Certain memories are seared into physicians’ psyches. The chirp of the pager. Driving home half asleep in a postcall haze. The strangest objects found in human orifices (cockroach in the ear). The most hours we continuously stayed awake. Delivering our first baby, watching our first patient die. These are all rites of passage. I’ve found it’s easy to discuss the funny memories, but the disturbing ones are harder. Even with the closest of friends, recounting the tough moments feels like passing on a burden.

My shifts in the pediatric emergency room during my three-year residency training were a tour of human heartbreak for me: A 15-year-old needed a sexual assault kit. A 3-year-old tested positive for the dad’s meth. A man dipped his 6-year-old’s feet in boiling oil. I once had two children die within six hours of each other. After each death, I choked back the welling tears, picked up the next patient’s chart and soldiered into the next room. The culture of medicine discourages doctors like me from crying, sleeping or making mistakes. Worse, we can even be punished for seeking mental health care.

Even before the Covid pandemic, mental health issues were an occupational hazard for physicians. A systematic review and meta-analysis published in 2015 in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that roughly 29 percent of resident physicians experienced depression or depressive symptoms. For context, from 2013 to 2016, 8 percent of Americans age 20 or older had depression in any given two weeks. In a study published in August 2019, 16 percent of emergency physicians met the criteria for a post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis. The pandemic seems to have made things worse: A survey conducted in the fall of 2020 and presented at the American Psychiatric Association suggested that as many as 36 percent of frontline physicians suffered from PTSD.

Doctors also have a high risk of death by suicide compared to many other professions. An estimated 300 to 400 physicians die by suicide in the United States every year — about a doctor a day. Last year officials at a hospital in New York confirmed that two doctors in its residency program killed themselves within months of each other.

Residency can consist of sleep deprivation, hunger, constantly being told you are not a good enough doctor and working a torturous 100-hour week, all while six figures in debt. Resident physicians routinely work on weekends and holidays, often with only four days off per month. Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education regulations generally do not allow resident physicians to work more than 80 hours a week averaged over four weeks, but some residents feel that they must lie on their time sheets to avoid scrutiny.

The merciless culture of medical education can revel in publicly shaming students; the practice of peppering residents or medical students with rapid-fire questions in front of colleagues and patients is called pimping.

Despite the grueling experiences, the medical profession often stigmatizes physicians who seek mental health care and erects barriers to such care. As of last spring, medical boards in 37 U.S. states and territories asked questions that could require a doctor seeking licensure to disclose any mental health treatments or conditions. These questions can be intrusive and overly general.

Ticking those boxes can feel like risking everything we have worked toward over years. It could result in the medical board reviewing our personal medical records, possibly in psychiatric and drug testing and perhaps even in having our medical license reviewed, suspended or revoked, all under the guise of establishing our professional competence. The questions have a chilling effect on doctors. In a 2017 paper, nearly 40 percent of physicians reported being reluctant to seek mental health care because they worried it would jeopardize their chances of getting or renewing their medical licenses. In a 2016 survey of female physicians, close to half said they believed they had met the criteria for a mental illness but avoided care, in part for fear of licensing boards.

When physicians summon the courage to seek help, they might have to do so at the very hospital where they work and could be recognized by patients and colleagues.

Dr. Glen Gabbard, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine, has dedicated much of his career to treating physicians. He explained why his physician patients struggle to admit that they need care: “You’re supposed to know everything in a life-threatening crisis. There isn’t room for self-doubt,” he said.

Dr. Gabbard noted that one way doctors reach out for help is through a “curbside consult.” A friend can stop you in the hospital cafeteria and ask for a quick prescription for Prozac. Not only are doctors terrible patients, but we are often crunched for time and can give fellow physicians awful care, too. According to Dr. Gabbard, these consults can be rushed, and some psychiatrists are too quick to rely on their colleagues’ medical knowledge.

This all has helped create an underground market of sorts for physician mental health care. An often unspoken rule: If you must seek mental health care, do it quietly. Find a therapist outside your city who documents only the bare minimum in your chart, pay with cash only, don’t let it be billed to your insurance company. Make sure there’s no paper trail.

As we enter the third year of the pandemic and creep toward one million dead Americans, it’s time for American health care to recognize the toll on its doctors and what it owes. The past two years have been characterized by violent attacks against doctors, accompanied by even longer hours, sicker patients, limited hazard pay and family sacrifices. A survey conducted in the second half of 2020 found that around one in five doctors was considering leaving their practice within two years. Perhaps the saddest part is that the doctors we are often losing are the very ones we need: the gentle ones who you want holding your mother’s hand, the thoughtful, meticulous ones who call you on their day off.

The quickest and easiest remedy to this problem is to eliminate the questions about physician mental health from state licensing applications and hospital credentialing forms. This would require a fundamental shift in paradigm for the medical community. Other solutions include more physician time off, comprehensive parental leave policies and adequate hazard pay.

A former colleague has told me it is ill advised for me to even write this essay. I can feel my palms sweating as I type. But I’d rather be the doctor who confesses all instead of the one who buries the memories of dead children in bottles of bourbon or syringes of fentanyl. This essay is not brave; it is foolish but necessary. It is time we collectively agree that physicians are worthy of the same compassion we give our patients.

We, as doctors, bear witness to humanity’s ugliest and most glorious moments, so it is only natural that we are deeply moved and sometimes disturbed by it all. Acknowledging this vulnerability isn’t weakness. It makes me a better doctor. It is what allows me to hold a patient’s hand under the fluorescent lighting of a sterile hospital in the middle of the night or stroke the congealed blood out of an infant’s lock of hair.

I do not have all the answers, but I can no longer watch my colleagues suffer. Doctors’ audacity to be human must outshine the medical institution’s cold, indifferent check box.

Certain memories are seared into physicians’ psyches. The chirp of the pager. Driving home half asleep in a postcall haze. The strangest objects found in human orifices (cockroach in the ear).

Certain memories are seared into physicians’ psyches. The chirp of the pager. Driving home half asleep in a postcall haze. The strangest objects found in human orifices (cockroach in the ear). The most hours we continuously stayed awake. Delivering our first baby, watching our first patient die. These are all rites of passage. I’ve found it’s easy to discuss the funny memories, but the disturbing ones are harder. Even with the closest of friends, recounting the tough moments feels like passing on a burden. My shifts in the pediatric emergency room during my three-year residency training were a tour of human heartbreak for me: A 15-year-old needed a sexual assault kit. A 3-year-old tested positive for the dad’s meth. A man dipped his 6-year-old’s feet in boiling oil. I once had two children die within six hours of each other. After each death, I choked back the welling tears, picked up the next patient’s chart and soldiered into the next room. The culture of medicine discourages doctors like me from crying, sleeping or making mistakes. Worse, we can even be punished for seeking mental health care. Even before the Covid pandemic, mental health issues were an occupational hazard for physicians. A systematic review and meta-analysis published in 2015 in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that roughly 29 percent of resident physicians experienced depression or depressive symptoms. For context, from 2013 to 2016, 8 percent of Americans age 20 or older had depression in any given two weeks. In a study published in August 2019, 16 percent of emergency physicians met the criteria for a post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis. The pandemic seems to have made things worse: A survey conducted in the fall of 2020 and presented at the American Psychiatric Association suggested that as many as 36 percent of frontline physicians suffered from PTSD. Doctors also have a high risk of death by suicide compared to many other professions. An estimated 300 to 400 physicians die by suicide in the United States every year — about a doctor a day. Last year officials at a hospital in New York confirmed that two doctors in its residency program killed themselves within months of each other. Residency can consist of sleep deprivation, hunger, constantly being told you are not a good enough doctor and working a torturous 100-hour week, all while six figures in debt. Resident physicians routinely work on weekends and holidays, often with only four days off per month. Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education regulations generally do not allow resident physicians to work more than 80 hours a week averaged over four weeks, but some residents feel that they must lie on their time sheets to avoid scrutiny. The merciless culture of medical education can revel in publicly shaming students; the practice of peppering residents or medical students with rapid-fire questions in front of colleagues and patients is called pimping. Despite the grueling experiences, the medical profession often stigmatizes physicians who seek mental health care and erects barriers to such care. As of last spring, medical boards in 37 U.S. states and territories asked questions that could require a doctor seeking licensure to disclose any mental health treatments or conditions. These questions can be intrusive and overly general. Ticking those boxes can feel like risking everything we have worked toward over years. It could result in the medical board reviewing our personal medical records, possibly in psychiatric and drug testing and perhaps even in having our medical license reviewed, suspended or revoked, all under the guise of establishing our professional competence. The questions have a chilling effect on doctors. In a 2017 paper, nearly 40 percent of physicians reported being reluctant to seek mental health care because they worried it would jeopardize their chances of getting or renewing their medical licenses. In a 2016 survey of female physicians, close to half said they believed they had met the criteria for a mental illness but avoided care, in part for fear of licensing boards. When physicians summon the courage to seek help, they might have to do so at the very hospital where they work and could be recognized by patients and colleagues. Dr. Glen Gabbard, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine, has dedicated much of his career to treating physicians. He explained why his physician patients struggle to admit that they need care: “You’re supposed to know everything in a life-threatening crisis. There isn’t room for self-doubt,” he said. Dr. Gabbard noted that one way doctors reach out for help is through a “curbside consult.” A friend can stop you in the hospital cafeteria and ask for a quick prescription for Prozac. Not only are doctors terrible patients, but we are often crunched for time and can give fellow physicians awful care, too. According to Dr. Gabbard, these consults can be rushed, and some psychiatrists are too quick to rely on their colleagues’ medical knowledge. This all has helped create an underground market of sorts for physician mental health care. An often unspoken rule: If you must seek mental health care, do it quietly. Find a therapist outside your city who documents only the bare minimum in your chart, pay with cash only, don’t let it be billed to your insurance company. Make sure there’s no paper trail. As we enter the third year of the pandemic and creep toward one million dead Americans, it’s time for American health care to recognize the toll on its doctors and what it owes. The past two years have been characterized by violent attacks against doctors, accompanied by even longer hours, sicker patients, limited hazard pay and family sacrifices. A survey conducted in the second half of 2020 found that around one in five doctors was considering leaving their practice within two years. Perhaps the saddest part is that the doctors we are often losing are the very ones we need: the gentle ones who you want holding your mother’s hand, the thoughtful, meticulous ones who call you on their day off. The quickest and easiest remedy to this problem is to eliminate the questions about physician mental health from state licensing applications and hospital credentialing forms. This would require a fundamental shift in paradigm for the medical community. Other solutions include more physician time off, comprehensive parental leave policies and adequate hazard pay. A former colleague has told me it is ill advised for me to even write this essay. I can feel my palms sweating as I type. But I’d rather be the doctor who confesses all instead of the one who buries the memories of dead children in bottles of bourbon or syringes of fentanyl. This essay is not brave; it is foolish but necessary. It is time we collectively agree that physicians are worthy of the same compassion we give our patients. We, as doctors, bear witness to humanity’s ugliest and most glorious moments, so it is only natural that we are deeply moved and sometimes disturbed by it all. Acknowledging this vulnerability isn’t weakness. It makes me a better doctor. It is what allows me to hold a patient’s hand under the fluorescent lighting of a sterile hospital in the middle of the night or stroke the congealed blood out of an infant’s lock of hair. I do not have all the answers, but I can no longer watch my colleagues suffer. Doctors’ audacity to be human must outshine the medical institution’s cold, indifferent check box.

Why so many doctors treat their mental health in secret

Gunmen in&nbsp;Yemen&nbsp;have&nbsp;kidnapped&nbsp;two foreign employees of Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors&nbsp;Without&nbsp;Borders) in eastern Hadramout governorate, a security source and two other local sources‮ ‬said.

The medical charity told Reuters it had lost contact with some of its staff in&nbsp;Yemen&nbsp;and that it could not share more details at this time out of concern for their safety.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-central-bank-chief-noted-for-coded-dress-wears-funeral-black-to-signal-death-of-economy-459472">Russian Central Bank chief noted for coded dress wears funeral black to signal death of economy</a>

The security source said the employees were a German and a Mexican and were taken from their car by gunmen that security forces believed to be linked to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Islamist militant groups are among many destabilising forces in war-torn&nbsp;Yemen&nbsp;which is grappling with a humanitarian crisis.

In February, five United Nations staff, including four&nbsp;Yemenis, were abducted in Abyan governorate by gunmen also believed to be linked to Al Qaeda.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-ukraine-crisis-visa-mastercard-suspend-operations-in-russia-459450">Russia Ukraine Crisis: Visa, Mastercard suspend operations in Russia</a><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-central-bank-chief-noted-for-coded-dress-wears-funeral-black-to-signal-death-of-economy-459472">​</a>​​​​​​

The militant group operates in south and eastern regions of&nbsp;Yemen, which has been divided by a seven-year war between the Saudi-backed government based in the south and Iran-aligned Houthi movement in the north.

Al Qaeda took advantage of 2011 Arab Spring chaos in&nbsp;Yemen&nbsp;and the ouster of a transitional government from the capital, Sanaa, by the Houthis in 2014 to create mini states, but was driven back following the intervention of a Saudi-led coalition in the war against the Houthis.

The group has also been targeted by U.S. air strikes.

Gunmen in Yemen have kidnapped two foreign employees of Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) in eastern Hadramout governorate, a security source and two other local sources‮ ‬said.

Gunmen in Yemen have kidnapped two foreign employees of Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) in eastern Hadramout governorate, a security source and two other local sources‮ ‬said. The medical charity told Reuters it had lost contact with some of its staff in Yemen and that it could not share more details at this time out of concern for their safety. Also read | Russian Central Bank chief noted for coded dress wears funeral black to signal death of economy The security source said the employees were a German and a Mexican and were taken from their car by gunmen that security forces believed to be linked to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Islamist militant groups are among many destabilising forces in war-torn Yemen which is grappling with a humanitarian crisis. In February, five United Nations staff, including four Yemenis, were abducted in Abyan governorate by gunmen also believed to be linked to Al Qaeda. Also read | Russia Ukraine Crisis: Visa, Mastercard suspend operations in Russia The militant group operates in south and eastern regions of Yemen, which has been divided by a seven-year war between the Saudi-backed government based in the south and Iran-aligned Houthi movement in the north. Al Qaeda took advantage of 2011 Arab Spring chaos in Yemen and the ouster of a transitional government from the capital, Sanaa, by the Houthis in 2014 to create mini states, but was driven back following the intervention of a Saudi-led coalition in the war against the Houthis. The group has also been targeted by U.S. air strikes.

