India coronavirus dispatch: How is rural India managing the pandemic?

From empathy for those in isolation, to the challenges of managing a pandemic in rural India, and why pregnant women need to be monitored - read these and more in today's India coronavirus dispatch

Empathy towards people in isolation, the challenges of managing a pandemic in rural India, and why pregnant women need to be monitored — here is a roundup of articles from Indian news publications on how the country is dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Expert Speak

Those in isolation need support to deal with stress, guilt, fear, and stigma: With an increasing number of people going into isolation to battle the contagion, it is vital to ensure psycho-social intervention for those in distress, says Sukesh G, a psychiatrist at the district hospital in Kozhencherry in south-eastern Kerala’s Pathanamthitta. The district had the highest number of Covid-19 cases in Kerala until March 18, 2020 and had over 7,200 people in home isolation (as on March 31, 2020). Read his interview here.

Citizens Under Lockdown

Life and times of a foreigner during a lockdown: The ‘guest is god’, it is famously said. Except when there’s a coronavirus pandemic and niceties go out the window. If you don’t look Indian, you are likely to be viewed with suspicion as a conduit of contamination. Read more about the experiences of a foreigner in India during the pandemic.

Long Reads

As coronavirus reaches rural India, three cases reflect the steep challenge ahead: From detecting and isolating to treating cases, capacities are weak in rural India. Rural healthcare facilities are ‘under-staffed’ and ‘under-equipped’ even in the best of times with some districts lacking even a basic secondary-care hospital. How are rural health systems coping with the coronavirus outbreak? Read more here.

Why private labs in India are struggling: While involving the private labs has been a welcome step, the roadblocks are far from over. From a shortage of supply kits to the lockdown obstructing movement, private labs are struggling to keep up with the testing requests. Read more about what can be done to alleviate this situation.

Opinion

Covid-19 in India: The chronicle of a pandemic foretold: When there were warnings from January about the nature of this virus and the experience of China, how did it happen that India was forced to resort, in end-March, to a hastily thought 21-day nationwide lockdown? Read more here.

Managing Covid-19

Ventilators are important — but they are not perfect either: Based on predictions of how the virus will spread through India, hospitals and their personnel will exhaust their capacity. Even if India manages to get more ventilators, it is unlikely that we will have enough trained personnel and facilities to use them properly. Read more on why we need to concentrate on more easily deployable and safe resolutions.

The four stages of Covid-19 transmission and why India maintains it is not yet in stage 3: In tight communities and in a country like India, it is difficult to ascertain that there is no evidence of community transmission at all without a larger and broader process of testing individuals. For now, officials state they are confident that the Nizamuddin congregation-related outbreaks can be contained. ICMR released new containment guidelines, acknowledging and preparing for a potential community spread, and are expected to provide relief to the potential overburdening of hospitals. Read more here.

Understanding Covid-19

Why new study wants pregnant women to be closely monitored during Covid-19 pandemic: It has not been clear if pregnant women infected with Covid-19 face severe consequences if they can transmit the infection to their child while it is in their womb, and if the disease leads to any complications during or after pregnancy. A review article published in the Journal of Reproductive Immunology states that by altering the maternal immune responses, the disease may affect the well-being of mothers and infants. Read more here.

Explained: Should you wash your clothes every time you return home? If you stepped out, return and change but leave your outdoor clothes unwashed; it may be safe to wear the same clothes the next time you step out. This is provided you have not kept wiping unwashed hands against these clothes. Read more here.

What is the difference between cleaning, disinfecting and sterilising? In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, one may often come across the words like cleaning, disinfecting, and sterilising. Though these words are used interchangeably, they are not the same. Read more here.