-The Telegraph Drug helps patients recover from fever in an average of three days and from cough in four days A painkiller called indomethacin prescribed for arthritis and spondylitis is an effective treatment for mild or moderate Covid-19, Chennai-based researchers have told India’s apex health research agency, seeking its inclusion in Covid-19 treatment guidelines. The researchers have submitted what they claim are “striking” study results, indicating that patients of mild or moderate Covid-19...

-The Hindu The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights issues notice to official as bank moves to attach house The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has issued summons to a senior official at ICICI Bank as four children stare at the possibility of losing their home over repayment of a loan taken by their parents, both of whom died last year during the second wave of the pandemic. “The...

-The Wire Science * Northwest India is setting new records for heat. Places in this belt including Delhi witnessed the hottest March since 1901, with an average maximum temperature of 30.73º C. * On April 2, maximum temperatures ranged between 41-42º C over India’s northwest including Rajasthan; it was 4-6º C above normal in Delhi. * As per the India Meteorological Department, heat waves will continue over areas including south Haryana, Delhi and...

-TheWire.in * The Parliamentary standing committee on chemicals and fertilisers has produced a report highlighting gaps in the availability of COVID-19 drugs and devices during the pandemic. * The committee has asked the national government why PSUs didn’t receive licenses to make COVID drugs when private manufacturers did. * The MPs on the committee also spotlighted widespread irrational drug use in COVID-19 management, despite the existence of a standard treatment protocol. New Delhi: The...

-Down to Earth The arduous journeys of those who migrate for medical treatment in India Marta kya na karta (One can do anything when pushed to the wall),” says 40-year-old Rita Kumari from Supaul district of north Bihar. At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic was tightening its grip across the country Rita and her daughter, Sandhya, had to undertake multiple trips to hospitals in Nepal and Uttar Pradesh, before reaching the All...