Doctors Without Borders workers kidnapped in Yemen: Report

Having informed his parents of having ingested a 5-cm-long battery and the parents' decision of seeking immediate medical help has saved the life of a 4-year-old.&nbsp;

By accident, the child had swallowed the battery that was being used in the remote control, while playing with it at his residence. An X-ray revealed that the battery was lodged in the child's stomach.&nbsp;

However, doctors managed to remove the battery via an endoscopy, thus avoiding further delay and the complications associated with going in for a surgical procedure.&nbsp;

WION Media spoke to Dr R. Ravi who performed the procedure in a considerable amount of time and saved the boy, nearly fourteen hours after he ingested the battery.

According to the doctor, senior gastroenterologist, Rela Hospital, children unknowingly swallow small objects such as buttons, coins, small batteries.&nbsp;

However, in this case, the swallowed object measured 5cms in length and 1.5cms in width, which was as large as the child's food pipe.&nbsp;

This also made the removal via endoscopy complicated. There was a risk of damaging the internal organs while performing the procedure, neither would the battery exit the system via excretion.&nbsp;

"There is also the risk of the battery corroding in the acid that the stomach produces and thereby releasing the chemicals that it holds within. Such heavy metals could lead to toxicity in the patient's system," Dr Ravi said.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chennai?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chennai</a> - without surgery, doctors save 4yr old who ingested 5cm-long AA battery, which ws nearly the size of his food pipe 
 
Batt was lodged in stomach, had risk of corroding in contact with acid 
 
Rela hospital Docs performed endoscopy with a 'Roth net' &amp; removed foreign object <a href="https://t.co/jmsnfXwUgH">pic.twitter.com/jmsnfXwUgH</a>
— Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) <a href="https://twitter.com/sdhrthmp/status/1493210401089388548?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Based on their examination of the boy, the doctors decided to go ahead with an endoscopy procedure, while using a Roth net, a device that helps capture, scoop out the foreign object.&nbsp;

According to the doctor, even certain types of tumours can be removed using this net. He also added that the battery had to be aligned carefully to not cause damage to the boy's food pipe.&nbsp;

In his advice for parents, he urges them to keep such objects away from young children, as much as possible and provide the children with big sized toys that don’t pose the danger of being ingested.

He particularly warns against keeping needles, glass pieces, magnets, medicines and such items away from the reach of little kids.&nbsp;

He emphasised how it is important for parents to encourage their kids to report the mishap, to enable appropriate medical attention.

Having informed his parents of having ingested a 5-cm-long battery and the parents' decision of seeking immediate medical help has saved the life of a 4-year-old.

Having informed his parents of having ingested a 5-cm-long battery and the parents' decision of seeking immediate medical help has saved the life of a 4-year-old. By accident, the child had swallowed the battery that was being used in the remote control, while playing with it at his residence. An X-ray revealed that the battery was lodged in the child's stomach. However, doctors managed to remove the battery via an endoscopy, thus avoiding further delay and the complications associated with going in for a surgical procedure. WION Media spoke to Dr R. Ravi who performed the procedure in a considerable amount of time and saved the boy, nearly fourteen hours after he ingested the battery. According to the doctor, senior gastroenterologist, Rela Hospital, children unknowingly swallow small objects such as buttons, coins, small batteries. However, in this case, the swallowed object measured 5cms in length and 1.5cms in width, which was as large as the child's food pipe. This also made the removal via endoscopy complicated. There was a risk of damaging the internal organs while performing the procedure, neither would the battery exit the system via excretion. "There is also the risk of the battery corroding in the acid that the stomach produces and thereby releasing the chemicals that it holds within. Such heavy metals could lead to toxicity in the patient's system," Dr Ravi said. #Chennai - without surgery, doctors save 4yr old who ingested 5cm-long AA battery, which ws nearly the size of his food pipe Batt was lodged in stomach, had risk of corroding in contact with acid Rela hospital Docs performed endoscopy with a 'Roth net' & removed foreign object pic.twitter.com/jmsnfXwUgH — Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) February 14, 2022 × Based on their examination of the boy, the doctors decided to go ahead with an endoscopy procedure, while using a Roth net, a device that helps capture, scoop out the foreign object. According to the doctor, even certain types of tumours can be removed using this net. He also added that the battery had to be aligned carefully to not cause damage to the boy's food pipe. In his advice for parents, he urges them to keep such objects away from young children, as much as possible and provide the children with big sized toys that don’t pose the danger of being ingested. He particularly warns against keeping needles, glass pieces, magnets, medicines and such items away from the reach of little kids. He emphasised how it is important for parents to encourage their kids to report the mishap, to enable appropriate medical attention.

Doctors save life of boy who ingested AA battery without surgery

A marathon seven-hour long surgery involving eight doctors and 24 nurses was performed in the southern Indian city of Chennai to save the life of a 4-year old whose small intestine had stopped functioning.

The complicated surgery involved precisely removing 150cm of the father’s small intestine and transplanting it to his son.

More than three months after the surgery, as the father and son are going about their daily lives, doctors opened up on the extremely rare condition faced by the boy and the transplant that they performed.&nbsp;

It all began when Guhan, a four-year-old boy, developed sudden and erratic vomiting.

Upon visiting a hospital, the family learnt that their son was diagnosed with a condition known as ‘volvulus’, which meant that his smaller intestine was twisted and thereby cut off from blood flow.

Hence, all the cells in his small intestine were dying and the organ was losing its function. With the absorption of nutrients being the key function of the small intestine, this organ’s failure was a serious threat to the young boy’s life.&nbsp;

With no option left, the parents had to allow the doctors to remove their son’s small intestine entirely in order to save him.

However, the young boy had to endure extreme hardships as he had to be endlessly hooked onto intravenous feeding (nutrients being fed directly into the bloodstream), even for his basic sustenance.

He just couldn’t be fed like kids of his age, as the food he ingests normally would cause further health complications in his already fragile body.&nbsp;

Later, after consulting Rela Hospital in Chennai, the family was made aware of the possibility of intestinal transplantation. Despite the risks, the family went ahead with the procedure, as it was the only hope for saving their ailing son.

Swaminathan, Guhan’s father donated 150cm of his small intestine —which could be as long as six meters—for the transplant.&nbsp;

Dr Naresh Shanmugam, senior consultant, Liver and Gastro specialist for children, explained that volvulus can occur&nbsp;only twice in thousand cases, and was an issue seen during the initial growth years.

He added that twisted intestines could surgically be untwisted when the condition is detected early enough.

When queried about how the 150cm transplanted small intestine could carry out the function of the organ that spans up to six meters in length, he told WION that it would eventually be functional and can last the boy his entire lifetime.&nbsp;

According to prof. Mohamed Rela, who headed the team that performed the surgery, such transplants always faced the risk of organ rejection by the recipient.

However in this case, adequate care was provided to mitigate that issue. He also explained that such intestine transplants can’t be done from one living adult to another. In the case of adults, such organs can only be removed from cadavers, he added.&nbsp;

With the surgery being successfully completed on September 13 last year, Guhan had to completely depend on intravenous nutrition for several months.

Gradually, as the new organ was accepted by his system, he began to consume food normally.

According to Guhan’s parents, going in for a transplant was terrifying, but they went ahead with it, owing to the doctors’ reassurance and for giving their son a second chance at life.&nbsp;

“For those that suffer failure of the small intestine, only intravenous nutrition would be possible. However, even that is not viable after 10-15 years. In most cases, it leads to gradual loss of life,” Rela explained.

Intestine transplants are not as common as liver of kidney transplants, he added.

According to the Asia Book of Records, this transplant procedure was recognized as Asia’s Youngest Small Intestine Transplant surgery.&nbsp;

A marathon seven-hour long surgery involving eight doctors and 24 nurses was performed in the southern Indian city of Chennai to save the life of a 4-year old whose small intestine had stopped functioning.

A marathon seven-hour long surgery involving eight doctors and 24 nurses was performed in the southern Indian city of Chennai to save the life of a 4-year old whose small intestine had stopped functioning. The complicated surgery involved precisely removing 150cm of the father’s small intestine and transplanting it to his son. More than three months after the surgery, as the father and son are going about their daily lives, doctors opened up on the extremely rare condition faced by the boy and the transplant that they performed. It all began when Guhan, a four-year-old boy, developed sudden and erratic vomiting. Upon visiting a hospital, the family learnt that their son was diagnosed with a condition known as ‘volvulus’, which meant that his smaller intestine was twisted and thereby cut off from blood flow. Hence, all the cells in his small intestine were dying and the organ was losing its function. With the absorption of nutrients being the key function of the small intestine, this organ’s failure was a serious threat to the young boy’s life. With no option left, the parents had to allow the doctors to remove their son’s small intestine entirely in order to save him. However, the young boy had to endure extreme hardships as he had to be endlessly hooked onto intravenous feeding (nutrients being fed directly into the bloodstream), even for his basic sustenance. He just couldn’t be fed like kids of his age, as the food he ingests normally would cause further health complications in his already fragile body. Later, after consulting Rela Hospital in Chennai, the family was made aware of the possibility of intestinal transplantation. Despite the risks, the family went ahead with the procedure, as it was the only hope for saving their ailing son. Swaminathan, Guhan’s father donated 150cm of his small intestine —which could be as long as six meters—for the transplant. Dr Naresh Shanmugam, senior consultant, Liver and Gastro specialist for children, explained that volvulus can occur only twice in thousand cases, and was an issue seen during the initial growth years. He added that twisted intestines could surgically be untwisted when the condition is detected early enough. When queried about how the 150cm transplanted small intestine could carry out the function of the organ that spans up to six meters in length, he told WION that it would eventually be functional and can last the boy his entire lifetime. According to prof. Mohamed Rela, who headed the team that performed the surgery, such transplants always faced the risk of organ rejection by the recipient. However in this case, adequate care was provided to mitigate that issue. He also explained that such intestine transplants can’t be done from one living adult to another. In the case of adults, such organs can only be removed from cadavers, he added. With the surgery being successfully completed on September 13 last year, Guhan had to completely depend on intravenous nutrition for several months. Gradually, as the new organ was accepted by his system, he began to consume food normally. According to Guhan’s parents, going in for a transplant was terrifying, but they went ahead with it, owing to the doctors’ reassurance and for giving their son a second chance at life. “For those that suffer failure of the small intestine, only intravenous nutrition would be possible. However, even that is not viable after 10-15 years. In most cases, it leads to gradual loss of life,” Rela explained. Intestine transplants are not as common as liver of kidney transplants, he added. According to the Asia Book of Records, this transplant procedure was recognized as Asia’s Youngest Small Intestine Transplant surgery.

Chennai: Father donates small intestine to 4-year-old son, both safe after transplant surgery 

After meeting Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday over demands to expedite NEET-PG Counselling, the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) said that they will take the final call on ongoing protest after consulting all RDAs (Resident Doctors' Associations).

The representatives of Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), FORDA and all RDAs are likely to hold a meeting at 8 p.m. on Tuesday to decide further course of action.

Dr Manish Nigam, FORDA President, said that the strike is still going on.

"We demand a written apology for police action. The further course of action will be decided in the meeting tonight," he added.

Earlier, Mandaviya urged protesting resident doctors to call off their strike in the public interest. According to a doctor who was present in the meeting, Mandaviya assured to submit all documents before the court on January 6 when the matter will come up for hearing. He said that the matter is sub-judice before the Supreme Court. However, he said he was hopeful that the NEET-PG counselling will start soon.

The doctors also demanded an apology from police for action against them during the protest on Monday. Mandaviya expressed regret saying it is an unfortunate incident.

Meanwhile, the ongoing doctors protest for the last 12 days has badly hit services in the capital city. Many other RDA organisations across several states have also joined the protest. The protesting doctors on Monday had called for total shutdown of medical services in the hospitals after the police action which has created a chaos like situation in hospitals.

After meeting Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday over demands to expedite NEET-PG Counselling, the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) said that they will take the final call on ongoing protest after consulting all RDAs (Resident Doctors' Associations).

After meeting Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday over demands to expedite NEET-PG Counselling, the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) said that they will take the final call on ongoing protest after consulting all RDAs (Resident Doctors' Associations). The representatives of Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), FORDA and all RDAs are likely to hold a meeting at 8 p.m. on Tuesday to decide further course of action. Dr Manish Nigam, FORDA President, said that the strike is still going on. "We demand a written apology for police action. The further course of action will be decided in the meeting tonight," he added. Earlier, Mandaviya urged protesting resident doctors to call off their strike in the public interest. According to a doctor who was present in the meeting, Mandaviya assured to submit all documents before the court on January 6 when the matter will come up for hearing. He said that the matter is sub-judice before the Supreme Court. However, he said he was hopeful that the NEET-PG counselling will start soon. The doctors also demanded an apology from police for action against them during the protest on Monday. Mandaviya expressed regret saying it is an unfortunate incident. Meanwhile, the ongoing doctors protest for the last 12 days has badly hit services in the capital city. Many other RDA organisations across several states have also joined the protest. The protesting doctors on Monday had called for total shutdown of medical services in the hospitals after the police action which has created a chaos like situation in hospitals.

Protesting doctors in India to take final call after association meeting

Seven doctors, who are staunch anti-Covid vaccine, contracted the deadly virus after attending an event in Floria to discuss alternative methods to cure coronavirus.

Among those who fell include a 71-year-old doctor who said that he and his wife have been taking ivermectin tablets for 16 months as a precaution against COVID-19.

