The Indian factory making 6,000 syringes a minute


BBC News shows that one of the world’s biggest syringe makers has ramped up production because of the huge demand for Covid vaccines. 
Rajiv Nath, who heads India’s largest syringe factory, says it is now making around 6,000 syringes a minute.
But he says that’s still not enough given that the world needs 10 billion syringes to vaccinate just 60% of the population.
He believes co-ordination between the vaccine makers, governments, the World Health Organization and syringe makers will be “very, very critical” going forward.
Video by Anshul Verma

India’s uncounted COVID-19 fatalities?


DW News shows that confirmed infections and deaths in a devastating second wave have dipped below record levels in India. But there’s concern that many cases are not being reported, particularly from a surge in vast rural areas. These regions lack adequate testing and healthcare infrastructure. DW’s Nimisha Jaiswal visited a village near the city of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, where there has been a spike in deaths caused by fever.

Cyclone Tauktae destroys houses and causes huge waves and hurricane in Kerala, India


Vulnerability on Youtube shows the Natural Disaster on 15 May 2021. Cyclone Tauktae destroys houses and causes huge waves and hurricane in Kerala, India.
Kerala is a state on the southwestern Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South Canara, and Travancore. Spread over 38,863 km squared, Kerala is the twenty-first largest Indian state by area. It is bordered by Karnataka to the north and northeast, Tamil Nadu to the east and south, and the Lakshadweep Sea to the west. With 33,406,061 inhabitants as per the 2011 Census, Kerala is the 13th-largest Indian state by population. It is divided into 14 districts with the capital being Thiruvananthapuram. Malayalam is the most widely spoken language and is also certainly the official language of the state.
Naturals hazards in 2021 seem to have become more frequent. We do not know what awaits us in 2021. Global warming and climate change will certainly affect our Earth. Take a look at natural disaster news.

Australians with COVID-19 left in India as repatriation flight takes off bound for Darwin


ABC News (Australia) shows that about half of the 150 seats on the flight leaving New Delhi tonight are left empty after more than 40 people tested positive to the virus, meaning they and their close contacts cannot fly.
ABC News provides around the clock coverage of news events as they break in Australia and abroad, including the latest coronavirus pandemic updates.

The black fungus nightmare facing India’s coronavirus patients


South China Morning Post shows that India is reporting a sharp increase in the number of rare so-called “black fungus” infections, or mucormycosis, among patients who survived Covid-19. The fungal infection is caused by exposure to a mould commonly found in soil and plants. But the current outbreak is afflicting post-Covid-19 patients with diabetes, who have been treated with steroids that compromised their immune systems.

India records most deaths in one day since coronavirus pandemic began


ABC News (Australia) shows that a record number of people have been killed by coronavirus in the past 24 hours in India. The country recorded more than 4200 deaths and a staggering 348-thousand new cases. Experts say it’s still too early to gauge whether infection figures have reached a peak. But what’s becoming more apparent is the effect lockdowns are having on residents – with many struggling to make ends meet. Yvonne Yong reports.

Black Fungus on rise in India and what is black fungus


WION shows that warning signs include pain and redness around the eyes or nose, with fever, headache, coughing, shortness of breath, bloody vomits, and altered mental status.
Even as a deadly second wave of Covid-19 ravages India, doctors are now reporting a rash of cases involving a rare infection – also called the “black fungus” – among recovering and recovered Covid-19 patients.
Mucormycosis is a very rare infection. It is caused by exposure to mucor mould which is commonly found in soil, plants, manure, and decaying fruits and vegetables. “It is ubiquitous and found in soil and air and even in the nose and mucus of healthy people,” says Dr Nair.
It affects the sinuses, the brain and the lungs and can be life-threatening in diabetic or severely immunocompromised individuals.
Mucormycosis (previously called zygomycosis) is certainly a serious but rare fungal infection caused by a group of molds called mucormycetes. These molds live throughout the environment. Mucormycosis mainly affects people who have health problems or take medicines that lower the body’s ability to fight germs and sickness.
Doctors believe mucormycosis, which has an overall mortality rate of 50%, may be being triggered by the use of steroids, a life-saving treatment for severe and critically ill Covid-19 patients.
Steroids reduce inflammation in the lungs for Covid-19 and appear to help stop some of the damage that can happen when the body’s immune system goes into overdrive to fight off coronavirus. But they also reduce immunity and push up blood sugar levels in both diabetics and non-diabetic Covid-19 patients.
Read more about it here:
Mucormycosis: The ‘black fungus’ maiming Covid patients in India – https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-57027829

India’s oxygen crisis during COVID-19 pandemic raises concerns for developing nations


Global News shows that there’s growing concern that the shortage of oxygen devastating COVID-19-ravaged India could happen in other developing nations.
International aid is now arriving in the country, with a Canadian plane having landed carrying vials of the antiretroviral drug remdesivir and ventilators. And there is now an effort being made by countries like Canada that aims to provide poorer countries with medical supplies. 
Redmond Shannon explains how The Every Breath Counts Coalition is working to keep the crisis seen in India from reaching those countries.