-TheWire.in Details on this fund and on the decision-making process behind the lockdown, which the PMO has decided not to disclose, should have been made public without waiting for RTI requests. The Prime Minister’s Office must have deliberately ignored the will that the parliament had expressed in the RTI Act, and the spirit of the the Rules and Office Memoranda (OM) issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) when it...

These days a lot many articles, reports, documents, etc. are appearing in the public domain on Coronavirus infection and related issues. An attempt has been made in the present news alert to put together in one place some of the best articles, reports, blogs, webinars, podcasts, etc., which can be useful for our readers. We have divided the resources under various themes for the convenience of our readers and social media...

-The Indian Express As per hospitalisation protocol, a suspected COVID-19 case is kept in a separate ward from those confirmed, as long as the test results are pending. Ahmedabad: The coronavirus patients and suspected cases at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where 1,200 beds have been set aside for COVID-19, have been segregated into wards depending on their faith. While Medical Superintendent Dr Gunvant H Rathod said a ward for Hindu patients and another...

-The Hindu With so little known about its origin and pathogen emission rate, SARS-CoV-2 is the greatest challenge to mankind Given the little Knowledge we have about its origin, and given its rapid spread and massive impact on our lives, novel coronavirus is the most fearsome invasive alien species mankind has ever had to confront. Invasive alien species are species of plants, animals and microbes which move out of their native location...

-The Hindu Until trial results are out, countries like India must focus on interventions such as largescale testing, isolation, contact-tracing, and physical distancing, says Madhukar Pai, Canada Research Chair in Epidemiology & Global Health Madhukar Pai, is Canada Research Chair in Epidemiology & Global Health and Director, McGill Global Health Programs and Professor at McGill University. In an email interview to The Hindu, he explains the debate on BCG vaccine’s purported effectiveness...