“I have been on ivermectin for 16 months, my wife and I,” Dr Bruce Boros told the audience at the event held at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, adding, “I have never felt healthier in my life.”

The Florida Covid Summit organizer, Dr John Littell—a physician— told the Daily Beast that Boros—a cardiologist—and six other doctors fell ill “within days of the conference.”

Boros is said to be “very ill”. Around 800 to 900 people participated in the event.

Also read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/travellers-vaccinated-with-who-approved-covid-vaccines-can-enter-us-cdc-419527">&nbsp;Travellers vaccinated with WHO approved Covid vaccines can enter US: CDC</a>

It was also reported that masks and social distancing were not followed at the event.&nbsp;

Boros reportedly began taking ivermectin as a personal research project last summer and has administrated it to several patients, including his father.&nbsp;

At a summit in Ocala, he criticised his 97-year-old father for taking a COVID-19 vaccine, saying, he was “brainwashed” and that he “wanted to give him a spanking.”&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/colleges-say-students-must-get-a-covid-vaccine-but-no-not-that-one-389614">Colleges say students must get a Covid vaccine. But no, not that one.</a>

Ivermectin is a generic drug that has been used for decades to treat river blindness, scabies and even head lice. Veterinarians also use it, in different formulations and dosages, to treat animals for parasites like worms.

After the pandemic began, some countries started prescribing the medicine to treat Covid. Among them was former US president Donald Trump and his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro.

However, several scientists later undertook research to find whether ivermectin treats Covid. It was later found to be false.

United States Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) also recommend not using ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19 saying that there is no evidence the drug protects or cures patients.

(With inputs from agencies)

Seven doctors, who are staunch anti-Covid vaccine, contracted the deadly virus after attending an event in Floria to discuss alternative methods to cure coronavirus.

Seven doctors, who are staunch anti-Covid vaccine, contracted the deadly virus after attending an event in Floria to discuss alternative methods to cure coronavirus. Among those who fell include a 71-year-old doctor who said that he and his wife have been taking ivermectin tablets for 16 months as a precaution against COVID-19. “I have been on ivermectin for 16 months, my wife and I,” Dr Bruce Boros told the audience at the event held at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, adding, “I have never felt healthier in my life.” The Florida Covid Summit organizer, Dr John Littell—a physician— told the Daily Beast that Boros—a cardiologist—and six other doctors fell ill “within days of the conference.” Boros is said to be “very ill”. Around 800 to 900 people participated in the event. Also read | Travellers vaccinated with WHO approved Covid vaccines can enter US: CDC It was also reported that masks and social distancing were not followed at the event. Boros reportedly began taking ivermectin as a personal research project last summer and has administrated it to several patients, including his father. At a summit in Ocala, he criticised his 97-year-old father for taking a COVID-19 vaccine, saying, he was “brainwashed” and that he “wanted to give him a spanking.” Also read | Colleges say students must get a Covid vaccine. But no, not that one. Ivermectin is a generic drug that has been used for decades to treat river blindness, scabies and even head lice. Veterinarians also use it, in different formulations and dosages, to treat animals for parasites like worms. After the pandemic began, some countries started prescribing the medicine to treat Covid. Among them was former US president Donald Trump and his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro. However, several scientists later undertook research to find whether ivermectin treats Covid. It was later found to be false. United States Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) also recommend not using ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19 saying that there is no evidence the drug protects or cures patients. (With inputs from agencies)

Seven doctors contract Covid after attending anti-vaccine summit in Florida

Various healthcare professionals have urged social media giant Facebook to disclose all of the data related to COVID-19 disinformation that is available on the platform.

Various healthcare professionals have urged social media giant Facebook to disclose all of the data related to COVID-19 disinformation that is available on the platform. In a letter addressed to the company, now under the parent name Meta, the doctors wrote, "Facebook had become “cesspools of anti-vaccine comments” that created “a huge problem” that the company needed to fix". The letter further read, "This deception must end now. So many deaths could have been prevented, and we must act with haste to prevent more, particularly with vaccines becoming imminently available for young children. We simply cannot afford another deadly round of covid and vaccine misinformation." The letter by Doctors For America was signed by over 500 healthcare professionals. This includes medical professors at New York University, Columbia University and Johns Hopkins Medicine. Also read | Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg should step down, says whistleblower Frances Haugen The doctors emphasised how technological platforms like Facebook have a moral and civic duty to limit the spread of health disinformation. "Facebook must take immediate, urgent action to stop the deadly spread of COVID-19 disinformation on its platforms. Facebook must disclose all data about the scope, reach, and content of this disinformation and its impact on users for evaluation by independent public health researchers," the doctors urged. This comes after a whistleblower leaked internal company documents. The ex-Facebook employee, Frances Haugen leaked tens of thousands of internal documents, which give details about the company’s struggles with user safety and misinformation. Haugen also criticised Zuckerberg’s “unconscionable” decision to invest in metaverse concepts rather than solving its issues. When asked if Zuckerberg should step down, Haugen said, “I think Facebook will be stronger with someone, who is willing to focus on safety, so yes.”

'Cesspools of anti-vaccine comments': Doctors urge Facebook to reveal data on COVID-19 misinformation

Doctors have advised Britain's Queen Elizabeth to take rest for at least the next two weeks. The 95-year-old monarch is avoiding official visits and only undertaking light duties at this time, Buckingham Palace said on Friday. &nbsp;

The world's oldest and longest-reigning monarch seems to be determined to appear at the annual Remembrance Sunday service. It commemorates the nation's war dead in central London on November 14, the palace said. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/cop26-delegate-applications-for-six-afghans-rejected-days-before-event-425289" hreflang="en">Cop26: Delegate applications for six Afghans rejected days before event</a>

The queen of 15 other realms, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand, Elizabeth has been resting at her Windsor Castle since she stayed overnight in hospital last week. She had undergone "preliminary investigations" for an unspecified ailment, which is not related to Covid. &nbsp;

She is also not going to address world leaders in-person next week at the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-pm-johnson-seeks-to-calm-fears-over-queen-elizabeths-health-425288" hreflang="en">UK PM Johnson seeks to calm fears over Queen Elizabeth's health</a>

After the latest advice, the queen will no longer attend a major event on November 13 at the Royal Albert Hall hosted by a British military charity. But the queen had a "firm intention" to be present at the main national service of remembrance for veterans on November 14, the palace said. &nbsp;

The queen is in good spirits and have recorded a video address for the delegates of COP26 on Friday. Further rest was a "sensible precaution", a palace source said. &nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Doctors have advised Britain's Queen Elizabeth to take rest for at least the next two weeks. The 95-year-old monarch is avoiding official visits and only undertaking light duties at this time, Buckingham Palace said on Friday.

Doctors have advised Britain's Queen Elizabeth to take rest for at least the next two weeks. The 95-year-old monarch is avoiding official visits and only undertaking light duties at this time, Buckingham Palace said on Friday. The world's oldest and longest-reigning monarch seems to be determined to appear at the annual Remembrance Sunday service. It commemorates the nation's war dead in central London on November 14, the palace said. Also Read: Cop26: Delegate applications for six Afghans rejected days before event The queen of 15 other realms, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand, Elizabeth has been resting at her Windsor Castle since she stayed overnight in hospital last week. She had undergone "preliminary investigations" for an unspecified ailment, which is not related to Covid. She is also not going to address world leaders in-person next week at the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow. Also Read: UK PM Johnson seeks to calm fears over Queen Elizabeth's health After the latest advice, the queen will no longer attend a major event on November 13 at the Royal Albert Hall hosted by a British military charity. But the queen had a "firm intention" to be present at the main national service of remembrance for veterans on November 14, the palace said. The queen is in good spirits and have recorded a video address for the delegates of COP26 on Friday. Further rest was a "sensible precaution", a palace source said. (With inputs from agencies)

Doctors advise two more weeks’ rest to 95-year-old Queen Elizabeth   

Effective&nbsp;vaccines, without a needle: Since the start of the Covid pandemic, researchers have doubled down on efforts to create&nbsp;patches&nbsp;that deliver life-saving drugs painlessly to the skin, a development that could revolutionize medicine.

The technique could help save children's tears at doctors' offices, and help people who have a phobia of syringes.

Beyond that, skin&nbsp;patches&nbsp;could assist with distribution efforts, because they don't have cold-chain requirements -- and might even heighten&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;efficacy.

A new mouse study in the area, published in the journal Science Advances, showed promising results.

The Australian-US team used&nbsp;patches&nbsp;measuring one square centimeter that were dotted with more than 5,000 microscopic spikes, "so tiny you can't actually see them," David Muller, a virologist at the University of Queensland and co-author of the paper, told AFP.

These tips have been coated with an experimental&nbsp;vaccine, and the patch is clicked on with an applicator that resembles a hockey puck. "It's like you get a good flick on the skin," said Muller.

The researchers used a so-called "subunit"&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;that reproduces the spikes that dot the surface of the coronavirus.

Mice were injected either via the patch over the course of two minutes, or with a syringe.

The immune systems of those who got the patch produced high levels of neutralizing antibodies after two doses, including in their lungs, vital to stopping Covid, and the&nbsp;patches&nbsp;outperformed syringes.&nbsp;

The researchers also found that a sub-group of mice, who were given only one dose of&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;containing an additional substance called an adjuvant used to spur immune response, "didn't get sick at all," said Muller.

<h2>Easy to apply&nbsp;</h2>

What makes them more effective?

Vaccines&nbsp;are normally injected into our muscles, but muscle tissue doesn't contain very many immune cells needed to react to the drug, explained Muller.

In addition, the tiny spikes cause localized skin death, which alerts the body to a problem and triggers a greater immune response.&nbsp;

For the scientist, the logistical advantages couldn't be clearer.&nbsp;

First, when dry-coated on a patch, the&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;is stable for at least 30 days at 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) and one week at 40C (104F), compared to a few hours at room temperature for the Moderna and Pfizer&nbsp;vaccines.

This offers a major advantage particularly for developing countries.

Second, "it's very simple to use," said Muller. "You don't necessarily need highly trained medical professionals to deliver it."

Burak Ozdoganlar, a professor of engineering at Carnegie Mellon University in the US city of Pittsburgh, has also been working on the technology since 2007.

He sees yet another advantage: "Less amount of&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;delivered precisely to skin can activate an immune response similar to intramuscular injection," he told AFP. It's an important factor as the developing world struggles to procure enough Covid&nbsp;vaccine.

Ozdoganlar can produce around 300-400&nbsp;patches&nbsp;a day in his lab, but hasn't been able to test them out on mRNA&nbsp;vaccines, which have come to the fore during the pandemic, because he hasn't been authorized by Pfizer or Moderna.

<h2>&nbsp;'The future'&nbsp;</h2>

The patch used in the study published on Friday was made by Australian company Vaxxas, which is the furthest along. Human trials are planned from April.&nbsp;

Two other American companies are also part of the race: Micron Biomedical and Vaxess.

The latter, founded in 2013 and based in Massachusetts, is working on a slightly different type of patch, with microneedles that dissolve in the skin.

They say this approach has the benefit of requiring fewer spikes per patch -- just 121 -- made of a protein polymer that is biocompatible.

"We're working on a seasonal Covid and flu combination product that will be mailed directly to patients' homes, for self-administration," CEO Michael Schrader told AFP.

The Covid&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;they are using is produced by the company Medigen, already authorized in Taiwan.&nbsp;

Vaxess has just opened a factory near Boston, with funding from the US National Institutes for Health. They aim to produce enough&nbsp;patches&nbsp;to vaccinate 2,000 to 3,000 people in clinical trials, which are to be launched next summer.

The main challenge right now is production, with no manufacturers yet able to make enough&nbsp;patches&nbsp;en masse.

Effective vaccines, without a needle: Since the start of the Covid pandemic, researchers have doubled down on efforts to create patches that deliver life-saving drugs painlessly to the skin, a development that could revolutionize medicine.

Effective vaccines, without a needle: Since the start of the Covid pandemic, researchers have doubled down on efforts to create patches that deliver life-saving drugs painlessly to the skin, a development that could revolutionize medicine. The technique could help save children's tears at doctors' offices, and help people who have a phobia of syringes. Beyond that, skin patches could assist with distribution efforts, because they don't have cold-chain requirements -- and might even heighten vaccine efficacy. A new mouse study in the area, published in the journal Science Advances, showed promising results. The Australian-US team used patches measuring one square centimeter that were dotted with more than 5,000 microscopic spikes, "so tiny you can't actually see them," David Muller, a virologist at the University of Queensland and co-author of the paper, told AFP. These tips have been coated with an experimental vaccine, and the patch is clicked on with an applicator that resembles a hockey puck. "It's like you get a good flick on the skin," said Muller. The researchers used a so-called "subunit" vaccine that reproduces the spikes that dot the surface of the coronavirus. Mice were injected either via the patch over the course of two minutes, or with a syringe. The immune systems of those who got the patch produced high levels of neutralizing antibodies after two doses, including in their lungs, vital to stopping Covid, and the patches outperformed syringes. The researchers also found that a sub-group of mice, who were given only one dose of vaccine containing an additional substance called an adjuvant used to spur immune response, "didn't get sick at all," said Muller. Easy to apply What makes them more effective? Vaccines are normally injected into our muscles, but muscle tissue doesn't contain very many immune cells needed to react to the drug, explained Muller. In addition, the tiny spikes cause localized skin death, which alerts the body to a problem and triggers a greater immune response. For the scientist, the logistical advantages couldn't be clearer. First, when dry-coated on a patch, the vaccine is stable for at least 30 days at 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) and one week at 40C (104F), compared to a few hours at room temperature for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. This offers a major advantage particularly for developing countries. Second, "it's very simple to use," said Muller. "You don't necessarily need highly trained medical professionals to deliver it." Burak Ozdoganlar, a professor of engineering at Carnegie Mellon University in the US city of Pittsburgh, has also been working on the technology since 2007. He sees yet another advantage: "Less amount of vaccine delivered precisely to skin can activate an immune response similar to intramuscular injection," he told AFP. It's an important factor as the developing world struggles to procure enough Covid vaccine. Ozdoganlar can produce around 300-400 patches a day in his lab, but hasn't been able to test them out on mRNA vaccines, which have come to the fore during the pandemic, because he hasn't been authorized by Pfizer or Moderna. 'The future' The patch used in the study published on Friday was made by Australian company Vaxxas, which is the furthest along. Human trials are planned from April. Two other American companies are also part of the race: Micron Biomedical and Vaxess. The latter, founded in 2013 and based in Massachusetts, is working on a slightly different type of patch, with microneedles that dissolve in the skin. They say this approach has the benefit of requiring fewer spikes per patch -- just 121 -- made of a protein polymer that is biocompatible. "We're working on a seasonal Covid and flu combination product that will be mailed directly to patients' homes, for self-administration," CEO Michael Schrader told AFP. The Covid vaccine they are using is produced by the company Medigen, already authorized in Taiwan. Vaxess has just opened a factory near Boston, with funding from the US National Institutes for Health. They aim to produce enough patches to vaccinate 2,000 to 3,000 people in clinical trials, which are to be launched next summer. The main challenge right now is production, with no manufacturers yet able to make enough patches en masse.

