[Chetan_Rao]

What I'd like to see at some point (and it may be a long while before enough research is done and published), is a qualified opinion on viral latency as applicable to this specific virus. In layman terms, latency is the ability of a pathogen (viruses are one type) to lie dormant and reactivate/replicate later under favorable conditions.

The linked paper is a decade old so obviously predates the current situation, but it does mention that retroviruses (certain RNA-based viruses) are among the few virus families known to exhibit true latency.

A virus has to meet specific criteria to be classified a retrovirus, so it's an unknown at this point if the current corona strain is one, even though it is an RNA-based virus. The research over the next few years will be fascinating as it will paint a clear picture of long-term effects.

[skdking]

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

Govt had earlier announced free COVID-19 testing under Ayushman Bharat scheme - it'd benefit about 50 Crore poor people.
In my personal opinion, this wasn't the ideal scenario, because[list][*]Businesses with a chalta hain attitude too may compromise to cut corners and employ people who may not be tested if they're not enrolled with this Govt Scheme - this would leave the public vulnerable as COVID-19 is extremely contagious & can spread fast.[*]Middle class is known to often compromise on things either in the name of genuine personal sacrifice,[*]I'm not being cynical and REALLY DO respect medical staff for their work, but to be pragmatic IMO private testing labs that could charge for tests (the price-cap is at Rs.4,500/-, but that could very well just be temporary) could possibly milk the lower-middle class. Also, patients and doctors may require to check the results multiple times before, during and after treatment for COVID-19..........

Sir, all arguments proffered by you are cogent and well considered.

Those of us who claim that SCI was swayed by idiotic arguments should read your post.

Kudos to you. You have defended the SCI order like a lawyer.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

So, IMHO it was rather pleasant to know that the Supreme Court of India has directed that labs would not to be allowed to charge for COVID-19 tests, and that the cost reimbursement would be tackled later by Govt.

All the reasons sound good but the problem is that now private labs may decide to stop buying & stocking testing kits.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

[vivek95]

Is there any authentic website for India that gives us daily updates of the total number of tests conducted state wise ?? Mere reporting of new cases and deaths does not help much.

Nevertheless, Kerala could be the first state to flatten the curve, I bet. Their measures of large scale testing, early detection, isolation and adopting innovative ways of testing are highly appreciable. They have already brought the situation under control. Also, no other state could have better handled the 2018 Nipah outbreak than God's own country. Kudos to Kerala !! Can't understand the reason, the economic powerhouse Maharashtra doesn't follow suit.

--Dr. Vivek

[Sankar]

Yes, The numbers from the last couple of days are good and I hope it continues to be so.

[Behemoth]

Let me just add my perspective to the discussion at this point of time. I have been analysing the spread of Covid 19 since the past month and had done a simulation. The numbers are not good and I am sharing a small snapshot of the current situation as below.



Though the number of cases (reported) is supposedly slowing down, the death rate % age global is increasing and you can see the trend of where it is heading. This could be in two possible scenarios:
1) The actual number of infected cases is higher and lesser number of cases are being reported as the countries do not have sufficient bandwidth to test the larger population and hence only the more serious cases are getting tested and reported
2) The Death rates are going up due to inadequate healthcare facilities and because of lack of treatment a higher %age of people are dying.

The current rate of increase of number of infected cases is inspite of Lockdowns all over the world. If the lockdown were not there, the spread would 2-3 times faster.

I know this sounds like a grim situation, but this is the mathematical reality. My only hope is that some repurposed drug/ medicine works against this Virus so that people can be treated and that can minimise the loss of life.
Also, for India, we just cannot afford to be complacent as the figure of India's Tests per Million of 121 is among the lowest as compared to other affected developed countries who are typically 5000+ tests per million.
We need to stay calm and weather this storm together and if the lockdown is the only way to slow its spread, we must be patient.

[venkyhere]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

I have been analysing the spread of Covid 19 since the past month and had done a simulation. The numbers are not good and I am sharing a small snapshot of the current situation as below.

In your xls , where are you getting your "actual cases" from ?

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by venkyhere

In your xls , where are you getting your "actual cases" from ?

Here is the link that I use to track the daily data.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries

You can also drill down on each country to get country specific data.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by vivek95

Is there any authentic website for India that gives us daily updates of the total number of tests conducted state wise ?? Mere reporting of new cases and deaths does not help much.
--Dr. Vivek

The ICMR Daily Bulletin gives the total tests done as of date. Does not do a state wise break-up as far as I have seen. News website-TheNewsMinute does a break up on a daily basis for the southern states and Maharashtra(which they cover)

ICMR Website link

April 8th 9PM Update: 127,919 Samples tested (Source)

State wise break-up from TheNewsMinute.

Here are the state-wise numbers as of 10 am on April 9:

• Andhra Pradesh has tested 5960 samples.The state 348 positive cases, 4 COVID-19 deaths and 9 persons who have recovered.
  
• Kerala has tested 11,986 samples so far, with 345 people testing positive. The state has recorded 2 COVID-19 deaths, while 83 persons have recovered.
  
• Tamil Nadu has tested 6,095 samples so far, with 738 people testing positive. The state has recorded 8 COVID-19 deaths, while 21 persons have recovered.
  
• Telangana has not provided numbers regarding samples tested. The state has 453 positive cases, 11 COVID-19 deaths and 45 persons who have recovered.
  
• Karnataka has tested 6,967 samples, with 181 people testing positive. The state has recorded 5 COVID-19 deaths, while 28 persons have recovered.
  
• Maharashtra has tested 27,090 samples, with 1135 testing positive. The state has recorded 72 COVID-19 deaths, while 117 people have recovered.

Source: TheNewsMinute

Maharashtra has really ramped up testing.

[civic-sense]

The top ten states by number corona infections. Except Kerala and Karnataka the numbers are zooming every day.

[srishiva]

The testing is too low across the country. Karnataka has 10 new cases from last night. Its appearing in more of North Karnataka including in children that points to elders spreading it in a household.

In some way, there is no country where the people have been happy about what the authorities/govts in their country have done to tackle this. Most of New York cases were seeded from Europe.

[AltoLXI]

No more handshakes - ever again.

“I don’t think we should ever shake hands ever again, to be honest with you. Not only would it be good to prevent coronavirus disease; it probably would decrease instances of influenza dramatically in this country”

Time article

[AZT]

Incase anyone needs this, One more reason to cut those useless calories.

[skdking]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

Here is the link that I use to track the daily data.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries

You can also drill down on each country to get country specific data.

Thanks a lot.

I have checked but all sites have only that day's data.

Where do I source the past data from?

[hserus]

Mom rides a 1400 km round trip on her Scooty to pick up her son who was stranded in another town due to the lockdown.

https://m.timesofindia.com/india/mom...w/75074579.cms