Covid
The Many Faces of Molnupiravir
Molnupiravir. Another drug that has created a lot of hype or hope among public. But does it really deliver what it promises?
Have scientific bodies failed us?
The ICMR has increasingly drawn criticism from India’s doctors and scientists, who have questioned its drug recommendations & lack of transparency on data related to variants. Countrywide, doctors started writing these prescriptions, which artificially inflated the cost for Covid management,” I said. “Big Pharma was laughing all the way to the bank and ultimately the one who suffered was the …
Covid-19: A coronavirus-linked threat to children
Covid 19 and children. There is just a one in hundred chance that a child would test positive for Covid and would require a hospital admission.
Cost of Curing Covid
High hospital bills and black marketing of drugs and oxygen make the treatment of Covid-19 prohibitively expensive. Malini Aisola, co-convenor of the All India Drug Action Network, ET’s Kiran Somvanshi and I discuss the flaws in the existing setup and the steps to fix the financial burden of Covid-19.
Covid and Rural India
How do we deal with Covid-19 in Indian villages? We must empower primary health centres, where people are familiar with the doctors and healthcare workers; provide adequate training and resources; and weed out unnecessary drugs and investigations. Also, make vaccinations available close to people’s homes. I speak to Indiaspend.
Finally! Evidence enters Covid national guidelines
I couldn’t believe my eyes. So I asked my colleague to read to me the recent COVID-19 guidelines from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), in the Union health ministry. I couldn’t believe my ears either. The nine-page PDF document talks about how to treat, investigate and monitor patients with a COVID-19 infection. What are the surprises? Surprise 1 – Asymptomatic …
Remdesivir: Much ado about nothing?
Remdesivir. Hydroxychloroquine apart, no drug during the current pandemic created as much controversy, generated as much hope, led to as much black marketing and eniced as many physicians and people as Remdesivir did. I was not sure if remdesivir indeed reduced the chances of dying in hospitalised patients and wondered if the hype and hope that the drug had triggered …