Covid: Needle-free vaccine patches coming soon, say researchers and makers

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">coronavirus</a> pandemic has been tough on everybody and especially for the medical professionals who have been helping patients every day. Many medical experts have exposed themselves to the deadly virus and that has put their lives in extreme danger.

Indian Medical Association (IMA) has revealed that nearly 594 doctors have lost their lives to this pandemic during the second wave while serving others.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/covid-19-vaccination-tips-to-follow-before-and-after-taking-the-jab-388927" hreflang="en">COVID-19 vaccination: Tips to follow before and after taking the jab</a>

Out of these, 107 doctors belonged to the capital New Delhi, which was one of the worst affected areas in the country.

After Delhi, Bihar lost the most number of doctors, i.e. 96, followed by 67 in Uttar Pradesh and 43 in Rajasthan. New Delhi, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh together&nbsp;account for 45 per cent of doctor deaths in the country’s second wave.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/mixing-vaccines-has-not-become-the-protocol-india-health-ministry-388790" hreflang="en">Mixing vaccines has not become the protocol: India health ministry</a>

In total, the country has lost more than 1,300 doctors since the pandemic hit in the early months of 2020.

Some doctors have also lost their lives or have been critically injured after being attacked by family members or mobs in the hospitals or medical clinics while caring for patients and saving the lives of those infected by the coronavirus. The IMA has also urged the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, to bring in stricter laws against healthcare violence.

"There are many incidents of healthcare violence taking place across the country. Doctors and healthcare staff is finding it difficult to work under the stress of violence. Healthcare violence has become an alarming phenomenon across the country. The real size of the problem is largely unknown and recent information shows that the current knowledge is the tip of the iceberg," the letter read.

"India needs a comprehensive, uniform and effective law against the healthcare violence. We request you to kindly approve an effective and strong act against the healthcare violence," it added.

The coronavirus pandemic has been tough on everybody and especially for the medical professionals who have been helping patients every day. Many medical experts have exposed themselves to the deadly virus and that has put their lives in extreme danger.

The coronavirus pandemic has been tough on everybody and especially for the medical professionals who have been helping patients every day. Many medical experts have exposed themselves to the deadly virus and that has put their lives in extreme danger. Indian Medical Association (IMA) has revealed that nearly 594 doctors have lost their lives to this pandemic during the second wave while serving others. Also read | COVID-19 vaccination: Tips to follow before and after taking the jab Out of these, 107 doctors belonged to the capital New Delhi, which was one of the worst affected areas in the country. After Delhi, Bihar lost the most number of doctors, i.e. 96, followed by 67 in Uttar Pradesh and 43 in Rajasthan. New Delhi, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh together account for 45 per cent of doctor deaths in the country’s second wave. Also read | Mixing vaccines has not become the protocol: India health ministry In total, the country has lost more than 1,300 doctors since the pandemic hit in the early months of 2020. Some doctors have also lost their lives or have been critically injured after being attacked by family members or mobs in the hospitals or medical clinics while caring for patients and saving the lives of those infected by the coronavirus. The IMA has also urged the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, to bring in stricter laws against healthcare violence. "There are many incidents of healthcare violence taking place across the country. Doctors and healthcare staff is finding it difficult to work under the stress of violence. Healthcare violence has become an alarming phenomenon across the country. The real size of the problem is largely unknown and recent information shows that the current knowledge is the tip of the iceberg," the letter read. "India needs a comprehensive, uniform and effective law against the healthcare violence. We request you to kindly approve an effective and strong act against the healthcare violence," it added.

India has lost 594 doctors in second wave of COVID-19, says medical body IMA

The latest data by Indian Medical Association (IMA) revealed that India has lost as many as 270 doctors in the ongoing second wave of COVID-19 which is wreaking havoc across the country.&nbsp;

India reported a total of 2,63,533 new Covid&nbsp;cases on Tuesday, the second consecutive day when cases have come below the 300,000 mark for India.&nbsp;

The list of the deceased doctors includes former IMA president Dr K K Aggarwal, who succumbed to the deadly virus on Monday.&nbsp;

Bihar saw the maximum number of 78 deaths of medical practitioners, followed by Uttar Pradesh (37), Delhi (29) and Andhra Pradesh (22).&nbsp;

According to the IMA COVID-19 registry, 748 doctors succumbed to the disease in the first wave of the pandemic. "Last year, 748 doctors across India succumbed to COVID-19, while in the current wave, in a short period, we have lost 270 doctors.&nbsp;

"The second wave of the pandemic is turning out to be extremely fatal for all and especially for the healthcare workers who are at the forefront," IMA president Dr JA Jayalal said.

(With inputs from agencies)

The latest data by Indian Medical Association (IMA) revealed that India has lost as many as 270 doctors in the ongoing second wave of COVID-19 which is wreaking havoc across the country.

The latest data by Indian Medical Association (IMA) revealed that India has lost as many as 270 doctors in the ongoing second wave of COVID-19 which is wreaking havoc across the country. India reported a total of 2,63,533 new Covid cases on Tuesday, the second consecutive day when cases have come below the 300,000 mark for India. The list of the deceased doctors includes former IMA president Dr K K Aggarwal, who succumbed to the deadly virus on Monday. Bihar saw the maximum number of 78 deaths of medical practitioners, followed by Uttar Pradesh (37), Delhi (29) and Andhra Pradesh (22). According to the IMA COVID-19 registry, 748 doctors succumbed to the disease in the first wave of the pandemic. "Last year, 748 doctors across India succumbed to COVID-19, while in the current wave, in a short period, we have lost 270 doctors. "The second wave of the pandemic is turning out to be extremely fatal for all and especially for the healthcare workers who are at the forefront," IMA president Dr JA Jayalal said. (With inputs from agencies)

COVID-19 second wave: 270 doctors have lost their lives in the line of duty in India

A top medical organisation has thrown its weight behind calls to cancel the Tokyo&nbsp;Olympics&nbsp;saying hospitals are already overwhelmed as the country battles a spike in coronavirus infections less than three months from the start of the Games.

The Tokyo Medical Practitioners Association representing about 6,000 primary care doctors said hospitals in the Games host city "have their hands full and have almost no spare capacity" amid a surge in infections.

"We strongly request that the authorities convince the IOC (International Olympic Committee) that holding the&nbsp;Olympics&nbsp;is difficult and obtain its decision to cancel the Games," the association said in a May 14 open letter to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga which was posted to its website on Monday.

A jump in infections has stoked alarm amid a shortage of medical staff and hospital beds in some areas of the Japanese capital, promoting the government to extend the third state of emergency in Tokyo and several other prefectures until May 31.

Doctors would soon face the added difficulty of dealing with heat exhaustion patients during the summer months and if the&nbsp;Olympics&nbsp;contributed to a rise in deaths "Japan will bear the maximum responsibility", it added.

Other health experts and medical groups have voiced their concerns https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/tokyo-olympics-must-be-reconsidered-due-japans-failure-contain-pandemic-report-2021-04-16 about the&nbsp;Olympics, while an online petition calling for the Games to be cancelled was signed by hundreds of thousands of people.

Overall, Japan has avoided an explosive spread of the virus experienced by other nations, but the government has come under sharp criticism&nbsp;for its sluggish vaccination roll-out.

Only about 3.5% of its population of about 126 million has been vaccinated, according to a Reuter's tracker.

Underscoring the challenges with the vaccinations, booking systems for mass inoculation sites being launched in Tokyo and Osaka - which started accepting bookings on Monday - were marred by technical glitches.

Still, Suga says Japan can host "a safe and secure&nbsp;Olympics" while following appropriate COVID-19 containment measures.

Preparations for the July 23-Aug. 8 Games are progressing under tight COVID-19 protocols, such as an athletics test event https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/tokyos-olympic-stadium-holds-track-field-test-event-minus-fans-2021-05-09 featuring 420 athletes in early May.

But multiple pre-Olympic training camps, including one for the United States' track and field team, have been cancelled, and athletes have voiced concerns about the Games taking place in the midst of a global pandemic.

Canadian equestrian athlete and gold medalist Eric Lamaze announced on Monday that he had pulled out of being an Olympic candidate, citing personal health concerns. He has been treated for a brain tumour over the past three years.

"My health is something that I take very seriously, and I've decided that Tokyo is not the best venue for me," Lamaze said in the statement.

"The&nbsp;Olympics&nbsp;are a celebration of the athletes and I don't think we're going to have a true celebration in Tokyo," he added. "It's not the time to celebrate."

The Games have already been postponed once due to the pandemic.

With cases surging across much of Asia, the World Economic Forum on Monday cancelled its annual meeting of the global elite due to be held in Singapore in August.

Under the state of emergency in parts of Japan, bars, restaurants, karaoke parlours and other places serving alcohol will remain closed, although large commercial facilities can re-open under shorter hours. Hard-hit Tokyo and Osaka will continue to keep these larger facilities closed.

The number of COVID-19 cases nationwide dropped to 3,680 on Monday, the lowest level since April 26, according to public broadcaster NHK, but the number of heavy infections hit a record high of 1,235, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

A top medical organisation has thrown its weight behind calls to cancel the Tokyo Olympics saying hospitals are already overwhelmed as the country battles a spike in coronavirus infections less than three months from the start of the Games.

A top medical organisation has thrown its weight behind calls to cancel the Tokyo Olympics saying hospitals are already overwhelmed as the country battles a spike in coronavirus infections less than three months from the start of the Games. The Tokyo Medical Practitioners Association representing about 6,000 primary care doctors said hospitals in the Games host city "have their hands full and have almost no spare capacity" amid a surge in infections. "We strongly request that the authorities convince the IOC (International Olympic Committee) that holding the Olympics is difficult and obtain its decision to cancel the Games," the association said in a May 14 open letter to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga which was posted to its website on Monday. A jump in infections has stoked alarm amid a shortage of medical staff and hospital beds in some areas of the Japanese capital, promoting the government to extend the third state of emergency in Tokyo and several other prefectures until May 31. Doctors would soon face the added difficulty of dealing with heat exhaustion patients during the summer months and if the Olympics contributed to a rise in deaths "Japan will bear the maximum responsibility", it added. Other health experts and medical groups have voiced their concerns https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/tokyo-olympics-must-be-reconsidered-due-japans-failure-contain-pandemic-report-2021-04-16 about the Olympics, while an online petition calling for the Games to be cancelled was signed by hundreds of thousands of people. Overall, Japan has avoided an explosive spread of the virus experienced by other nations, but the government has come under sharp criticism for its sluggish vaccination roll-out. Only about 3.5% of its population of about 126 million has been vaccinated, according to a Reuter's tracker. Underscoring the challenges with the vaccinations, booking systems for mass inoculation sites being launched in Tokyo and Osaka - which started accepting bookings on Monday - were marred by technical glitches. Still, Suga says Japan can host "a safe and secure Olympics" while following appropriate COVID-19 containment measures. Preparations for the July 23-Aug. 8 Games are progressing under tight COVID-19 protocols, such as an athletics test event https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/tokyos-olympic-stadium-holds-track-field-test-event-minus-fans-2021-05-09 featuring 420 athletes in early May. But multiple pre-Olympic training camps, including one for the United States' track and field team, have been cancelled, and athletes have voiced concerns about the Games taking place in the midst of a global pandemic. Canadian equestrian athlete and gold medalist Eric Lamaze announced on Monday that he had pulled out of being an Olympic candidate, citing personal health concerns. He has been treated for a brain tumour over the past three years. "My health is something that I take very seriously, and I've decided that Tokyo is not the best venue for me," Lamaze said in the statement. "The Olympics are a celebration of the athletes and I don't think we're going to have a true celebration in Tokyo," he added. "It's not the time to celebrate." The Games have already been postponed once due to the pandemic. With cases surging across much of Asia, the World Economic Forum on Monday cancelled its annual meeting of the global elite due to be held in Singapore in August. Under the state of emergency in parts of Japan, bars, restaurants, karaoke parlours and other places serving alcohol will remain closed, although large commercial facilities can re-open under shorter hours. Hard-hit Tokyo and Osaka will continue to keep these larger facilities closed. The number of COVID-19 cases nationwide dropped to 3,680 on Monday, the lowest level since April 26, according to public broadcaster NHK, but the number of heavy infections hit a record high of 1,235, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

Tokyo doctors call for cancellation of Olympic Games due to COVID-19

Doctors from major hospitals in England sounded an alarm on Wednesday over a fivefold increase in the number of young children requiring medical treatment after swallowing magnets from toys.&nbsp;

Nearly half of these kids aged four months and up required surgery to remove the magnets, often followed by complications, they reported in a research letter published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, a medical journal.&nbsp;

From 2016 through 2020, four major hospitals in southeastern England admitted 251 children, who had swallowed a foreign object. &nbsp;

Coins accounted for 37 per cent of the items ingested, ahead of magnets (21 per cent) and button batteries (17 per cent).&nbsp;

Across all categories, the number of cases increased by more than half over this period.&nbsp;

But those involving magnets, mostly brightly coloured, matchstick-like pieces found in building sets, jumped five-fold, they reported.&nbsp;

More than 40 per cent of these incidents required surgery for removal.&nbsp;

"This was either laparoscopy, also known as 'key-hole' surgery, or open abdominal surgery to retrieve the magnets from the intestine," Hemanshoo Thakkar, a paediatric surgeon at Evelina London Children's Hospital, told AFP.&nbsp;

In half of the cases, there were complications.&nbsp;

"As the children suffer from a perforation, their abdomen becomes contaminated and this can result in ongoing infections," Thakkar explained.&nbsp;

Doctors from major hospitals in England sounded an alarm on Wednesday over a fivefold increase in the number of young children requiring medical treatment after swallowing magnets from toys.

