ABSTRACT
Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) data are used to evaluate the impact of the lockdown (24 March-3 May 2020) on the concentrations of surface O-3, NOx, CO, SO2, PM and BC compared to those measured during the same period in 2015-2019 over northeast India and adjoining areas. Measurements made at Dibrugarh complements the CAMS observations. The NOx, NO2, CO, SO2, BC and PM concentrations dipped appreciably over northeast India and nearby countries. Similar decrement is observed in Dibrugarh in 2020 over their reference levels. Reduction of precursor gases triggered an increase in O-3 concentration across northeast India and adjoining South Asia and at Dibrugarh. The air quality over the region improved from moderate to satisfactory levels due to the lockdown.
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected every tenet of societies all across the world. The gruesome disease, which is primarily a respiratory illness, as is being unmasked with each passing day, has been reported to have a variety of presentations. Here, we report three such cases with atypical manifestation in COVID-19 who were managed in a resource-limited makeshift COVID-19 temporary hospital in Northern India. The dictum to avoid unnecessary exposure by restricting investigations or procedures that would not directly aid in management has been reiterated in this series of cases.
ABSTRACT
Background: In these desperate times when the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has caught the entire world off guard, we have very few evidence-based preventive measures currently available. Various preventive practices, which include both pharmacological interventions (PIs) and non-PIs (NPI), adopted by the health-care workers (HCWs) might play a crucial role in protecting them against COVID-19. This study aims to identify these preventive measures adopted by HCWs in a dedicated 1000-bedded temporary COVID-19 hospital in northern India, with HCWs coming from various parts of the country. Objectives: The objective was to study the various forms of preventive measures undertaken by HCWs and to calculate their prevalence. Methodology: This cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted in a population of HCWs in a 1000-bedded COVID-19 hospital in northern India. Results: Most HCWs included in the study were using multiple preventive measures not necessarily backed by evidence. In this study, 81.8% of the participants were using hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) prophylaxis. Nurses had the highest adherence to HCQ prophylaxis, however they were also the most concerned regarding side effects. Increase in the frequency of hand hygiene and bathing practices was seen in majority of the participants. HCWs were also found to practice various preventive measures such as Vitamin C supplements (37.8%), yoga (37.1%), and warm saline gargles (36.3%). Other less common methods noted were steam inhalation, amlaki, kaadha, tulsi drops, chyawanprash, and nasya. The Internet served as the main source of information. Conclusion: The role of various preventive practices in the setting of a novel infection needs to be studied further. With no dearth in information advocating various proven or unproven strategies available on the Internet, their use by both HCWs and general population is inevitable. This is irrespective of their job or educational profiles. Whether or not such practices are useful in our fight against COVID-19 is a question that can only be answered through further studies.