India Coronavirus Dispatch: Owning a used car scores over sharing a cab

Infection growth rate dips below 1%, a health expert's take on oxygen levels in Covid-19, Kerala Governor on state's response--news on how the country is coping with the pandemic

Used vehicles preferred: Amid concerns over lack of hygiene and social distancing in public transport, more Indians have now begun to prefer used cars and bikes. Shared cabs have also lost popularity. Buying new vehicles seems off the table for now because of rising financial insecurity. Sellers for used cars and marketplaces for used goods like Olx and Quikr have seen a hike in the demand for second-hand vehicles. Maruti Suzuki True Value Chain, which deals in used cars, has seen enquiry levels shoot up by 24 per cent in August and September as compared to the year-ago period. Other companies, like Mahindra First Choice, are also seeing a similar trend. Executives say that cheap options that also provide an alternative to public transport are set to be popular amid the pandemic. Read more here

In Numbers

Growth rate dips below 1%: The pandemic has been on the decline since over a month now. This has now ensured that the daily growth rate of Covid-19 cases has dropped below one per cent. This is a first since the pandemic hit the country over six months ago. Further, even the seven-day compounded daily growth rate, for the country as a whole, dipped to 0.99 per cent. At the height of the pandemic, in the first week of May, growth rate of daily new cases had exceeded 7 per cent in the first week of May. In the last one month, daily new cases dipped from 98,000 to 70,000. Further, the number of active cases have come down by almost 200,000 over the last month. The new cases added have also remained lower than the number of recoveries for 11 straight days now. Read more here

Interview

Hypoxia with no symptoms: Dr Amit Mandal, a critical care expert, speaks about oxygen levels in Covid-19. He says low oxygen levels are seen only in those cases that have seen significant ‘lung involvement’ along with abnormal blood parameters. Perhaps the most worrying aspect of the disease is that it can lead to oxygen levels dipping to dangerously low levels without the patient exhibiting any symptoms. This can lead to delayed hospitalisation of the patient which can prove fatal in some cases. Coronavirus can lead to what is known as ‘Happy Hypoxia’ where no deleterious effects are seen externally. The patient doesn’t even complain of breathlessness in these cases. Pulse oximeters play an important role in these cases as they can help monitor oxygen levels in the body. Read more here

Kerala govt ‘overactive’: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan speaks about the state’s response to the pandemic. He says the low mortality rate in the southern state may have eliminated fear of the virus from people’s minds. He is all praise for the state government and especially its health minister K K Shailaja. He says the state reaped the benefits of a robust health care system and people who are ‘extremely aware’. Further, he says the number of cases for each month have been exactly as previously predicted by the government. This has helped in avoiding a crisis-like situation in the state. He also commends the culture of ‘strong social work’ in the state that led to mass citizen participation in drives to create awareness and ensure Covid norms are followed. Read more here

Understanding Covid-19

Past infections can ward off serious Covid: According to a new study, past infections could now be one of your body’s lines of defence in preventing a severe case of Covid-19. Seasonal flus teach the body how to react to similar future viruses and the infections they can cause. Patients with a history of flu infections were less likely to be be hospitalised after being infected by the coronavirus, according to the research. The new study can help researchers now identify those who are at greater risk of being severely infected. The study built on a previous finding that showed  that a significant number of people who have never been exposed to the coronavirus show some kind of resistance to the disease. Read more here