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People should strictly adhere to Covid-related “dos and don’ts” at public places: Dr Geeta Joshi

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IEP Chandigarh

According to medical bulletin, the daily count of Covid cases in the tricity increased from 114 to 128 on Saturday. Chandigarh reported 47 new cases, up from 27 on the previous day, and Panchkula reported 54 new infections, up from 50 on the previous day. In contrast, number of cases in Mohali decreased from 37 to 27. Currently, there are a total of 857 active cases in tricity, comprising of 310 cases in Mohali, 308 in Panchkula, and 239 cases in Chandigarh. Most of the patients are under home isolation, with only a small number requiring hospitalisation.

Moreover, Dr Geeta Joshi, an Ayurveda expert said that people should strictly adhere to Covid-related “dos and don’ts” at public places which include wearing masks in crowded areas and closed settings as well.

There has been a spurt in Covid cases in UT during recent days” and it has become imperative to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour in crowded places.

The UT administration has advocated preventive steps in Chandigarh to curtail transmission of the infection.

          which include wearing masks in crowded areas and closed settings as well.

If a person tests Covid positive, he/she must self-isolate for seven days and in case of complication must report to a nearest health facility, Dr Joshi added.

Dehradun

Uttarakhand govt decides to provide service extension for 1,662 health workers appointed during Covid pandemic

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IEP DEHRADUN AUGUST 25, 2022

The Uttarakhand government has decided to provide service extension for 1,662 health workers appointed during the pandemic of Covid-19. A decision in this regard was taken in the meeting of the State cabinet held at the secretariat on Wednesday. Informing about the decision, the chief secretary SS Sandhu told media-persons that 673 workers were appointed in the medical education department while 986 in the health and family welfare department during the pandemic period in the State. He said that the cabinet has decided to give these workers an extension of six months.

In another decision the cabinet decided to introduce the health care and hygiene subjects in the syllabus of the students of class I to XII. The CS said that the decision was taken in view of the importance of maintaining personal hygiene and would help in ensuring a healthy lifestyle for the future generation. He informed that the cabinet approved the implementation of the central government’s draft for Uttarakhand Real Estate , Regulation and Development, the Agreement for Sale Regulation-2022 in its meeting. The regulation would safeguard the interests of the buyers and provide protection to them from different types of property related frauds. In an important decision, the state cabinet decided to hire an international consultant for formulating a plan for doubling the economy of the State. A decision to relax the norms for construction in Kedarnath was also in the cabinet. The CS said that in view of the space constraints the consultant deployed in Kedarnath had requested permission to construct two story buildings which was given by the cabinet. He informed that the State cabinet gave its nod to the proposal to create a Project Management Unit (PMU) with 70 posts in the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) funded Rs 526 crore project in the horticulture department of the State.

In other decisions the cabinet approved the proposal to shift 19 revenue villages from Jaspur Tehsil to the Kashipur Tehsil in Udham Singh Nagar district and gave its nod for the new regulation for the transport tax officers in the department of transport. In pursuance of the order of Supreme Court (SC) the cabinet approved relaxation in norms for granting promotion to seven Sangrah Ameens on the post of Nayab Tehsildars. After the approval of the cabinet the junior division judge and senior division judge of the Law department would be named as Civil Judge and Civil Judge senior respectively. In an important decision the state cabinet adopted the railway manual after which different departments of the State would have to take permission from the Railways for any construction work near the railway track.

The cabinet also decided to reduce the amount of security deposit from five per cent to two per cent and earnest money from existing one per cent to 0.25 per cent of the total value for operating the Sitarganj Sugar mill of the State on Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. The cabinet gave its approval to the proposal to grant the authority to the Principal and higher education director to use the money lying unclaimed in the colleges under the caution money head for development works in the colleges. In the meeting chaired by the chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the State cabinet took a total of 15 decisions.

Chandigarh, Haryana

COVID Vaccination Amrit Mahotsav will be celebrated across the country from July 15 to September 30

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IEP CHANDIGARH JULY 15, 2022

 As part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the COVID Vaccination Amrit Mahotsav will be celebrated across the country from July 15 to September 30. Under this, booster doses will be given free of cost to all eligible beneficiaries of 12 years of age and above.

