COVID-19 quarantine and the way forward. (Special Issue: The epidemiologist and the pandemic.)

Quarantine is a tool that was used anciently and now used as a public health measure in a more strategic manner for containment of a disease. It requires a lot of planning for implementation depending upon the burden of disease, resources to carry out the same in a stringent manner. Benefits and outcomes need to be measured carefully while imposing quarantine especially of a larger scale. We have tried to put up the rationale behind the current quarantine measure carried out in the wake of COVID 19 and factors to keep in mind for the future.

COVID 19 - Observations and speculations - A trend analysis. (Special Issue: The epidemiologist and the pandemic.)

The pandemic of COVID 19 having spread to more than 200 countries across the globe it is time to rethink strategies to contain the spread of the disease. The virus being novel and the natural history still incompletely understood the world seems to be in hit with the panic button. Seeing no race, gender, social class the virus has affected both developed and developing countries alike. However, to understand if existing measures followed are going in the right direction, we need an understanding of the existing situation in countries across as well as our own. The study attempts to analyze the trend patterns around the world especially focusing on China, US, the neighbouring countries of India and then looks into the patterns of COVID 19 in India.

The Challenges of Frontline Health Managers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in India: A Framework Analysis Study (preprint)

Background: Coronavirus was first officially reported in Wuhan city of China in December 2019. As this novel coronavirus spread rapidly throughout the world, health care workers faced many difficulties addressing the pandemic. In the present study, we explored the challenges faced by front-line health managers on human resource management, execution of the central policies, training and in formulating innovative approaches during the covid-19 pandemic in India. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted using framework analysis among front-line health managers concerning covid-19 management at the district level. We conducted 120 in-depth interviews (IDIs) among eight states with the use of an Interview guide. Results: The results are described under five sections: First: 'challenges of front-line managers in policymaking and its execution' 'human resource management' 'gaps in local execution of central policies' 'challenges in training workforce and data management' 'innovative approaches adopted during COVID 19'. Conclusions: We observed that a centre-down approach was not appreciated much. Many participants felt that there was a need to understand the local context and appropriate amendment. The private system is a part of the Indian health system and can never be ignored, thus all guidelines should include the private system.