Tag: COVID-19

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) recently on April 1, 2020 announced the Arogya Sanjeevani insurance policy to cover the COVID-19. Under this insurance scheme, all the standard health insurance policies will cover the hospitalisation expenses for novel Coronavirus. All the 29 general and health insurance companies need to provide the service.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF)has launched a policy tracker to track the policies of the governments so as to share knowledge about COVID-19 which helps to tackle the crisis. Key Points The policy tracker helps the countries to learn more about the experiences of others in combating the pandemic and adapt their policies and procedures to their unique circumstances and needs. It summarizes the key economic responses as of March 24, 2020. It is not meant for comparison among the member countries as policy responses differ according to the nature of shock & the circumstance of a country. It focuses on discretionary actionsto support existing social safety nets & insurance mechanisms. It includes 186 economies (G20 and European Institutions) & more countries will be added & information will be updated on a regular basis. About IMF: Headquarters– Washington, United States.

Army Chief of Indian Army General Manoj Mukund Naravanelaunched ‘Operation Namaste’initiative to protect 3 million strong forces from coronavirus and provide all possible assistance to the government to control the pandemic. Key Points Under ‘Operation Namaste’, the army has issued a series of directives to all its bases to protect the force from the coronavirus & the army headquarters issued a number of suggestions to deal with the situation over the past few weeks.

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) under the Ministry of Science and Technology set up COVID-19 Task Force for mapping technologiesto fund nearly market-ready solutions in the area of diagnostics, testing, health care delivery solutions & equipment supplies. Key Points The technologies are mapped from Research and Development(R&D) labs, academic institutions, start-ups & Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSME) The market solutions include masks, sanitizers, affordable kits for screening, ventilators, oxygenators among others and data analytics to track, monitor & control the outbreak by artificial intelligence(AI) & Internet of Things (IoT) based solutions.

Odisha government will set up two of the largest Covid-19 hospitals having a combined capacity of 1,000 beds. With this, Odisha will be the first state in the country to set up such a large-scale hospital exclusively to treat Covid-19 patients. The state government signed two tripartite agreements with Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital to set up the state-level hospitals in Bhubaneswar for treatment of Covid-19 patients.

Indore (Madhya Pradesh),the cleanest city in India becomes the 1stcity in India to use drones to sanitize the city against COVID-19 scare. Key Points Indore Municipal Corporation has hired 2 drones from a private company to sprinkle chemicals with sodium hypochloriteand bio-clean in crowded areas like vegetable markets, streets. The drones will depart with 16 litresof chemicals in each flight, spray chemicals in an area spanning 8-10 km  & return after 30 minutes.

Moody's Investors Service 2020 reduced India’s GDP growth in 2020 to 2.5 percent from the earlier estimate of 5.3 percent. Moody’s said that the COVID-19 pandemic will cause unprecedented shock to the global economy including the Indian economy. It said in its Global Macro Outlook 2020-21 that India will see a sharp fall in incomes at an estimated 2.5 percent growth rate.

Indian Bank has launched five special emergency loans for large corporates, medium enterprises, MSMEs, salaried and pensioners as a support to its customers effecting through economic slump and lockdown because of COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier, State Bank of India(SBI), Union Bank of India (UBI), Bank ofIndia (BOI) initiated schemes to provide liquidity relief to borrowers. IND- COVID Emergency Credit Line (IBCECL) IND- MSE COVID Emergency Loan (INDMSE-CEL) SHG-COVID – SAHAYA LOAN IND-COVID Emergency Salary Loan IND COVID- Emergency Pension Loan

Goa health minister Vishwajit Rane launched Test Yourself Goa, a self-assessment tool for COVID-19 to help people identify if they are infected by the virus without visiting a doctor or hospital. Goa has partnered with Innovaccer Inc, a United States (US)-based healthcare data analytics company, to launch the tool.

A man from Yunnan, China has tested positive for Hantavirus. It is said that he had died while on his way back to Shandong Province for work on a chartered bus, according to China’s Global Times. In a shocking event, 32 other people have also been tested with the same virus. Rodent infestation in and around the home remains the primary risk for hantavirus exposure. Even healthy individuals are at risk for Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) infection if exposed to the virus.