Doctors from major hospitals in England sounded an alarm on Wednesday over a fivefold increase in the number of young children requiring medical treatment after swallowing magnets from toys. Nearly half of these kids aged four months and up required surgery to remove the magnets, often followed by complications, they reported in a research letter published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, a medical journal. From 2016 through 2020, four major hospitals in southeastern England admitted 251 children, who had swallowed a foreign object. Coins accounted for 37 per cent of the items ingested, ahead of magnets (21 per cent) and button batteries (17 per cent). Across all categories, the number of cases increased by more than half over this period. But those involving magnets, mostly brightly coloured, matchstick-like pieces found in building sets, jumped five-fold, they reported. More than 40 per cent of these incidents required surgery for removal. "This was either laparoscopy, also known as 'key-hole' surgery, or open abdominal surgery to retrieve the magnets from the intestine," Hemanshoo Thakkar, a paediatric surgeon at Evelina London Children's Hospital, told AFP. In half of the cases, there were complications. "As the children suffer from a perforation, their abdomen becomes contaminated and this can result in ongoing infections," Thakkar explained.

Doctors sound alarm over 5-fold jump in kids swallowing magnets 

Researchers have developed a method that uses the camera on a person’s smartphone or computer to take their pulse and respiration signal from a real-time video of their face.

The development comes at a time when telehealth has become a critical way for doctors to provide healthcare while minimising in-person contact during Covid-19.

The University of Washington-led team’s system uses machine learning to capture subtle changes in how light reflects off a person’s face, which is correlated with changing blood flow. Then it converts these changes into both pulse and respiration rate.

The researchers presented the system in December at the Neural Information Processing Systems conference. 
Now, the team is proposing a better system to measure these physiological signals.

This system is less likely to be tripped up by different cameras, lighting conditions or facial features, such as skin colour, according to the researchers, who will present these findings on April 8 at the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Conference on Health, Interference, and Learning.

"Every person is different," said lead study author Xin Liu, a UW doctoral student.

"So, this system needs to be able to quickly adapt to each person’s unique physiological signature, and separate this from other variations, such as what they look like and what environment they are in."

The first version of this system was trained with a dataset that contained both videos of people’s faces and ‘ground truth’ information: each person’s pulse and respiration rate measured by standard instruments in the field.

The system then used spatial and temporal information from the videos to calculate both vital signs.

While the system worked well on some datasets, it still struggled with others that contained different people, backgrounds and lighting. This is a common problem known as ‘overfitting’, the team said.

The researchers improved the system by having it produce a personalised machine learning model for each individual.

Specifically, it helps look for important areas in a video frame that likely contain physiological features correlated with changing blood flow in a face under different contexts, such as different skin tones, lighting conditions and environments.

From there, it can focus on that area and measure the pulse and respiration rate.

While this new system outperforms its predecessor when given more challenging datasets, especially for people with darker skin tones, there is still more work to do, the team said.

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Researchers have developed a method that uses the camera on a person’s smartphone or computer to take their pulse and respiration signal from a real-time video of their face.

Researchers have developed a method that uses the camera on a person’s smartphone or computer to take their pulse and respiration signal from a real-time video of their face. The development comes at a time when telehealth has become a critical way for doctors to provide healthcare while minimising in-person contact during Covid-19. The University of Washington-led team’s system uses machine learning to capture subtle changes in how light reflects off a person’s face, which is correlated with changing blood flow. Then it converts these changes into both pulse and respiration rate. The researchers presented the system in December at the Neural Information Processing Systems conference. Now, the team is proposing a better system to measure these physiological signals. This system is less likely to be tripped up by different cameras, lighting conditions or facial features, such as skin colour, according to the researchers, who will present these findings on April 8 at the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Conference on Health, Interference, and Learning. "Every person is different," said lead study author Xin Liu, a UW doctoral student. "So, this system needs to be able to quickly adapt to each person’s unique physiological signature, and separate this from other variations, such as what they look like and what environment they are in." The first version of this system was trained with a dataset that contained both videos of people’s faces and ‘ground truth’ information: each person’s pulse and respiration rate measured by standard instruments in the field. The system then used spatial and temporal information from the videos to calculate both vital signs. While the system worked well on some datasets, it still struggled with others that contained different people, backgrounds and lighting. This is a common problem known as ‘overfitting’, the team said. The researchers improved the system by having it produce a personalised machine learning model for each individual. Specifically, it helps look for important areas in a video frame that likely contain physiological features correlated with changing blood flow in a face under different contexts, such as different skin tones, lighting conditions and environments. From there, it can focus on that area and measure the pulse and respiration rate. While this new system outperforms its predecessor when given more challenging datasets, especially for people with darker skin tones, there is still more work to do, the team said. (With inputs from agencies)

Smartphone camera can help doctors measure pulse, breathing rate

As the year comes to an end, we remember those who were at the forefront of the battle against Covid19. Watch 'Heroes of the Pandemic'

WION Wideangle : Watch 'Heroes of the Pandemic'

Doctors watching the bran activity of a 10-year-old during the removal of a double tumour saw something uncanny.&nbsp;

When the music playing on a piano next to the boy was interrupted, his brain activity changed too.

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Molecular biologist and musician Emiliano Toso was playing a grand piano in the operation theatre to cause a therapeutic effect on the body, which is recognised by medical professionals.

As reported by Reuters, the team of doctors was led by doctor Roberto Trignani to perform the four-hour-long operation.

<h6><img alt="A still image taken from a video shows medical staff led by Dr. Roberto Trignani performing surgery to remove a double tumour in the spinal cord of a 10-year-old child as molecular biologist Emiliano Toso plays music on the piano with a frequency believed to have a therapeutic affect on the patient at the Salesi Pediatric Hospital in Ancona, Italy, November 16, 2020" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d20ec01a-b8a2-4337-bd99-8ead71af40a3" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%281%29_165.jpg" />A still image taken from a video shows medical staff led by Dr. Roberto Trignani performing surgery to remove a double tumour in the spinal cord of a 10-year-old child as molecular biologist Emiliano Toso plays music on the piano with a frequency believed to have a therapeutic affect on the patient at the Salesi Pediatric Hospital in Ancona, Italy, November 16, 2020 | Reuters</h6>

"We have tried to stop and then restart the music, noticing the patient's response, despite the fact that he was under total anaesthesia the brain perceived the music and this was very exciting," Toso told Reuters.

According to the doctors, the patient is doing well but more tests are required to ascertain his condition.

"Everything went well, there were no complications. There was a magical atmosphere of complete harmony," Trignani, head of the neurosurgery unit at the Riuniti hospital in the Italian city of Ancona said, reported Ansa news agency.

Doctors watching the bran activity of a 10-year-old during the removal of a double tumour saw something uncanny. When the music playing on a piano next to the boy was interrupted, his brain activity changed too.

Doctors watching the bran activity of a 10-year-old during the removal of a double tumour saw something uncanny. When the music playing on a piano next to the boy was interrupted, his brain activity changed too. Molecular biologist and musician Emiliano Toso was playing a grand piano in the operation theatre to cause a therapeutic effect on the body, which is recognised by medical professionals. As reported by Reuters, the team of doctors was led by doctor Roberto Trignani to perform the four-hour-long operation. A still image taken from a video shows medical staff led by Dr. Roberto Trignani performing surgery to remove a double tumour in the spinal cord of a 10-year-old child as molecular biologist Emiliano Toso plays music on the piano with a frequency believed to have a therapeutic affect on the patient at the Salesi Pediatric Hospital in Ancona, Italy, November 16, 2020 | Reuters "We have tried to stop and then restart the music, noticing the patient's response, despite the fact that he was under total anaesthesia the brain perceived the music and this was very exciting," Toso told Reuters. According to the doctors, the patient is doing well but more tests are required to ascertain his condition. "Everything went well, there were no complications. There was a magical atmosphere of complete harmony," Trignani, head of the neurosurgery unit at the Riuniti hospital in the Italian city of Ancona said, reported Ansa news agency.

Doctor plays piano for 10-year-old cancer patient during surgery

European countries are struggling to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Intensive care is the last line for the defence to severely ill coronavirus patients, but Europe is now running out of beds, doctors & nurses.

COVID-19 Pandemic: Europe faces shortage of beds, doctors & nurses

Health workers in the Spanish capital protested on Tuesday (September 15) against the regional health authority's lack of support and demanding better working conditions.

Health workers protest in Madrid against lack of support, demand better conditions

The medical council of India (MCI) has said that any qualification obtained from illegally occupied Indian Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will not be recognized to allow the modern medicine in India.&nbsp;

In an order issued on Monday, Secretary-General of MCI, Dr R K Vats said that “This is to inform all concerned that the entire territories of UT of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral part of India. Pakistan is in the illegal and forcible occupation of a part of the territory,” adding that Pakistan is in the illegal and forcible occupation of a part of the territory.”&nbsp;

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The order further reads that “any medical institution in Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh (PoJKL) requires permission/recognition under Indian Medical Council Act, 1956. Such permission has not been granted to any medical college in POJKL.”

This order would mean that qualifications obtained from any medical colleges located in these occupied areas of India will not be entitled for grant of registration under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 to practice modern medicine in India.&nbsp;

Talking to WION over the phone, president of Jammu &amp; Kashmir Medical Council president Dr&nbsp;Saleem Ur Rehman said that “we have standard guidelines as per MCI. Anyone coming from any country will have to get his qualifications verified from Ministry of Home affairs. Then we do the registration.” While the Registrar of IMC in J&amp;K, Vijay Gupta, told WION an order has been issued.&nbsp;

Many students from J&amp;K in the past would go to Pakistan to study medicine, several of them on the recommendations of separatist leaders and there would be a special quota for J&amp;K students reserved by the Pakistan government.

The medical council of India (MCI) has said that any qualification obtained from illegally occupied Indian Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will not be recognized to allow the modern medicine in India.

The medical council of India (MCI) has said that any qualification obtained from illegally occupied Indian Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will not be recognized to allow the modern medicine in India. In an order issued on Monday, Secretary-General of MCI, Dr R K Vats said that “This is to inform all concerned that the entire territories of UT of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral part of India. Pakistan is in the illegal and forcible occupation of a part of the territory,” adding that Pakistan is in the illegal and forcible occupation of a part of the territory.” The order further reads that “any medical institution in Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh (PoJKL) requires permission/recognition under Indian Medical Council Act, 1956. Such permission has not been granted to any medical college in POJKL.” This order would mean that qualifications obtained from any medical colleges located in these occupied areas of India will not be entitled for grant of registration under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 to practice modern medicine in India. Talking to WION over the phone, president of Jammu & Kashmir Medical Council president Dr Saleem Ur Rehman said that “we have standard guidelines as per MCI. Anyone coming from any country will have to get his qualifications verified from Ministry of Home affairs. Then we do the registration.” While the Registrar of IMC in J&K, Vijay Gupta, told WION an order has been issued. Many students from J&K in the past would go to Pakistan to study medicine, several of them on the recommendations of separatist leaders and there would be a special quota for J&K students reserved by the Pakistan government.

No registration for medical students studying in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir & Ladakh: Medical Council of India 

The Centre has asked states to ensure uninterrupted movement of doctors and other healthcare workers during the ongoing lockdown, saying curbs on them can lead to severe constraints in rendering COVID and non-COVID medical services.

There have been reports of health care services being affected in some places including in the national capital after neighbouring states closed down inter-state borders and barred movement of medical workers.

In a letter to chief secretaries of all states and union territories, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said inter-state movement of doctors and paramedics should be facilitated wherever required.

"Any restrictions on the movement of medical professionals and paramedical staff can lead to severe constraints in rendering COVID and non-COVID medical services.

"As such, ensuring the unhindered movement of all such medical professionals is essential for meeting public health requirements and saving precious human lives," he said in the letter.

Bhalla said there have been reports of many private clinics and nursing homes not being allowed to open at several places.

The functioning of these medical facilities, which supplement the regular medical infrastructure, and relieve the burden on hospitals, is also crucial, he noted.

"I would urge all States and UTs to ensure that such clinics and nursing homes continue to function without any hindrances," he said.

The home secretary said all states and UT governments should ensure that their field officials allow smooth movement of all medical professionals, nurses, paramedical, sanitation personnel and ambulances.

They should also ensure the opening of all private clinics, nursing homes and labs with all their medical professional and staff.

Bhalla also referred to a meeting held by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Sunday where the issue of restrictions being imposed by some States and UTs on the movement of medical professionals and para-medical personnel was flagged.

"As you are aware, the services of the medical and para-medical staff are urgently required in meeting the challenge of COVID-19 pandemic.

"Furthermore, the existing staff, apart from this duty, also has to render normal responsibilities, such as conducting immunisation programmes, handling the onset of vector and other seasonal diseases, and meeting other non-COVID emergencies," he said.

The lockdown was first announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 for 21 days to contain the spread of coronavirus.

It was first extended till May 3 and again till May 17.

The Centre has asked states to ensure uninterrupted movement of doctors and other healthcare workers during the ongoing lockdown, saying curbs on them can lead to severe constraints in rendering COVID and non-COVID medical services.