Haryana Chief Secretary, Sh. Sanjeev Kaushal said that the work of ensuring the availability of booster doses to the beneficiaries would be expedited by organizing special vaccine camps in Haryana for the next 75 days. For this, preparations have been made by the Health Department.

Sh. Kaushal shared this information in a meeting chaired by Cabinet Secretary held with the Chief Secretaries of all the States and Union Territories through video conferencing here today. During the meeting, progress of various schemes and programmes of the Central Government were reviewed.

During the meeting, Sh. Sanjeev Kaushal while giving directions to the officers of the Health Department said that the COVID Vaccination Amrit Mahotsav has to be made a public campaign so that in these 75 days, the eligible beneficiaries of the state must be given booster doses. In addition, special vaccination camps should be organized in the Secretariat complex and other government offices wherever required. Also, make sure to organize such camps in schools and colleges as well, he directed.

Har Ghar Tiranga campaign will be celebrated in Haryana from 13 to 15 August

Under the Amrit Mahotsav being celebrated to commemorate 75 years of the country’s Independence, ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign will be conducted across the country from August 13 to 15, 2022. Under this, the tricolour will be hoisted at every house in Haryana.

The Chief Secretary said that the Haryana Government was working tirelessly to make this campaign a success. All the citizens are fortunate that they are getting an auspicious opportunity to hoist the tricolour at their homes. Tricolour is the pride of every Indian, with this spirit, in the honor of the country, the people of Haryana will make Haryana number one in the country by hoisting the tricolour under the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign.

Sh. Kaushal directed the officers to ensure the supply of tricolour in every district. Apart from this, the government buildings where the tricolour is not being hoisted should also be hoisted. He said that during this entire campaign it is the utmost duty of everyone to respect the tricolour.

The Chief Secretary appealed to the people of the state to experience the feeling of patriotism and national pride by hoisting the tricolour in their homes on the occasion of this national festival. In the 75th year of independence, if everyone brings the flag to their home, it will become a symbol of our commitment towards nation-building.

Haryana has accomplished 100% target of Har Ghar Jal Mission

In the meeting the progress of ‘Har Ghar Jal Mission under Jal Jeevan Mission’ was also reviewed.  The Ministry of Jal Shakti shared that Haryana has achieved 100 percent target of Har Ghar Jal Mission.

The Chief Secretary informed that as per the directions of the Central Government, this target was to be completed by 2024, but under the able leadership and guidance of Chief Minister, Haryana has successfully achieved this target two years ahead of the national target.

Additional Chief Secretary, Public Health Engineering Department, Sh. A K Singh, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Sh. V. Umashankar, Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister and Director General, Information, Public Relations and Languages Department, Dr. Amit Agrawal, Special Secretary, Finance Department, Sh. Pankaj and other senior officers remained present on this occasion.

Chandigarh, Chandigarh

Keep calm and maintain Covid appropriate behavior, say Dr PVM Lakshmi, Prof of Epidemiology, PGIMER amid rise in COVID cases

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INDIAEPOST CHANDIGARH JULY 05, 2022

With the recent rise in COVID-19 cases in Chandigarh, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and other NCR and other parts of the country, Dr PVM Lakshmi, Professor of Epidemiology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) cautioned that one should neither panic, nor let their guard down. Instead, it is essential to keep wearing mask and to follow all COVID Appropriate Behaviour (CAB).

Dr Lakshmi told the reporters that as per the available evidence, BA.2 (sub-lineage of Omicron) has cross immunity with the Omicron variant but the cross immunity is poor with BA.4 and BA.5. The genome surveillance results will clear the picture about whether the BA.4 and BA.5 variants have a presence in this region. The previous results have indicated the presence of BA.2 in the Chandigarh and tricity areas. She cautioned that patients with mild symptoms need to take precautions so that they do not cause the spread.

Moreover, cases are increasing in this region because no Covid-related restrictions are in place, allowing people to attend large indoor and outdoor gatherings, without wearing face masks and maintaining social distance.

While elimination of the virus is an impossibility at this point, adjustments in individual habits and communal spaces can help slow the pace of outbreaks and keep high-risk groups safer. Vaccination remains a key strategy for avoiding infection, and it has been especially effective in preventing severe disease, hospitalization, and death, she added.

