicable to all passengers irrespective of whether they are travelling by flight or train. For those travelling by air, the test report should be within 72 hours prior to the flight and for rail passengers, the report should be within 96 hours before departure of their train. Those travelling to Maharashtra without a negative Covid-19 test report will be asked to undergo screening at the airport and if they display symptoms, an antigen test will be conducted on the passengers.
Karnataka
Travellers to Karnataka coming from Maharashtra or Kerala will need to mandatorily carry a negative Covid-19 test certificate to enter the state. It is applicable to all passengers irrespective of the mode of travel, including private vehicles. For air travellers, the test report has to be within 72 hours prior to the flight and for rail passengers, the report should be within 96 hours before their train. At airports, the Covid-19 negative reports will be verified by airline staff at the time of boarding and for buses and trains, conductors and ticket-checkers will be responsible to check the reports.
Uttarakhand
Travellers to Uttarakhand from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh will also need to produce a negative Covid-19 report in order to enter the state. Passengers will get tested at airports, railway stations and also at state borders. A Covid-19 test will be also be conducted (free of cost) for passengers arriving from Delhi. All passengers with a positive Covid-19 result will be sent to a quarantine centre.
Himachal Pradesh
All districts in the state do not need a negative RT-PCR test report from passengers but only the district of Lahaul and Spiti requires travellers to carry a negative Covid-19 report. Those travelling by cabs and private transport will have to provide an RT-PCR test conducted 72 hours to 96 hours before entering the district.
Jammu and Kashmir
Travellers from all states arriving in Srinagar will not be allowed to leave the airport unless they provide a negative RT-PCR test. Those with positive tests will be sent to isolation.
Manipur
The northeastern state has made it mandatory for all passengers travelling from Maharashtra and Kerala to undergo a Covid-19 test. This is applicable to all passengers coming by air and will be in place from February 24.
Assam
All passengers travelling to Assam, irrespective of their mode of travel, will need to undergo a swab or antigen test upon their arrival to the state.
Meghalaya
Travellers to the state will either need to present a negative RT-PCR test (not earlier than 72 hours prior to arrival) or will have to undergo a test at the airport.
Mizoram
Travellers to Mizoram also need to produce a negative Covid-19 report, failing which will result in the passengers undergoing screening at the entry point with a rapid antigen test.
Odisha
All passengers above the age of 55 years need to present a rapid antigen test on arrival in the state.
Tripura
All travellers to Tripura need to undergo a Covid-19 test (free of cost) on arrival in the state.
Ladakh
A negative Covid-19 report on arrival (not earlier than 72 hours prior to arrival) is required for all passengers arriving in Ladakh.
Electrolysed water can be used as “a powerful natural tool” to combat COVID-19
The IIT Ropar on Tuesday said it has developed a low-cost device to produce electrolysed water that could be used as an alternative to alcohol-based disinfectant.
A team of Dr. Vishwajeet Mehandia, assistant professor, Dr.S. Manigandan of the Department of Chemical Engineering, and Prof. C.R. Suri, head, central research facility, has developed the device. An official statement said the electrolysed water could be used to combat COVID-19.
The acidic electrolysed water has a pH of 5.0-6.5 and high concentration of Free Available Chlorine (FAC). It was reported recently that freely available chlorine can potently inactivate the virus. The electrolysed water also shows strong killing activity against bacteria, fungi and many other types of viruses, said the statement.
Unlike traditional procedure of cleaning water with chlorine treatment, electrolysed water does not harm humans. It also shows strong activity against food-borne pathogens that could be beneficial for food and agricultural industries, it said.
“We have successfully developed the electrolysed water from the tap water in our laboratory with a pH of 5.0-6.5 and a high concentration of FAC. It can be prepared within five minutes and is stable up to one week. We have tested the stability of electrolysed water for up to 48 hours,” said Dr. Mehandia.
Prof. Suri said, “It can be used in healthcare, food safety, water treatment, and general sanitation.”
Dr. Manigandan said the electrolysed water can be used as “a powerful natural tool” in the fight against the COVID-19 virus. It is non-toxic and non-flammable and therefore does not require hazardous or chemical storage or handling precautions. Nor are there any special shipping or export requirements.”
The team is also in touch with a few industrial partners to commercialise the technology, he said.
As Coronavirus infections continue to rise in 16 states across India, New Delhi too recorded a 4.7% rise in Covid-19 cases.
But, are the people of Delhi adhering to the Covid safety protocols? We visited Sarojini Nagar market, one of the most crowded markets in Delhi, and noticed that most people were seen without masks.