The Centre has asked states to ensure uninterrupted movement of doctors and other healthcare workers during the ongoing lockdown, saying curbs on them can lead to severe constraints in rendering COVID and non-COVID medical services. There have been reports of health care services being affected in some places including in the national capital after neighbouring states closed down inter-state borders and barred movement of medical workers. In a letter to chief secretaries of all states and union territories, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said inter-state movement of doctors and paramedics should be facilitated wherever required. "Any restrictions on the movement of medical professionals and paramedical staff can lead to severe constraints in rendering COVID and non-COVID medical services. "As such, ensuring the unhindered movement of all such medical professionals is essential for meeting public health requirements and saving precious human lives," he said in the letter. Bhalla said there have been reports of many private clinics and nursing homes not being allowed to open at several places. The functioning of these medical facilities, which supplement the regular medical infrastructure, and relieve the burden on hospitals, is also crucial, he noted. "I would urge all States and UTs to ensure that such clinics and nursing homes continue to function without any hindrances," he said. The home secretary said all states and UT governments should ensure that their field officials allow smooth movement of all medical professionals, nurses, paramedical, sanitation personnel and ambulances. They should also ensure the opening of all private clinics, nursing homes and labs with all their medical professional and staff. Bhalla also referred to a meeting held by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Sunday where the issue of restrictions being imposed by some States and UTs on the movement of medical professionals and para-medical personnel was flagged. "As you are aware, the services of the medical and para-medical staff are urgently required in meeting the challenge of COVID-19 pandemic. "Furthermore, the existing staff, apart from this duty, also has to render normal responsibilities, such as conducting immunisation programmes, handling the onset of vector and other seasonal diseases, and meeting other non-COVID emergencies," he said. The lockdown was first announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 for 21 days to contain the spread of coronavirus. It was first extended till May 3 and again till May 17.

States to ensure unhindered movement of doctors, paramedics amid COVID-19 lockdown: Home Ministry

From the isolation, Tejerina and his wife, Geraldine, were inspired to find a way to help essential workers. They began cooking and delivering meals for police, doctors and nurses. Ever the marketer, Tejerina dubbed his project, "Taking Care of Those Who Care For Us."

Bolivian couple springs into action to feed coronavirus frontliners during lockdown

The Federation of Resident Doctors` Association (FORDA) wrote to the Union Health Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan, requesting him to arrange&nbsp;accommodation facilities for resident doctors advised for home quarantine.

Explaining their anxiety for the safety of their family members, the letter stated the recent reports of resident doctors being tested positive for coronavirus. Sue to that, some resident doctors, who were their primary contacts, have been advised to home quarantine. Some resident doctors stay in hostels allotted on the hospital campus while many stay at their homes in various locations.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/air-india-employees-receive-10-salary-cut-request-minister-of-civil-aviation-to-intervene-294737">Also read:&nbsp;Air India employees receive 10% salary cut; request Minister of Civil Aviation to intervene</a>

"There are aged family members as well as young children at home who are the most vulnerable to this disease. The doctors themselves might be a source of infection for their family members. Therefore, it is necessary to provide separate accommodation or the resident doctors who are primary contacts, till they test negative for the virus," the letter reads.

The letter assured that the medical fraternity stands together with the nation in the times of a global pandemic. "We appreciate the efforts of the Government of India in providing accommodation and other facilities for the doctors on COVID-19 duties," it said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/donate-blood-plasma-delhi-cm-arvind-kejriwal-appeals-to-recovered-covid-19-patients-294509">Also read:&nbsp;Donate blood plasma, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal appeals to recovered COVID-19 patients</a>

The letter came a day after Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij requested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to provide accommodation facilities to the government officials who travel from Haryana to Delhi for their work.

"I request the Arvind Kejriwal government that those Delhi government employees who reside in Haryana, the arrangements for their stay should be made in the national capital itself and no passes should be issued to them for visiting their homes (in Haryana)," Vij, who is also the state's Health Minister, said.

The Federation of Resident Doctors` Association (FORDA) wrote to the Union Health Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan, requesting him to arrange accommodation facilities for resident doctors advised for home quarantine.

The Federation of Resident Doctors` Association (FORDA) wrote to the Union Health Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan, requesting him to arrange accommodation facilities for resident doctors advised for home quarantine. Explaining their anxiety for the safety of their family members, the letter stated the recent reports of resident doctors being tested positive for coronavirus. Sue to that, some resident doctors, who were their primary contacts, have been advised to home quarantine. Some resident doctors stay in hostels allotted on the hospital campus while many stay at their homes in various locations. Also read: Air India employees receive 10% salary cut; request Minister of Civil Aviation to intervene "There are aged family members as well as young children at home who are the most vulnerable to this disease. The doctors themselves might be a source of infection for their family members. Therefore, it is necessary to provide separate accommodation or the resident doctors who are primary contacts, till they test negative for the virus," the letter reads. The letter assured that the medical fraternity stands together with the nation in the times of a global pandemic. "We appreciate the efforts of the Government of India in providing accommodation and other facilities for the doctors on COVID-19 duties," it said. Also read: Donate blood plasma, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal appeals to recovered COVID-19 patients The letter came a day after Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij requested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to provide accommodation facilities to the government officials who travel from Haryana to Delhi for their work. "I request the Arvind Kejriwal government that those Delhi government employees who reside in Haryana, the arrangements for their stay should be made in the national capital itself and no passes should be issued to them for visiting their homes (in Haryana)," Vij, who is also the state's Health Minister, said.

Doctors urge Health Minister to arrange accommodation for medical officials who are on house quarantine

Actor Ajay Devgn on Sunday conveyed his 'disgust and anger' over reports of several incidents of violence against doctors and medical staff on "baseless assumptions" amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. 
 
The 51-year-old actor made a statement on Twitter where he said, "DISGUSTED &amp; ANGRY to read reports of "educated" persons attacking doctors in their neighbourhood on baseless assumptions," he tweeted.

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DISGUSTED &amp; ANGRY to read reports of “educated” persons attacking doctors in their neighbourhood on baseless assumptions. Such insensitive people are the worst criminals😡<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StaySafeStayHome?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StaySafeStayHome</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndiaFightsCorona?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndiaFightsCorona</a>
— Ajay Devgn (@ajaydevgn) <a href="https://twitter.com/ajaydevgn/status/1249198842354044929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The 'Singham'&nbsp;actor also added that: "Such insensitive people are the worst criminals #StaySafeStayHome #IndiaFightsCorona" 
 
Earlier, the 'Dilwale'&nbsp;actor joined many other Bollywood stars to laud Mumbai Police personnel for working tirelessly during the lockdown prompted by coronavirus outbreak. 
 
He took to Twitter to share the video by the Mumbai Police which urged people to stay at home as the same is a luxury for the police officials who are currently at the frontline to combat COVID-19.&nbsp;

Actor Ajay Devgn on Sunday conveyed his 'disgust and anger' over reports of several incidents of violence against doctors and medical staff on "baseless assumptions" amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Actor Ajay Devgn on Sunday conveyed his 'disgust and anger' over reports of several incidents of violence against doctors and medical staff on "baseless assumptions" amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The 51-year-old actor made a statement on Twitter where he said, "DISGUSTED & ANGRY to read reports of "educated" persons attacking doctors in their neighbourhood on baseless assumptions," he tweeted. DISGUSTED & ANGRY to read reports of “educated” persons attacking doctors in their neighbourhood on baseless assumptions. Such insensitive people are the worst criminals😡#StaySafeStayHome #IndiaFightsCorona — Ajay Devgn (@ajaydevgn) April 12, 2020 × The 'Singham' actor also added that: "Such insensitive people are the worst criminals #StaySafeStayHome #IndiaFightsCorona" Earlier, the 'Dilwale' actor joined many other Bollywood stars to laud Mumbai Police personnel for working tirelessly during the lockdown prompted by coronavirus outbreak. He took to Twitter to share the video by the Mumbai Police which urged people to stay at home as the same is a luxury for the police officials who are currently at the frontline to combat COVID-19.

COVID-19: Ajay Devgn condemns violence against doctors

In Pakistan, doctors are being assaulted for demanding better equipment. Meanwhile 40,000 Coronavirus patients have recovered in Spain. WION's Palki gets you the biggest global developments for Monday.

Wuhan Coronavirus: Top 10 global developments for April 6 | Gravitas

A British writer and stand-up comedian Pat Condell has criticised China and reprimanded its government and the ruling Communist Party for the Covid-19 outbreak that has severely affected the life and economy world over.

He said that the ruling Communist Party didn't act like a responsible government and was too late to contain it.

"When it first emerged in the city of Wuhan, a responsible government would have dealt with it decisively. But, the Chinese Communist Party covered it up to save face, until it was too late to contain it," he said in a video posted on his Youtube channel.

Blaming the communist govt for the arrest and death of China's coronavirus whistleblower he said "They arrested (those) who talked about it. They refused all offers of outside help because saving face is more important to them than saving lives. The Chinese Communist Party is directly responsible for every death from the deadly Wuhan virus that they have inflicted on the world."

According to reports whistleblowers who tried to warn Chinese officials about the deadly outbreak at the initial stage at Wuhan's live animal market were arrested for "spreading rumours".

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"So, it seems that President Xi Jinping of China knew about the Wuhan Coronavirus weeks before he did anything about it. Maybe he was busy with important things than human life. Maybe he has crossword to finish, who knows?

"Let's not rush to judgement. As most people know by now, the Chinese communist party has infected the world with the deadly virus, the Wuhan coronavirus, which has killed thousands of people and caused unprecedented worldwide panic and lockdown that will likely devastate the global economy," Condell added.

The stand-up comedian said, "There have always been enemies of the Chinese people. Now they are enemies of all humanity. They knew the world would be crippled by this virus when they covered it up. But, they lied, they lied and they are still lying now".

He also commented on the situation of Uighurs in China and said that "Not that it matters with socialism. Chinese characteristics, Russian characteristics. Whatsoever, sooner or later people end up in concentration camps, like (how) the millions of Muslims in China right now (are) incarcerated in what they call re-education centres, where they are forced to eat pork and drink alcohol as if that's going to sort them out." 
 
(With inputs from ANI)

A British writer and stand-up comedian Pat Condell has criticised China and reprimanded its government and the ruling Communist Party for the Covid-19 outbreak that has severely affected the life and economy world over.

A British writer and stand-up comedian Pat Condell has criticised China and reprimanded its government and the ruling Communist Party for the Covid-19 outbreak that has severely affected the life and economy world over. He said that the ruling Communist Party didn't act like a responsible government and was too late to contain it. "When it first emerged in the city of Wuhan, a responsible government would have dealt with it decisively. But, the Chinese Communist Party covered it up to save face, until it was too late to contain it," he said in a video posted on his Youtube channel. Blaming the communist govt for the arrest and death of China's coronavirus whistleblower he said "They arrested (those) who talked about it. They refused all offers of outside help because saving face is more important to them than saving lives. The Chinese Communist Party is directly responsible for every death from the deadly Wuhan virus that they have inflicted on the world." According to reports whistleblowers who tried to warn Chinese officials about the deadly outbreak at the initial stage at Wuhan's live animal market were arrested for "spreading rumours". × "So, it seems that President Xi Jinping of China knew about the Wuhan Coronavirus weeks before he did anything about it. Maybe he was busy with important things than human life. Maybe he has crossword to finish, who knows? "Let's not rush to judgement. As most people know by now, the Chinese communist party has infected the world with the deadly virus, the Wuhan coronavirus, which has killed thousands of people and caused unprecedented worldwide panic and lockdown that will likely devastate the global economy," Condell added. The stand-up comedian said, "There have always been enemies of the Chinese people. Now they are enemies of all humanity. They knew the world would be crippled by this virus when they covered it up. But, they lied, they lied and they are still lying now". He also commented on the situation of Uighurs in China and said that "Not that it matters with socialism. Chinese characteristics, Russian characteristics. Whatsoever, sooner or later people end up in concentration camps, like (how) the millions of Muslims in China right now (are) incarcerated in what they call re-education centres, where they are forced to eat pork and drink alcohol as if that's going to sort them out." (With inputs from ANI)

British writer Pat Condell slams China on Coronavirus, calls it enemy of humanity

Health care professionals and service delivery personnel are at the forefront in this battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. As most cities across the world have ordered a lockdown, it is these people who are working tirelessly and helping humanity. 
 
Now, working day and night for long hours can be tiring, boring and can affect even mental health even. And so, many doctors and nurses in various parts of the world are resorting to dance moves as a means to keep their spirits up. On Twitter, videos of doctors and nurses dressed in layers of protective gear can be seen having a bit of fun in hospital wards.

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Another great video of Iranian medical staff treating coronavirus, strained &amp; intimidated, dance to keep spirits up. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%86%D8%A7?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#كرونا</a> <a href="https://t.co/26FBqiGFsE">pic.twitter.com/26FBqiGFsE</a>
— Farnaz Fassihi (@farnazfassihi) <a href="https://twitter.com/farnazfassihi/status/1235662251786465283?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Врачи в Шереметьево классно прикалываются;) <a href="https://t.co/D308S3UOYx">pic.twitter.com/D308S3UOYx</a>
— ПРАВДИВАЯ ПРАВДА (@Pravdiva_pravda) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pravdiva_pravda/status/1236337068294516741?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2020</a></blockquote>
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While the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CoronaVirus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CoronaVirus</a> spreads all over Iran claiming hundreds of lives, Iran's admirable healthcare workers are overwhelmed and under a lot of pressure. 
 
Some of them are sending their dancing videos to show their human spirit. 
 
By the way, dancing is forbidden in Iran. <a href="https://t.co/2y0hlqX5we">pic.twitter.com/2y0hlqX5we</a>
— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlinejadMasih/status/1234840383647076352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Not just doctors, people in some cities are using state-sponsored Coronavirus anthems to make TikTok videos and further spread a word of caution to their followers. 
 
