Socio-economic impact of first 21 days nationwide lockdown- 1 on the spread of SARS-COV-2 in India in relation to health.

On March 11, 2020 World Health Organization (WHO) declared corona virus disease (COVID-19) to be a pandemic disease, which is caused by a novel coronavirus "severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS CoV- 2)" and till now it has affected about 213 countries. A nationwide lockdown was announced by the Honorable Prime Minister of India on 24th March 2020 for 21 days to prevent the spread of the COVID-19. Our nation, being a developing nation and emerging market, there was a vast socio-economic consequence of this lockdown. Our health care services were at the war front. Due to this step, there was a reduction in the rate of the spread of COVID- 19. Other health hazards due to pollution, road traffic accidents, crimes including robberies, rapes, murders, thefts, etc., were decreased substantially. People learned good hygiene and family bonding, which was further strengthened. Negatively affected sectors were trading companies, schools, and education, economy, stock markets, ongoing events in sports, politics, entertainment industry, transportation, and activities related to religious places, tourists, and hotels. Due to starvation, poor people were worst affected as they were daily bread earners though, the government tried to provide money and food. Finally, it was the primary care physician, termed "corona warriors," who suffered socially, economically, mentally, and physically. Despite all these hardships, the primary care physician learned the innovative way to help patients and ease their suffering with proper advice and awareness.

A learning experience of pandemic COVID-19 management at our medical institute.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel disease. OBJECTIVES: Our healthcare sector is at the epicentre of this unprecedented global pandemic challenge and we are not fully aware of it's management. Here we have discussed our learning experience in managing and tackling the COVID-19 pandemic at our institute which will set an example for other hospitals as well as instill confidence in our primary care physicians who are the frontline warriors. METHODS AND RESULTS: For combating COVID-19, dedicated teams for its management including logistic support was streamlined. Our capacity was built up for 200 isolation beds including 40 ventilator equipped beds and 645 defined quarantine rooms, to be implemented in phased manner. Till date more than 200 COVID-19 patients have been admitted here. Fever and cough were common presentations. Mortality was high in patients with advanced age or who had multiple co-morbid conditions. Efficient training and infection prevention control have resulted in a satisfactory outcome. CONCLUSION: In the wake of this pandemic all hospital setup, with collective responsibility should follow a specified protocol so that our hospital is not converted to the hotspot. COVID-19 has imposed a new challenge where not only patients have to be managed but our health care workers also need to be protected. Telemedicine and our primary care physicians will play a crucial role. Here at a medical institute, medical teaching, and learning atmosphere has to be created amidst the pandemic apprehension for our budding medicos.

Dealing with Covid -19: Lessons from China.

Gopichandran and Subramaniam in their editorial in IJME have appreciated the intensive Chinese efforts to contain the Covid-19 outbreak and wondered if other weak and developing health systems will be able to do the same.

Study of knowledge, attitude, anxiety & perceived mental healthcare need in Indian population during COVID-19 pandemic.

Novel Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) originating from China has rapidly crossed borders, infecting people throughout the whole world. This phenomenon has led to a massive public reaction; the media has been reporting continuously across borders to keep all informed about the pandemic situation. All these things are creating a lot of concern for people leading to heightened levels of anxiety. Pandemics can lead to heightened levels of stress; Anxiety is a common response to any stressful situation. This study attempted to assess the knowledge, attitude, anxiety experience, and perceived mental healthcare need among adult Indian population during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire using a non-probability snowball sampling technique. A total of 662 responses were received. The responders had a moderate level of knowledge about the COVID-19 infection and adequate knowledge about its preventive aspects. The attitude towards COVID-19 showed peoples' willingness to follow government guidelines on quarantine and social distancing. The anxiety levels identified in the study were high. More than 80 % of the people were preoccupied with the thoughts of COVID-19 and 72 % reported the need to use gloves, and sanitizers. In this study, sleep difficulties, paranoia about acquiring COVID-19 infection and distress related social media were reported in 12.5 %, 37.8 %, and 36.4 % participants respectively. The perceived mental healthcare need was seen in more than 80 % of participants. There is a need to intensify the awareness and address the mental health issues of people during this COVID-19 pandemic.