While experts around the world have called it a crude vaccine, people in Delhi mostly put the mask on only to avoid the hefty challan of Rs. 2000.
To find out more, a team from CNN-News18 spoke to some of the shopkeepers in the market who were seen without a mask.
Upon asking why they chose to not wear masks, some of them came up with bizarre explanations. “Why should we wear masks, when the customers don’t? If only the customers will take all the precautions, then shall we,” said a footwear seller.
Some of them even thought the Covid-19 doesn’t exist anymore.
“We don’t wear masks because corona doesn’t exist! It’s a myth and we’re being threatened and misguided by the authorities. The only reason I’m seen wearing a mask is the challan.” said a seller of western wear.
Reacting sharply to these statements, the volunteer market president, Omdutt Sharma told CNN News 18, “It’s unfortunate to see the members of this market being this ignorant and careless. I, in fact, keep 4-5 masks in my pocket each day and give them out to those who don’t have one. I want the market to be a safe place for the customers and do not want it to turn into a containment zone.”
The national capital on Monday recorded 129 fresh Covid-19 cases, 157 recoveries and one death in the past 24 hours, taking the active case tally to 1,041.The new fatalities pushed the death toll to 10,901 in the national capital. Delhi’s total caseload now stands at 6,38,028.
In a bid to fight off the deadly virus and curb its spread, the Delhi government had introduced a fine of Rs.2,000 in November of 2020. Earlier the fine for not wearing a mask in public was Rs. 500 which was later increased to Rs. 2,000 amid a surge in coronavirus cases in the capital.
The iPhone maker had initially aimed to help COPAN go from making several thousand kits per week to 1 million kits a week, with the firms also looking to create at least 50 new jobs in Southern California.
Apple Inc said on Monday nasal swab maker COPAN Diagnostics has shipped 15 million COVID-19 sample collection kits to hospitals in California, Texas and other US states, bolstered by manufacturing help from the tech giant. Apple awarded $10 million here to the Murrieta, California-based company in May last year and sent engineers to help revamp the production process at a time when shortages of testing supplies had slowed efforts to track the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The iPhone maker had initially aimed to help COPAN go from making several thousand kits per week to 1 million kits a week, with the firms also looking to create at least 50 new jobs in Southern California. Apple did not say on Monday whether the 1-million-kit-per-week goal had been hit, but said COPAN had increased its production by nearly 4,000 percent, opened a new facility and hired 250 employees.
“The driver behind that was that everybody wanted to make a difference within a time frame where we could make a difference,” Normal Sharples, COPAN’s chief executive, said in a statement.
The first session of the pan-India Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for admissions into engineering and architecture colleges will be conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) from February 23, 2021, to February 26, 2021. In view of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the JEE Main 2021 will be held online and in two shifts i.e. the morning session from 9 am to 12 noon, and the afternoon session from 3 pm to 6 pm.
Paper 1 will be held for admission into Engineering programmes, while Paper 2 will be for admission into Architecture courses.
As the examination day approaches the National Testing Agency (NTA) has issued some guidelines which are to be followed by all the candidates appearing in JEE Main 2021. Students are advised to strictly follow these guidelines and follow all disciplinary protocols.
It is essential for the candidates to take care of their own safety and carry a small sanitiser bottle with them and follow the social distancing norms. Considering the contagiousness of the coronavirus, candidates should be responsible and wear a face mask at all times as they take the exam. For general safety, hand sanitisers will also be available at various locations at the examination centre.
All the candidates taking the JEE Main 2021 exam should reach their given centres at least one hour before the examination to complete the registration formalities on time. Carrying the JEE Main admit card to the exam centre is a must, the candidate must also carry other essential documents such as identity proof and self-declaration form. Without these essential documents, candidates will not be allowed to appear in the JEE Main 2021 exam in any case.
As the candidates enter the JEE Main examination hall, the filled-in undertaking or the self-declaration form on admit card will be checked by the staff members. The authorities will also take the body temperature of the candidates using thermos guns at the centre.
The candidates will be directed to their respective examination rooms, after scanning the barcode at the admit card. Appearing candidates must be seated according to the seating arrangement as soon as they enter the examination hall and avoid crowding.
Those candidates who are appearing for the Aptitude Test Paper-II need to bring their own set of essential stationery items like a geometry box set, pencils and erasers. Although, a pen/pencil and a blank paper for rough work will be provided at the JEE Main examination hall. Candidates need to enter the required details in the attendance sheet, put their signature and paste their photograph at the designated place.