In fact on the social media app, people are making dance trends go viral thanks to COVID-19. 
 
One of these dances features the Vietnamese song 'Ghen' (which means 'Jealous' in English) by singers Erik and Min, remixed by Vietnam's Ministry of Health. 
 
The song's lyrics ask people to take necessary steps against the coronavirus.

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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B8wTW_BllKj/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#ghencovychallenge #handwashingmove #coronahanddance #VuDieuRuaTay 🌏 Because more international friends are coming to this post so I will change this to English for everyone: COVID-2019 disease is spreading, affecting people and social activities. Regular handwashing is considered a simple and effective method to protect the community from diseases (according to the World Health Organization). According to research by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 78% of people say they wash their hands often but only 25% actually wash their hands after going to the toilet, 20% wash their hands before cooking. To spread the habit of washing your hands to prevent this disease, I invite you to take part in the #ghencovychallenge challenge with me. Game rules: You perform the dance of the song Ghen Co Vy with 6 hand washing movements as recommended by the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health, based on the music song COVID-19 prevention - Jealousy, cooperation between Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health, musician Khac Hung, singer Min and singer Erik. Take this challenge or share the following epidemic prevention habits: 1. Wash your hands often with soap or an antiseptic solution. 2. Do not put hands on eyes, nose and mouth. 3. Regularly clean personal hygiene, hygiene of utensils, houses and surroundings. 4. Wear a mask to go to public places, on vehicles or when you are sick. 5. Self-awareness to improve health for themselves, the family and the community. 6. People with symptoms of COVID-19 have high fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc. or close contact with infected person / person suspected of COVID-19 and limit contact with other people and contact local health facilities. After completing the challenge, SHARE + TAG immediately 2 friends want to join this challenge. ✌ 🌐 for news reporters and press who want to use my video, please feel free to do so. 🌐 for people want to dance my choreography, please feel free to do so, it's all yours 🌐 join hands to spread this extremely useful message! 😉 #handwashdance #handwashingdance</a>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/im.quangdang/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Quang Đăng</a> (@im.quangdang) on <time datetime="2020-02-19T16:12:59+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Feb 19, 2020 at 8:12am PST</time>
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The song was picked up by Internet star Quang Đăng who then recorded a dance to the catchy tune, leading to a viral trend on TikTok. 
 
The video became so famous that it made its way to John Oliver's show 'Last Week Tonight'. 
 
Vietnam's government isn't the only one recording dances to motivate people to maintain hygiene. 
 
Philippines' Department of Health also recorded something similar showcasing similar protective measures that citizens can take.

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DOH IS OFFICIALLY ON TIKTOK!🎼 
 
Learn protective measures against COVID-19 in this TikTok video! Join the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/covidance?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#covidance</a> challenge! 
 
Follow DOH's official tiktok account at ID:dohgovph 🤟 <a href="https://t.co/YKjoD4RONc">pic.twitter.com/YKjoD4RONc</a>
— Department of Health (@DOHgovph) <a href="https://twitter.com/DOHgovph/status/1235521471587299329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2020</a></blockquote>
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While there are awareness videos that are trending, there are also videos of service delivery personnel who are doing the rounds of the internet. 
 
A video of drivers for a parcel delivery service in Bergamo, Italy singing "the only people who don't give in are us" is doing the rounds of the internet. 
 
Bergamo is one of the worst-hit by coronavirus and these drivers have been working extra hours. So a song to lift their spirits up was just about the right move, we'd say.

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Our drivers in Italy are meeting the challenge of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Coronavirus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Coronavirus</a>. These courageous &amp; dedicated <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UPSers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UPSers</a> are proudly singing “the only people who don’t give in are us!” Thank you to our drivers, package handlers, &amp; operations employees who are helping deliver to our customers in need <a href="https://t.co/QfADRWNHlK">pic.twitter.com/QfADRWNHlK</a>
— UPS (@UPS) <a href="https://twitter.com/UPS/status/1241051991985524736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The video has around 50 workers joining in as they pack parcels in a warehouse.

Health care professionals and service delivery personnel are at the forefront in this battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. As most cities across the world have ordered a lockdown, it is these people who are working tirelessly and helping humanity.

Health care professionals and service delivery personnel are at the forefront in this battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. As most cities across the world have ordered a lockdown, it is these people who are working tirelessly and helping humanity. Now, working day and night for long hours can be tiring, boring and can affect even mental health even. And so, many doctors and nurses in various parts of the world are resorting to dance moves as a means to keep their spirits up. On Twitter, videos of doctors and nurses dressed in layers of protective gear can be seen having a bit of fun in hospital wards. Another great video of Iranian medical staff treating coronavirus, strained & intimidated, dance to keep spirits up. #كرونا pic.twitter.com/26FBqiGFsE — Farnaz Fassihi (@farnazfassihi) March 5, 2020 × Врачи в Шереметьево классно прикалываются;) pic.twitter.com/D308S3UOYx — ПРАВДИВАЯ ПРАВДА (@Pravdiva_pravda) March 7, 2020 × While the #CoronaVirus spreads all over Iran claiming hundreds of lives, Iran's admirable healthcare workers are overwhelmed and under a lot of pressure. Some of them are sending their dancing videos to show their human spirit. By the way, dancing is forbidden in Iran. pic.twitter.com/2y0hlqX5we — Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) March 3, 2020 × Not just doctors, people in some cities are using state-sponsored Coronavirus anthems to make TikTok videos and further spread a word of caution to their followers. In fact on the social media app, people are making dance trends go viral thanks to COVID-19. One of these dances features the Vietnamese song 'Ghen' (which means 'Jealous' in English) by singers Erik and Min, remixed by Vietnam's Ministry of Health. The song's lyrics ask people to take necessary steps against the coronavirus. View this post on Instagram #ghencovychallenge #handwashingmove #coronahanddance #VuDieuRuaTay 🌏 Because more international friends are coming to this post so I will change this to English for everyone: COVID-2019 disease is spreading, affecting people and social activities. Regular handwashing is considered a simple and effective method to protect the community from diseases (according to the World Health Organization). According to research by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 78% of people say they wash their hands often but only 25% actually wash their hands after going to the toilet, 20% wash their hands before cooking. To spread the habit of washing your hands to prevent this disease, I invite you to take part in the #ghencovychallenge challenge with me. Game rules: You perform the dance of the song Ghen Co Vy with 6 hand washing movements as recommended by the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health, based on the music song COVID-19 prevention - Jealousy, cooperation between Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health, musician Khac Hung, singer Min and singer Erik. Take this challenge or share the following epidemic prevention habits: 1. Wash your hands often with soap or an antiseptic solution. 2. Do not put hands on eyes, nose and mouth. 3. Regularly clean personal hygiene, hygiene of utensils, houses and surroundings. 4. Wear a mask to go to public places, on vehicles or when you are sick. 5. Self-awareness to improve health for themselves, the family and the community. 6. People with symptoms of COVID-19 have high fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc. or close contact with infected person / person suspected of COVID-19 and limit contact with other people and contact local health facilities. After completing the challenge, SHARE + TAG immediately 2 friends want to join this challenge. ✌ 🌐 for news reporters and press who want to use my video, please feel free to do so. 🌐 for people want to dance my choreography, please feel free to do so, it's all yours 🌐 join hands to spread this extremely useful message! 😉 #handwashdance #handwashingdance A post shared by Quang Đăng (@im.quangdang) on Feb 19, 2020 at 8:12am PST × The song was picked up by Internet star Quang Đăng who then recorded a dance to the catchy tune, leading to a viral trend on TikTok. The video became so famous that it made its way to John Oliver's show 'Last Week Tonight'. Vietnam's government isn't the only one recording dances to motivate people to maintain hygiene. Philippines' Department of Health also recorded something similar showcasing similar protective measures that citizens can take. DOH IS OFFICIALLY ON TIKTOK!🎼 Learn protective measures against COVID-19 in this TikTok video! Join the #covidance challenge! Follow DOH's official tiktok account at ID:dohgovph 🤟 pic.twitter.com/YKjoD4RONc — Department of Health (@DOHgovph) March 5, 2020 × While there are awareness videos that are trending, there are also videos of service delivery personnel who are doing the rounds of the internet. A video of drivers for a parcel delivery service in Bergamo, Italy singing "the only people who don't give in are us" is doing the rounds of the internet. Bergamo is one of the worst-hit by coronavirus and these drivers have been working extra hours. So a song to lift their spirits up was just about the right move, we'd say. Our drivers in Italy are meeting the challenge of #Coronavirus. These courageous & dedicated #UPSers are proudly singing “the only people who don’t give in are us!” Thank you to our drivers, package handlers, & operations employees who are helping deliver to our customers in need pic.twitter.com/QfADRWNHlK — UPS (@UPS) March 20, 2020 × The video has around 50 workers joining in as they pack parcels in a warehouse.

COVID-19: Doctors, nurses and service delivery men take up dancing, music to lift their spirits up at work

South Korea's president declared war on the coronavirus on Tuesday, ordering additional hospital beds and more face masks to be made available as the number of cases rose by 600 in the worst epidemic of any nation outside China.

President Moon Jae-in apologised for shortages of face masks and promised support for virus-hit small businesses in Asia's fourth-biggest economy, which has now reported 4,812 cases of the flu-like disease and 34 deaths.

Also Read:<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/south-korea-reports-813-more-coronavirus-cases-in-24-hours-total-3150-283468"> South Korea reports 813 more coronavirus cases in 24-hours, total 3,150</a>

"The entire country has entered the war against the infectious disease as the crisis in Daegu and Gyeongbuk province has reached the highest point," he told a cabinet meeting, referring to the two hardest-hit parts of the country.

"I am very sorry to the people that we are not able to supply masks swiftly and sufficiently, and have caused inconvenience."

The virus which originated in China late last year began to spread rapidly in South Korea after it entered the congregation of a fringe Christian group in Daegu city, the Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

Also Read:<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/coronavirus-weighs-on-south-korea-february-trade-ministry-says-worse-to-come-283540">Coronavirus weighs on South Korea February trade; ministry says worse to come</a>

Sect leader and self-proclaimed messiah Lee Man-hee tested negative for the virus on Monday, having been threatened with arrest unless he agreed to be examined.

He had earlier apologised for the sect's role in spreading the virus and called the epidemic a "great calamity".

The church and Lee personally have come under intense scrutiny and growing public anger and some politicians have reported them for prosecution.

President Moon ordered masks to be stockpiled as a strategic item so suppliers can produce them without the risk of surpluses.

People are forming long queues for masks at retail stores and online suppliers are selling out as soon as stock arrives, even though the World Health Organization says healthy people only need to wear masks if they are caring for someone who is sick.

Lee Ji-Eun, a 34-year-old doctor in Seoul, said her daily routine began with surfing the internet to try to find masks for her family.

"It is totally a lottery. I click 'buy' like crazy every morning, but I only succeeded in purchasing a few last weeks," she said.

"There aren't enough even for doctors when treating patients."

A man was caught lining up to buy a mask in Daegu after testing positive for the virus, a police official told Reuters.

&nbsp;

South Korea's president declared war on the coronavirus on Tuesday, ordering additional hospital beds and more face masks to be made available as the number of cases rose by 600 in the worst epidemic of any nation outside China.

South Korea's president declared war on the coronavirus on Tuesday, ordering additional hospital beds and more face masks to be made available as the number of cases rose by 600 in the worst epidemic of any nation outside China. President Moon Jae-in apologised for shortages of face masks and promised support for virus-hit small businesses in Asia's fourth-biggest economy, which has now reported 4,812 cases of the flu-like disease and 34 deaths. Also Read: South Korea reports 813 more coronavirus cases in 24-hours, total 3,150 "The entire country has entered the war against the infectious disease as the crisis in Daegu and Gyeongbuk province has reached the highest point," he told a cabinet meeting, referring to the two hardest-hit parts of the country. "I am very sorry to the people that we are not able to supply masks swiftly and sufficiently, and have caused inconvenience." The virus which originated in China late last year began to spread rapidly in South Korea after it entered the congregation of a fringe Christian group in Daegu city, the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. Also Read:Coronavirus weighs on South Korea February trade; ministry says worse to come Sect leader and self-proclaimed messiah Lee Man-hee tested negative for the virus on Monday, having been threatened with arrest unless he agreed to be examined. He had earlier apologised for the sect's role in spreading the virus and called the epidemic a "great calamity". The church and Lee personally have come under intense scrutiny and growing public anger and some politicians have reported them for prosecution. President Moon ordered masks to be stockpiled as a strategic item so suppliers can produce them without the risk of surpluses. People are forming long queues for masks at retail stores and online suppliers are selling out as soon as stock arrives, even though the World Health Organization says healthy people only need to wear masks if they are caring for someone who is sick. Lee Ji-Eun, a 34-year-old doctor in Seoul, said her daily routine began with surfing the internet to try to find masks for her family. "It is totally a lottery. I click 'buy' like crazy every morning, but I only succeeded in purchasing a few last weeks," she said. "There aren't enough even for doctors when treating patients." A man was caught lining up to buy a mask in Daegu after testing positive for the virus, a police official told Reuters.

South Korean president declares 'war' on coronavirus as sect leader tests negative

A new report on the novel coronavirus outbreak has revealed some worrying information. A single patient in a hospital in Wuhan reportedly infected 10 medical workers and four other patients.

Coronavirus Outbreak: Super Spreaders, a new nightmare for doctors

More than 100 lawyers stormed and ransacked a hospital in Pakistan on Wednesday to avenge what they said was an assault by doctors there on a fellow advocate, and an elderly patient alongside two others died during the disturbance, authorities said.

Zulfikar Hameed, the Lahore city police chief, said the mob smashed window panes, doors and equipment at the cardiology hospital and also set several vehicles on fire.

Some of the protesters fired gunshots and pelted arriving police with stones and bricks, according to a hospital doctor, Ashraf Nizami. Several lawyers were arrested, police said.

"It was catastrophic for hours," Nizami said, adding that a 70-year-old female patient had died, and several patients were left unattended for hours, during the violence.