Dr Lakshmi said that at PGIMER, as of now, only six Covid patients are admitted. 10-20 beds have been kept reserved for Covid patients. But it would increase upto 300 depending on requirements. If patients are coming up with any kind of complaint, adequate treatment is being given. Even among those admitted, there is hardly anyone who needs oxygen or ventilator support. Even as the number of Covid cases continues to increase, the most patients are coming to the hospital with fever, cough, sore throat, and body ache. Almost everyone is recovering within three-five days of getting the symptoms.

She said that everyone should watch out for symptoms of Covid-19, whether or not they are fully vaccinated. Anyone who thinks they have been exposed should get tested and stay home and away from others. Symptoms can appear anywhere between 2 to 14 days after exposure. Most people will have a mild illness and can recover at home without medical care. Seek medical attention immediately if you or a loved one is at home and experiencing emergency warning signs, including difficulty breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion, inability to stay awake, or bluish lips or face.

Omicron’s BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants are known to be around 13 per cent more transmissible than the previous BA.1 and BA.2 and are slowly becoming the dominant sub-strains in Europe and US. However, there is no proof of these being more dangerous. Both BA.4 and BA.5 are sub-variants of Covid-19’s on Omicron BA.4, BA.5 sub-lineages, she said that omicron variant and have been declared as variants of concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention because of their high transmissibility. These were first identified in South Africa in January. What we have been seeing is that it usually takes 6-8 weeks for a new variant to become the dominant one in the community. No new variant of concern has been reported so far in the city, Dr Lakshmi added.

She said that adults with mild to moderate Covid-19 remain infectious no longer than 10 days after symptom onset. Most adults with more severe to critical illness or severe immunocompromised likely remain infectious no longer than 20 days after symptom onset. A patient can resume his routine activities while maintaining Covid-appropriate behaviour on the basis of the extent of damage to lungs and other tissues. The recovery period is likely to be longer for patients who suffered from more severe forms of the disease and those with pre-existing illnesses.

Some people who have been infected with the virus that causes Covid-19 can experience long-term effects from their infection, known as post-COVID conditions (PCC) or long COVID. Post-Covid conditions are found more often in people who had severe Covid-19 illness, but anyone who has been infected with the virus that causes Covid-19 can experience post-Covid conditions, even people who had mild illness or no symptoms from Covid-19. People who are not vaccinated against Covid-19 and become infected may also be at higher risk of developing post-Covid conditions compared to people who were vaccinated and had breakthrough infections.  Recovered patients after acute Covid-19 illness may continue to experience various signs and symptoms including fatigue, body ache, cough, sore throat, difficulty in breathing, etc. Some of the complications seen in patients include deleterious effects on lungs, kidneys, heart, and manifestation of black fungal infection, known as mucormycosis. Such patients are treated at PGIMER.

On post-Covid symptoms, she said that general symptoms are tiredness or fatigue that interferes with daily life, symptoms that get worse after physical or mental effort (also known as “post-exertional malaise”), fever; Respiratory and heart symptoms are difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, cough, chest pain, fast-beating or pounding heart (also known as heart palpitations); Neurological symptoms are difficulty thinking or concentrating (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”), headache, sleep problems, dizziness when you stand up (lightheadedness), pins-and-needles feelings, change in smell or taste, depression or anxiety; Digestive symptoms are diarrhea, stomach pain; Other symptoms are ioint or muscle pain, rash and changes in menstrual cycles.

On Post-Covid follow up care, Dr Lakshmi said that eating a balanced nutritious diet, rich in immune boosting vitamins and minerals including fruits, vegetables, eggs and safe poultry is of utmost importance to speed up recovery. Some patients experience unexplained weight loss or weight gain, hence, weight adequate calories must be provided according to the patient’s nutritional status.  Drinking plenty of fluids and drinking warm water can be helpful for patients with scratchy throat or dry cough as it improves circulation and reduces nasal congestion. Taking proper rest and sleep can help your body recover faster. Covid patients are advised to practice breathing exercises to improve respiratory distress and relieve congestion, she added.