South star Suriya has tested negative for COVID-19, almost two weeks after he was diagnosed with the disease, his close associate filmmaker Rajsekar Pandian said on Friday. The 45-year-old actor had tested positive for the virus on February 7.
The Soorarai Pottru star returned home on February 11 after receiving treatment at a Chennai hospital. Pandian shared the news of Suriya’s recovery from coronavirus in a post on Twitter.
“Anna tested negative. Thank you for all your prayers and wishes @Suriya_offl,” the filmmaker wrote.
Following his diagnosis, Suriya had urged his fans to take precautions amid the pandemic. “We cannot confine ourselves to our homes due to fear. At the same time, it is important for us to stay cautious and safe. I convey my gratitude and affection to the dedicated doctors who are standing by us,” he had said in a statement posted on the microblogging site.
He had tweeted earlier this month to inform that he was undergoing treatment. “I am undergoing treatment for Covid-19 and am better now. Let us all realise that life hasn’t returned to normalcy yet. We cannot be filled with fear and let life come to a standstill. We still need to be careful and safe. Lots of love and gratitude to the dedicated doctors and medical staff standing by my side,” ran an English translation of the actor’s Tamil tweet on the fan site, @SuriyaFansTeam.
The actor will next be seen in Vaadivasal, directed by filmmaker Vetrimaaran.
With Covid cases down in the capital, nearly all universities are seeing protests from students demanding that campuses be opened and physical classes resume.
Jawaharlal Nehru University, being a residential campus, was the first to see protests with many students led by the JNU Students’ Union demanding that all students be allowed to return in a phase-wise manner.
The first phase of return began on November 2 last year when only final-year PhD students of science school and special centres were allowed to enter the campus. Since then, the university has allowed more students to enter, including final-year M.Phil students and final-year M.Tech students.
However, the JNUSU has demanded that students from the social sciences and arts should also be allowed inside. As of now, the only non-science students allowed are final-year PhD students who need to submit their thesis by June 30. Their entry has only been allowed on February 15.
Two campuses that have seen protests in the past one week are Jamia Millia Islamia and Ambedkar University Delhi. In both cases, there is a demand for restarting physical classes.
Unlike JNU, Jamia has not yet begun even a partial reopening. In an office memo dated February 8, the Registrar said, “The Online teaching and virtual demonstration of laboratory work shall continue to be conducted for all academic programs through online platform till the time the Executive Council decides the date of re-opening of the university in a phased manner after receiving affirmative consent and opinion from the parents on the matter in the light of Covid situation.”
Jamia’s EC has in fact decided that a survey be conducted and its finding be placed before the body in its next meeting “after the month of March 2021”, suggesting that any opening of campus will only take place April onwards.
At AUD, while classes are still taking place completely online, students have been given access to facilities like the library and computer lab, and research scholars have also been allowed access to the lounge made for them. The canteen, however, is yet to open. Here, too, the demand of physical classes or at least teaching in blended mode is being made by students, and the AUD Students’ Council is in the process of conducting a survey.
Delhi University had opened on February 1 for final-year students who needed access to laboratory facilities. However, theory classes are being conducted online. Since reopening, DU has also allowed access to five of its libraries and its reading rooms to research scholars and faculty members. However, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad which heads the DU Student’s Union has demanded more.
On Thursday, protests are planned in DU’s North Campus demanding physical classes, especially for final-year students, and access to all libraries.
Telugu star Ram Charan has tested negative for Covid-19. The actor, who was diagnosed with the virus at the end of December, tweeted his latest health update on Tuesday. “Tested negative! I’m back in action,” Ram Charan wrote.
The actor shared the happy news on Instagram with two pictures of him posing with a blue-and-yellow macaw. His cousin Varun Tej, who had also been suffering from coronavirus, commented, “Annnaaaaa! My fellow COVID warrior! Welcome back!” On Christmas eve, Varun, Charan, Allu Arjun, Niharika Konidela and several members of the Mega family had partied at home.
Ram Charan had shared the news of being diagnosed with coronavirus with a social media post on December 29, writing, “I have tested positive for Covid-19. No symptoms and quarantine at home. Hope to heal soon and come out stronger. Request all that have been around me in the past couple of days to get tested. More updates on my recovery soon.”
The actor will be next seen in the upcoming period drama “RRR”. The ambitious SS Rajamouli directorial also stars Jr. NTR, Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn and Olivia Morris. The highly anticipated film will be released in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada, besides other Indian languages.