Nizami said the attackers forced doctors and nurses to flee, leaving patients in emergency and intensive care unattended.

Police fired tear gas to quell the mob while terrified patients and hospital staff fled to safety, officials said.

Lahore government official Kamran Ali said the lawyers were enraged over what they said was the beating by doctors of a lawyer at the hospital over his refusal to get in a queue of patients.

He said the lawyers were particularly angry about the doctors disseminating a mobile phone video on social media showing the beating.

The mob also roughed up provincial information minister Fayaz-ul-Hasan Chauhan when he got to the scene and tried to negotiate with the lawyers.

Prime Minister Imran Khan's office launched an investigation into the incident. "It is a shame that some people would go and attack a hospital," his spokesman Nadeem Afzal Chan said.

More than 100 lawyers stormed and ransacked a hospital in Pakistan on Wednesday to avenge what they said was an assault by doctors there on a fellow advocate, and an elderly patient alongside two others died during the disturbance, authorities said.

More than 100 lawyers stormed and ransacked a hospital in Pakistan on Wednesday to avenge what they said was an assault by doctors there on a fellow advocate, and an elderly patient alongside two others died during the disturbance, authorities said. Zulfikar Hameed, the Lahore city police chief, said the mob smashed window panes, doors and equipment at the cardiology hospital and also set several vehicles on fire. Some of the protesters fired gunshots and pelted arriving police with stones and bricks, according to a hospital doctor, Ashraf Nizami. Several lawyers were arrested, police said. "It was catastrophic for hours," Nizami said, adding that a 70-year-old female patient had died, and several patients were left unattended for hours, during the violence. Nizami said the attackers forced doctors and nurses to flee, leaving patients in emergency and intensive care unattended. Police fired tear gas to quell the mob while terrified patients and hospital staff fled to safety, officials said. Lahore government official Kamran Ali said the lawyers were enraged over what they said was the beating by doctors of a lawyer at the hospital over his refusal to get in a queue of patients. He said the lawyers were particularly angry about the doctors disseminating a mobile phone video on social media showing the beating. The mob also roughed up provincial information minister Fayaz-ul-Hasan Chauhan when he got to the scene and tried to negotiate with the lawyers. Prime Minister Imran Khan's office launched an investigation into the incident. "It is a shame that some people would go and attack a hospital," his spokesman Nadeem Afzal Chan said.

Pakistan: Lawyers ransack hospital in row with doctors, three patients die

Doctors at government hospitals in Karnataka have been staging a sit-in for five days to protest against repeated cases of assault, demanding action against the attackers.

''I am not a terrorist, I am a doctor and I don't deserve to die at my workplace'', read a placard held by one of the 1000 government doctors protesting against another case of assault. The junior residents have been staging a sit-in for five days now, demanding action against the attackers. The incident itself took place on November 1 at Minto Hospital run by the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute. At 3.30 pm, 30-35 members from Kannada Rakshana Vedike, a pro-Kannada organisation, barged into the hospital OPD premises.&nbsp;

The protesters were demanding compensation for several patients who had lost their eyesight following cataract surgeries in July this year. When the junior female doctor refused to speak to them, they allegedly heckled her and assaulted her physically.&nbsp;

''They demanded that the junior resident answer the questions being raised by the association. The doctor responded by saying 'I know Kannada. But I do not wish to speak with you'' which was inferred as 'I do not wish to speak in Kannada'. There was another case of assault on a male doctor on the same day for which we have also submitted the evidence. There is also evidence of mental abuse and physical manhandling by using expletives on the female doctor. They are not supposed to barge into the hospital without prior intimation. We have filed an FIR and they are non-bailable offences which warrants immediate action. But no action has been taken so far. This protest is to demand action against those responsible for this attack'', says Dr Venugopal, member of the Resident Doctors' Association.&nbsp;

The government on Monday announced compensation of Rs 3 lacs for patients who lost their eyesight and asked the protesting doctors to return to duty. But the doctors have been adamant on not returning to duty until the perpetrators are punished. ''Even the victims who lost their eyesight have grievances. The doctors have their own grievances. The police are taking action as per law. Forcing a procedure is not fair. We are educated people. The system is built for the people. Whatever their concern, we are here to address it. If they don't have confidence, how can the system run?'' said Ashwath Narayan, Deputy CM, Karnataka.&nbsp;

Female doctors were particularly shaken up after the incident where the doctor was physically assaulted by Ashwini Gowda. ''We work round the clock in casualty and ICU irrespective of gender. We are all doctors here. But it is a very sensitive issue that a female doctor got attacked. The government should take up the matter. There will be fear among students and parents. Our parents send us here to achieve well in our profession. But now they are worried for the safety and lives of their children. This is an important issue that is not getting the attention it deserves from the common man'', says Dr Rekha.&nbsp;

Doctors from Vani Vilas Hospital, Bowring Hospital, Minto Hospital and Victoria Hospital participated in the sit-in and have threatened to make it an indefinite strike if there is a delay in taking action against the attackers. ''There are many laws that have been brought to protect us. But numerous incidents of violence occur against medicos. None of the laws are effectively implemented. Every time we protest, they promise to tighten protection. But action against the culprits is never taken. This encourages more such acts'', says Dr Rekha.

Doctors at government hospitals in Karnataka have been staging a sit-in for five days to protest against repeated cases of assault, demanding action against the attackers.

Doctors at government hospitals in Karnataka have been staging a sit-in for five days to protest against repeated cases of assault, demanding action against the attackers. ''I am not a terrorist, I am a doctor and I don't deserve to die at my workplace'', read a placard held by one of the 1000 government doctors protesting against another case of assault. The junior residents have been staging a sit-in for five days now, demanding action against the attackers. The incident itself took place on November 1 at Minto Hospital run by the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute. At 3.30 pm, 30-35 members from Kannada Rakshana Vedike, a pro-Kannada organisation, barged into the hospital OPD premises. The protesters were demanding compensation for several patients who had lost their eyesight following cataract surgeries in July this year. When the junior female doctor refused to speak to them, they allegedly heckled her and assaulted her physically. ''They demanded that the junior resident answer the questions being raised by the association. The doctor responded by saying 'I know Kannada. But I do not wish to speak with you'' which was inferred as 'I do not wish to speak in Kannada'. There was another case of assault on a male doctor on the same day for which we have also submitted the evidence. There is also evidence of mental abuse and physical manhandling by using expletives on the female doctor. They are not supposed to barge into the hospital without prior intimation. We have filed an FIR and they are non-bailable offences which warrants immediate action. But no action has been taken so far. This protest is to demand action against those responsible for this attack'', says Dr Venugopal, member of the Resident Doctors' Association. The government on Monday announced compensation of Rs 3 lacs for patients who lost their eyesight and asked the protesting doctors to return to duty. But the doctors have been adamant on not returning to duty until the perpetrators are punished. ''Even the victims who lost their eyesight have grievances. The doctors have their own grievances. The police are taking action as per law. Forcing a procedure is not fair. We are educated people. The system is built for the people. Whatever their concern, we are here to address it. If they don't have confidence, how can the system run?'' said Ashwath Narayan, Deputy CM, Karnataka. Female doctors were particularly shaken up after the incident where the doctor was physically assaulted by Ashwini Gowda. ''We work round the clock in casualty and ICU irrespective of gender. We are all doctors here. But it is a very sensitive issue that a female doctor got attacked. The government should take up the matter. There will be fear among students and parents. Our parents send us here to achieve well in our profession. But now they are worried for the safety and lives of their children. This is an important issue that is not getting the attention it deserves from the common man'', says Dr Rekha. Doctors from Vani Vilas Hospital, Bowring Hospital, Minto Hospital and Victoria Hospital participated in the sit-in and have threatened to make it an indefinite strike if there is a delay in taking action against the attackers. ''There are many laws that have been brought to protect us. But numerous incidents of violence occur against medicos. None of the laws are effectively implemented. Every time we protest, they promise to tighten protection. But action against the culprits is never taken. This encourages more such acts'', says Dr Rekha.

Karnataka: Government doctors stage sit-in to protest assault

Two Americans and a Briton won the 2019&nbsp;Nobel&nbsp;Medicine&nbsp;Prize&nbsp;on Monday for discovering a molecular switch that regulates how cells adapt to fluctuating oxygen levels, opening up new approaches to treating heart failure, anaemia and cancer.

William Kaelin at the US&nbsp;Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School said he was overwhelmed to get a pre-dawn call to say he and two other doctors, Gregg Semenza of Johns Hopkins University and Peter Ratcliffe of Oxford University, had won the&nbsp;$913,000&nbsp;prize.

"I don't usually get phone calls at 5 am, but I knew this was 'Nobel&nbsp;Monday', so it was either going to be a poorly timed mobile call or extremely good news," he told Reuters by telephone. "My heart started racing. It was almost surreal."

Ratcliffe, who is also clinical research director at the Francis Crick Institute in London, said in a statement he was "honoured and delighted at the news".

The scientists' work established the basis for the understanding of how oxygen levels are sensed by cells - a discovery that is being explored by medical researchers seeking to develop treatments for various diseases that work by either activating or blocking the body's oxygen-sensing machinery.

Their work centres on the hypoxic response - the way the body reacts to oxygen flux - and "revealed the elegant mechanisms by which our cells sense oxygen levels and respond" said Andrew Murray, an expert at Britain's University of Cambridge who congratulated the three. 
 
'Vital ingredient'

"Oxygen is a vital ingredient for the survival of every cell in our bodies. Too little – or too much – can spell disaster.&nbsp;Understanding how evolution has equipped cells to detect and respond to fluctuating oxygen levels helps answer fundamental questions," said Venki Ramakrishnan, president of Britain's Royal Society scientific academy.

"As (this) work.. shows us, it also gives insights into the way these processes continue to shape our health and wellbeing."

Randall Johnson, a professor at Sweden's Karolinska Institute where the&nbsp;prize&nbsp;is awarded, said it was "a&nbsp;prize&nbsp;that really tells us the fundamental truth about how cells work".

During exercise, for example, the body uses oxygen at a rapid pace, "and this is a switch that helps the cell figure out how much oxygen it's getting and how it should behave."

"If you have a stroke there's suddenly no oxygen going to the brain... Those cells, if they are going to survive, need to find a way to adapt to that level of oxygen," he said.

Medicine&nbsp;is the first of the&nbsp;Nobel&nbsp;Prizes given each year. The&nbsp;prizes for achievements in science, peace and literature have been awarded since 1901 and were created in the will of dynamite inventor and businessman Alfred&nbsp;Nobel.

Nobel&nbsp;medicine&nbsp;laureates have included scientific greats such as Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin, and Karl Landsteiner, who identified separate blood types and so enabled safe transfusions to be widely introduced.

Thomas Perlmann, a member of the&nbsp;Nobel&nbsp;Assembly, said he had reached Kaelin by phone early on Monday to tell him on the award. "He was really happy, almost speechless," Perlmann said.

Last year American James Allison and Japanese Tasuku Honjo won the&nbsp;prize&nbsp;for discoveries about how to harness the immune system in cancer therapies.

Two Americans and a Briton won the 2019 Nobel Medicine Prize on Monday for discovering a molecular switch that regulates how cells adapt to fluctuating oxygen levels, opening up new approaches to treating heart failure, anaemia and cancer.

Two Americans and a Briton won the 2019 Nobel Medicine Prize on Monday for discovering a molecular switch that regulates how cells adapt to fluctuating oxygen levels, opening up new approaches to treating heart failure, anaemia and cancer. William Kaelin at the US Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School said he was overwhelmed to get a pre-dawn call to say he and two other doctors, Gregg Semenza of Johns Hopkins University and Peter Ratcliffe of Oxford University, had won the $913,000 prize. "I don't usually get phone calls at 5 am, but I knew this was 'Nobel Monday', so it was either going to be a poorly timed mobile call or extremely good news," he told Reuters by telephone. "My heart started racing. It was almost surreal." Ratcliffe, who is also clinical research director at the Francis Crick Institute in London, said in a statement he was "honoured and delighted at the news". The scientists' work established the basis for the understanding of how oxygen levels are sensed by cells - a discovery that is being explored by medical researchers seeking to develop treatments for various diseases that work by either activating or blocking the body's oxygen-sensing machinery. Their work centres on the hypoxic response - the way the body reacts to oxygen flux - and "revealed the elegant mechanisms by which our cells sense oxygen levels and respond" said Andrew Murray, an expert at Britain's University of Cambridge who congratulated the three. 'Vital ingredient' "Oxygen is a vital ingredient for the survival of every cell in our bodies. Too little – or too much – can spell disaster. Understanding how evolution has equipped cells to detect and respond to fluctuating oxygen levels helps answer fundamental questions," said Venki Ramakrishnan, president of Britain's Royal Society scientific academy. "As (this) work.. shows us, it also gives insights into the way these processes continue to shape our health and wellbeing." Randall Johnson, a professor at Sweden's Karolinska Institute where the prize is awarded, said it was "a prize that really tells us the fundamental truth about how cells work". During exercise, for example, the body uses oxygen at a rapid pace, "and this is a switch that helps the cell figure out how much oxygen it's getting and how it should behave." "If you have a stroke there's suddenly no oxygen going to the brain... Those cells, if they are going to survive, need to find a way to adapt to that level of oxygen," he said. Medicine is the first of the Nobel Prizes given each year. The prizes for achievements in science, peace and literature have been awarded since 1901 and were created in the will of dynamite inventor and businessman Alfred Nobel. Nobel medicine laureates have included scientific greats such as Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin, and Karl Landsteiner, who identified separate blood types and so enabled safe transfusions to be widely introduced. Thomas Perlmann, a member of the Nobel Assembly, said he had reached Kaelin by phone early on Monday to tell him on the award. "He was really happy, almost speechless," Perlmann said. Last year American James Allison and Japanese Tasuku Honjo won the prize for discoveries about how to harness the immune system in cancer therapies.

Nobel Medicine Prize won by doctors for work on cells' response to oxygen

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