[AirbusCapt]

Originally Posted by ramzsys

Let's keep it simple by leaving it to them medics since they are the ones qualified to judge who has more chance of survival.

Why leave it to a medic then? Let free market prevail and the person who pays more gets the treatment.

[DCEite]

All said and done, a question for Doctors.

How is treatment with Hydroxychloroquine(HCQ) doing in India and abroad ? I guess many countries including USA, Brazil and France have already started using the drug as first line treatment for COVID-19 patients ?

Has India also started using HCQ as first line treatment for COVID-19 ? How has the response been ?

[WindRide]

Some roads in my neighbourhood in Bangalore East area (banaswadi/horamavu/ramamurthy nagar) are blocked and entire areas sealed. Any updates from other areas in Bangalore?

[srishiva]

Japan is using a different anti-viral (Favipiravir or Avigan) in treating its patients. Its specifically used for RNA viruses like covid-19.

I have a question for doctors. How is the information sharing between countries or institutions when such pandemic occurs. Is there a national level institution looking into this and then sharing the practices or recommendations through the entire country ?

[civic-sense]

From this...

Originally Posted by carboy

The havenots are the ones who will be screwed most by the extended lockdowns... The havenots don't have money to buy food if they don't work. So they will either starve or they will gather in mass food charity events. Most of India are have nots.

... to this...

Originally Posted by joslicx

A large number of people are what can be called middle class that has all the shades from poor middle class to lower middle to all the way to higher middle class which could include most of us in this forum. Of this not all can really survive a long shutdown, many of this middle class is in acute danger of reverting to poor which would be big tragedy in itself.

... is definitely an improvement, but it also entails shifting of goal posts. What I was replying to was the suggestion that the havenots won't have money to buy food if they don't work.

Originally Posted by whitewing

I know that our maids take PDS rice and sell it off to some trader, and in return buy better quality rice. I've heard them say that the rice in PDS is of poor quality and smells.
Also, does the PDS cover the nutritional needs? Vegetables etc? Milk? I guess there is a reason why we are a country with surplus cereals but still have a large portion of children malnourished.

Roti, kapda, makan in that order. Everybody is making sacrifices here to tide through the crisis. A little less nutrition for 2-3 months won't kill for sure, but the virus is more likely to.

[Nalin1]

Originally Posted by WindRide

Some roads in my neighbourhood in Bangalore East area (banaswadi/horamavu/ramamurthy nagar) are blocked and entire areas sealed. Any updates from other areas in Bangalore?

Same here on old Airport road, HAL and surrounding areas. Most roads barricaded with cops around to move them for essential vehicles. On the smaller roads, typical Indian jugaad done with poles, broken branches or stones or whatever you can see on the side of the road have been used to block.

[The Rationalist]

Originally Posted by AirbusCapt

What if the 60/70 year old stroke patient is a millionaire running businesses which feed thousands and the young covid patient is a mere employee who feeds himself?
If we continue in a cold and clinical fashion then the person to be saved is one who gives more to the society. However; will you say collateral damage if the 70 year old is your father? It's easy to talk when it doesn't affect you directly.

I understand your thought process. There may be doctors who value money, but there are doctors who value life more, I belong to the latter group. For me a young person is more valuable than the richest person in this world. And your question regarding what if it affects me, I have made clear instructions to my family not to prolong my life just because they have the means. None of us is going to come out of this life alive, we all will die, no amount of money is going to help. Remember what happened to the richest person we have ever seen.

Originally Posted by AirbusCapt

Why leave it to a medic then? Let free market prevail and the person who pays more gets the treatment.

Free market will decide whether one can be allowed to be on a ventilator, but that’s not enough to save you!

Originally Posted by DCEite

All said and done, a question for Doctors.
How is treatment with Hydroxychloroquine(HCQ) doing in India and abroad ? I guess many countries including USA, Brazil and France have already started using the drug as first line treatment for COVID-19 patients ?
Has India also started using HCQ as first line treatment for COVID-19 ? How has the response been ?

There is hardly any good evidence for any drugs be it HCQ, Lopinavir, Ritonavir, Toclizumab, Ivermectin etc, all are given empirically and some on compassionate grounds.

Originally Posted by srishiva

Japan is using a different anti-viral (Favipiravir or Avigan) in treating its patients. Its specifically used for RNA viruses like covid-19.
I have a question for doctors. How is the information sharing between countries or institutions when such pandemic occurs. Is there a national level institution looking into this and then sharing the practices or recommendations through the entire country ?

Of course, there is lot information sharing between countries and India has come up with treatment protocol. But everything is just trial, not based on proper evidence or studies, it’s too difficult to wait for studies to come out. Lot of novel approaches are being done.

[Vignesh_N/A]

Originally Posted by AirbusCapt

On a separate note: everyone here self introspect. How many months/years can I survive with zero income and the same expenses and standard of living. If you answer less than 2 years and you are in any mid/senior level roles, take a long hard look at your finances, you may be in for a world of pain.

There are engineering graduates in mid level roles with salary less than 4L CTC. How do you think these guys would survive for two years?

[carboy]

Originally Posted by The Rationalist

Free market will decide whether one can be allowed to be on a ventilator, but that’s not enough to save you!

Tangential to your point, but some of the new data coming in seems to show that ventilators aren't that useful. The problem doesn't seem to be that of oxygen not getting into the lungs. The problem is oxygen from the lungs getting into the Red Blood Cells for which ventilators may not help.

[greenoval]

Maharashtra govt may hand out anti-malarial drug in slums; Dharavi likely to be first to receive HCQ tablets.

https://www.firstpost.com/health/cor...y-8252831.html

[padmrajravi]

Handing out drugs to people in slums will be a very bad idea. That drug has got serious side effects in people with pre-existing conditions. How can the government hand out prescription drugs without actually having a look at people? I hope this is just a rumor and not true.

[The Rationalist]

Originally Posted by carboy

Tangential to your point, but some of the new data coming in seems to show that ventilators aren't that useful. The problem doesn't seem to be that of oxygen not getting into the lungs. The problem is oxygen from the lungs getting into the Red Blood Cells for which ventilators may not help.

Its a big topic. Ventilators help in getting oxygen to blood, but the problem with Covid is not causing a typical Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). ARDS even in the best centres in the world has 30-40% mortality. There are lot of other issues that is causing the problems, like Myocardial injury, Kidney injury etc.

The Corona virus causing Covid is not the same everywhere, it has mutated. Currently three strains have been identified, that explains the different mortality rates in different parts of the world. I suspect that even in India we are having different strains, which may explain the low mortality rate in Kerala. Kerala got majority of Covid cases from Middle East and very few, a handful from Italy and Europe.

[samdarshi.pali]

Originally Posted by padmrajravi

Handing out drugs to people in slums will be a very bad idea. That drug has got serious side effects in people with pre-existing conditions. How can the government hand out prescription drugs without actually having a look at people? I hope this is just a rumor and not true.

HCQ had been over the counter product until just two weeks ago and had made prescription drugs so that the government could monitor its delivery. This has been commonly used in India for several years to prevent malaria.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by samdarshi.pali

HCQ had been over the counter product until just two weeks ago and had made prescription drugs so that the government could monitor its delivery. This has been commonly used in India for several years to prevent malaria.

I think HCQ has always been a prescription drug. But in India, you can get most prescription drugs over the counter without the prescription. Only difference now may be that Govt may be monitoring it, so medical shops may be a little wary of giving it without prescription

[nandrive]

Originally Posted by The Rationalist

The Corona virus causing Covid is not the same everywhere, it has mutated. Currently three strains have been identified, that explains the different mortality rates in different parts of the world. I suspect that even in India we are having different strains, which may explain the low mortality rate in Kerala. Kerala got majority of Covid cases from Middle East and very few, a handful from Italy and Europe.

Australia has got infections from all over the world. Below link talks about the source of infection, still Australia has managed the mortality rate very well. So don't know how far "different strains having different mortality rate theory" is true.

https://www.health.gov.au/news/healt...current-status